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(46) A hundred years ago, when sport was confined largely to games played in the backyard or on the farm, one could hardly have imagined the attention that it has come to receive in the twentieth century. Today, the importance of sport in society is clearly demonstrated by the fact that even the CBS news can be preempted for the final of a tennis match. A survey conducted in the late 1980s revealed that fully 81 percent of all adults follow some organized sport, mostly on television. And the phenomenon of weekend “sports widows”—women abandoned by their husbands for weekend sports on television—is entering its third generation.
Sport is defined sociologically as competitive physical activity that is performed under established rules. Like all social institutions, sport serves numerous functions. First, it provides society with a vast array of leisure-time activities for all segments of the population. (47) Although it is an overstatement to say that modern society is a leisure society, there has been a significant increase in the amount of nonwork time that most people have available. Furthermore, recreational activity has become increasingly necessary in a society in which the vast majority of jobs provide little or no physical activity. Second, sport provides an outlet for energies that, if not diverted, could cause serious strain on the social order. (48) For both fan and participant, sport permits the expression of emotions (such as anger and frustration) in ways that are acceptable to, even encouraged by, society. Finally, sport provides society with role models. Athletes at all levels, but especially famous athletes, provide examples of conduct and employment of skills that others can emulate.
Although sports promote many positive aspects of a society, conflict theorists are quick to point out that they also reflect society’s inequalities. Like most other social institutions, sports are characterized by inequalities of class, race and gender. For example, certain sports—such as boxing, which is often associated with urban poverty—are distinctly lower class in origin and participation. (49) In general, members of the lower and working classes have tended to participate in sports like baseball and basketball: games that require little more than a field, a ball, and some players.
Although sport is sometimes considered exempt from racial inequality, sociological evidence has shown this not to be the case. (50) Although it is true that nonwhites in American society have enjoyed greater opportunities for high incomes in professional sports than in other occupations, it is also true that virtually all managers and owners of sports team are white. There are few nonwhite sportscasters, administrators, umpires, or referees. Furthermore, nonwhites are all but absent (even as players) from all professional sports except baseball, basketball, boxing and football.
參考譯文：
46. 100年前，運(yùn)動(dòng)僅僅限于那些在后院或者農(nóng)場(chǎng)中舉行的活動(dòng)，那時(shí)恐怕沒(méi)有人會(huì)想到它在20世紀(jì)的今天所受到的關(guān)注程度。
47. 雖然說(shuō)現(xiàn)代社會(huì)是一個(gè)休閑社會(huì)有些言過(guò)其實(shí)，但是大多數(shù)人的確比以前擁有了更多的非工作時(shí)間。
48. 無(wú)論是運(yùn)動(dòng)迷還是參與者，運(yùn)動(dòng)都能使他們以社會(huì)能接受或者鼓勵(lì)的方式表達(dá)他們的感情(如憤怒和挫折感)。
49. 一般來(lái)說(shuō)，下層勞動(dòng)人民傾向于參與棒球和籃球這樣的運(yùn)動(dòng)，因?yàn)檫@類(lèi)運(yùn)動(dòng)只需要一塊場(chǎng)地、一個(gè)球和幾名球員就足夠了。
50. 雖然和美國(guó)社會(huì)的其他職業(yè)相比，職業(yè)運(yùn)動(dòng)中有色人種獲取高收入的機(jī)會(huì)大一些，但是幾乎所有運(yùn)動(dòng)隊(duì)的經(jīng)理和老板都是白人。
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