Social Mobility, Ethnicity and Sport

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Abstract
This paper considers the extent and possible cultural significance of Afro‐Caribbean male involvement in U.K. sport. An appraisal of the available evidence on ethnic differences in participation, at school and post‐school levels, is undertaken in an attempt to show that not only do members of the group in question seem to place a high value on achievement in sport, but that a growing number may now perceive a sporting career as a potential means of upward social mobility. It is suggested that the apparent orientation of Afro‐Caribbeans towards sport is conditioned by both class and ethnic‐specific factors. The respective influences of the parent culture, school, peer group and mass media are considered, along with the structure of opportunities in both the popular professional sports and the expanding area of recreational sport, in an attempt to assess the causes and consequences of this phenomenon.

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