When Sports Defeat Alienation

Danny Keefe being interviewed.

In today's American society, sports are one of the most influential forms of activity for youth. One child, Danny Keefe, unable to participate in sports, was able to use a position as a “water coach” to gain the respect of fellow children to support him despite him being picked on for having apraxia, which affects the way he speaks. Danny was also made fun of for the way he dressed: a full suit and tie at the age of seven.

An assumption that conflict theory suggests is that sport generates alienation. This can be seen in school social settings. In school, it is a normal scene to see football players hanging around other football players, cheerleaders with cheerleaders, so on and so forth. It is difficult for individuals not in these sports to assimilate themselves into these social groups due to the exclusivity among these sports-based groups.

In the case of Danny, his love of football, and his brother being a member of the Bridgewater Badgers in Massachusetts, allowed him to become the “water coach” for his brother’s team. During school, his classmates would make fun of him for the way he talked and dressed because he didn’t have the friends to support him. Without an established social group Danny would struggle with the constant insults.

Danny with his football friends.

Eventually, Danny’s brother and his teammates decided to stick up for Danny by wearing suits and ties to school and getting the day to be declared Danny’s Day at the school. The entire football team rallied around him and brought him into the football group. Things started to change for Danny at school, and quickly became friends with all of the football players that he would keep hydrated at practice and games. His assimilation into the group allowed others to enter the group as well and break the norm of social sports alienation.

While it is common to see alienation in schools due to sports social groups, when that alienation can be broken, it can create positive results.

ESPN Story:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11937801 

NESN Story: 

http://nesn.com/2014/11/bridgewater-waterboy-danny-keefe-stars-in-touching-sportscenter-feature-video/