Question 1

By questioning the dominant ideology about sports, Eitzen shows how&#10;A) the spectacular financial success of a few athletes does not reflect the situation of most athletes.&#10;B) ambition is less important than natural ability for success in sports.&#10;C) poverty and a tough upbringing create a strong motivation to succeed, including in sports.&#10;D) immigrant groups shed their identity as belonging to an ethnic or national minority (e.g., Jewish, Mexican American, black) as soon as they achieve widespread success in sports.

Accepted Answer

By questioning the dominant ideology about sports, Eitzen highlights the fact that despite the spectacular financial success of a few athletes, the majority of athletes do not experience the same level of financial success. This shows that the dominant ideology about sports, which suggests that success in sports leads to wealth and prosperity, is not the full reality for most athletes.

Question 2

The sports sociologist Harry Edwards has said that becoming a successful professional athlete is less likely than getting struck by lightning. According to Eitzen, Edwards is&#10;A) deliberately wrong because Edwards is a vocal critic of professional sports.&#10;B) comparing apples and oranges; lightning strikes are random events; sport success is based entirely on human effort.&#10;C) using faulty data; Eitzen's data shows that Edwards's figures underestimate sport success by at least half.&#10;D) probably right.

Accepted Answer

While becoming a successful professional athlete is a difficult feat, Edwards's statement is likely based on statistical data and should not be dismissed as deliberately wrong or faulty.

Question 3

Eitzen argues that&#10;A) whites are more likely to be upwardly mobile through sports than are blacks.&#10;B) very few individuals actually experience upward mobility as a result of successful sports careers while they are in school.&#10;C) sports have been the major avenue for minorities to obtain equality in this society.&#10;D) athletic success is a major stepping stone to other kinds of success,

Accepted Answer

Eitzen argues that while there is a common belief that sports can be a way for individuals to achieve upward mobility, the reality is that very few actually experience this outcome. He argues that this belief is particularly prevalent among individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds who see sports as their only potential path to success. However, Eitzen notes that the actual likelihood of achieving upward mobility through sports is low, particularly as individuals move from high school to college to professional athletics.

Question 4

Eitzen focuses on which sport in his article?&#10;A) baseball&#10;B) basketball&#10;C) football&#10;D) Eitzen talks about college and professional sports generally, instead of focusing on any particular sport.

Accepted Answer

Eitzen's article discusses issues within both college and professional sports broadly, rather than concentrating on a specific sport.

Deck 30: D Stanley Eitzen, Upward Mobility Through Sport