Editing Sociology of sport (section)

===Functionalism===
Structural functionalist theories see society as a [[Complex systems|complex system]] whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Sociology|last=Macionis|first=John|date=1944–2011|publisher=Pearson Prentice Hall|others=Gerber, Linda Marie|isbn=9780137001613|edition= 7th|location=Toronto, Canada|oclc=652430995}}</ref> Sport itself developed from religious ceremonies, which served to promote social and moral solidarity of the community.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Giddens |first1=Anthony |title=Capitalism and Modern Social Theory |date=1971 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=9780511803109 |pages=108–111}}</ref>

Bromberger saw similarities between religious ceremonies and football matches. Matches are held in a particular spatial configuration, pitches are sacred and may not be polluted by pitch invaders, and lead to intense emotional states in fans. As with religious ceremonies, spectators are spatially distributed according to social distribution of power. Football seasons have a fixed calendar. Group roles on match day are ceremonial, with specially robed people performing intense ritual acts. As a church, football has an organizational network, from local to global levels. Matches have a sequential order that guides the actions of participants, from pre-match to post-match actions. Lastly, football rituals create a sense of [[communitas]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bromberger |first1=Christian |title=Football as World-View and as Ritual |journal=French Cultural Studies |date=October 1995 |volume=6 |issue=18 |pages=306–309 |doi=10.1177/095715589500601803 |s2cid=194009566 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270619907 |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref> Songs and choreography can be seen as an [[immanence|immanent]] ceremony through which spectators transfer their strength to the team.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Robertson |first1=Roland |title=The Sociological Interpretation of Religion |date=1970 |publisher=Blackwell |location=Oxford |pages=50–51}}</ref>

Accounting for the fact that not all actions support the existing societal structure, [[Robert K. Merton]] saw five ways a person could react to the existing structure, which can be applied to sports as well: conformism, innovation, ritualism, withdrawal, and rebellion.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Merton |first1=Robert K. |title=Social Theory and Social Structure |url=https://archive.org/details/socialtheorysoci0000mert_w8x3 |date=1968 |publisher=The Free Press |location=New York|isbn=9780029211304 }}</ref>

[[Erving Goffman]] drew on Durkheim's conception of positive rituals, emphasizing the sacred status of an individual's "[[Face (sociological concept)|face]]". Positive (compliments, greetings, etc.) and negative (avoiding confrontation, apologies, etc.) rituals all serve to protect one's face.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Goffman |first1=Erving |title=Relations in public: microstudies of the public order |date=1971 |publisher=Basic Books |location=New York |isbn=9781412810067 |pages=62–91}}</ref> Sport journalists, for example, utilize both the positive and negative rituals to protect the face of the athlete they wish to maintain good relations with. Birrell furthermore posits sport events are ritual competitions in which athletes show their character through a mix of bravery, good play and integrity. A good showing serves to reinforce the good face of the athlete.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Birrell |first1=Susan |title=Sport as Ritual: Interpretations from Durkheim to Goffman |journal=Social Forces |date=December 1981 |volume=60 |issue=2 |pages=365–372 |doi=10.2307/2578440 |jstor=2578440 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2578440 |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref>