sport and society

1) Sports and money are obviously connected, but in numerous ways. On this board discuss two things. First, imagine yourself the parent of athletically gifted high school athlete. People are telling you that you have to push your kid to play professionally because it is great opportunity to gain money and power. How would you respond? Second, examine the Sporting News' Top 20 most powerful people in sports. What are your reactions? Who are these people? What patterns do you see?

2)People often say that sports transcend issues of money, power and economic inequalities ("sports are open to everyone" or "all it takes is hard work"). How can we use Wacquant's article to critically examine such notions? Also, after looking at his research how do would you explain the motivation to dedicate oneself to boxing? How can we use an understanding of class inequality to understand the world of boxing?