Choose a Current Physical Activity Event, Trend, or Issue that is Impacting on New Zealanders: Physical Education Report, UC, NZ

Introduction

This assessment activity requires you to produce a report for a sports journal, examining how a current physical activity event, trend, or issues impacting New Zealand society.

You will be assessed on the depth of your examination, how critically you question and challenge assumptions about the issue, and your ability to draw coherent and insightful conclusions about the impact or potential impact of this issue on New Zealand society.

This is an individual assessment activity, and while you may discuss ideas and research your topic with classmates and your teacher, you will work on your report individually and the work you present must be your own.

Task

Choose a current physical activity event, trend, or issue that is impacting New Zealanders as the basis for your article:

Some suggestions are:

• Inequality of pay between men’s and women’s sport
• The latest fitness craze
• Sports clothing – the portrayal of women?
• The Warriors staying in Australia to play NRL
• Drugs in Sport
• Media influences – Sky v Free to Airsport v Spark Sport
• The effect of Coronavirus on the Olympics
• The Winter Olympics
• Super Rugby postponement due to Coronavirus
• Sport funding (sports were chosen, selection process, funding, what does it cost NZ?)
• Obesity in New Zealand

Produce a report for a sports journal, based on your chosen headline, and in it examine the role that it plays in New Zealand sport and the resulting impact on New Zealand society.

In your report explain your own feelings on the matter and consider a range of perspectives and factors. These may include (but are not limited to) sociocultural factors such as gender, commodification, technocentric, healthism, scientism, the body as a project, and identity. Other relevant social, political, ethical, environmental, economic, cultural, and historical (SPEECH) may also be considered.

For example, you might include:

• An introduction that outlines what you will be examining – it may include historical or background information
• The positives and negatives of your physical activity event, trend, or issue in sport – who is advantaged or disadvantaged? How and why? What is the impact on New Zealand society?
• Who is impacted, and to what extent, by the money being applied to sport? Who is in control/power? Who is influential? Who has a vested interest?
• What assumptions are made about the physical activity event, trend, or issue? Question and challenge these assumptions: are they accurate or not? (Consider a wide range of perspectives.) What are the consequences of these assumptions? Who benefits/who does not? What is the impact on New Zealand society?
• Access to and consideration of information on sociocultural factors associated with the chosen current physical activity event, trend, or issue will also be required. Sociocultural factors may include aspects such as:
• Gender – masculinity, femininity, stereotypes, social construction
• Commodification – of the body, sport, athletes, sexuality
• Technocentricity – the body as a machine
• Healthism – the preoccupation with personal health as a primary focus
• Scientism – the application of science in unwarranted situations
• The body as a project – to be shaped and reconstructed to conform to society’s
• ideal but unattainable body image.
• Base your judgments on evidence, class discussions, and your own experiences.