How have the extreme sports raised into popular culture and are they a sport or a lifestyle?

by

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank my supervisors, friends and family, without their support this research study would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I adjudge that the entire content of this dissertation is entirely my own work; the content used in this dissertation has not been submitted before in any educational institution and represents my own opinion.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to assess the rise of extreme sports in popular culture and whether or not peoples within these cultures believe it is a sport of a lifestyle. There are many different labels that academics have coined to the extreme sports. Whether it be extreme sports itself, or action sports they all encompass a wide range of, mainly, individual sports, such as skateboarding and surfing to new things such as base jumping and kite boarding. While the majority of the population may generalise all these kind of sports into one category, they are all separated by their individual differences and expressions. Using semi structured interviews with a few set questions from which the interview will be able to be expanded further based on the interviewee. These sports have been causing a lot of acceptance and somehow have enriched the wide range of existing sports, giving a substantial improvement in the number of fans and practitioners, resulting in the extrapolation of feelings and emotions silenced by our society inadvertently has been very exclusive expression of their needs where you can get explosive and show all those frustrations acquired over time. In sports and practice are a number of intrinsic values that have been characterized in some way trying to diversify the culture and societies of young people, where are intertwined a lot of feelings and expectations that occur within the extreme practices creating their own norms and attitudes towards the world around them by taking them to establish an alternative culture where they feel more at ease and comfortable.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTii

DECLARATIONiii

ABSTRACTiv

CHAPTER # 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the Study1

Problem Statement2

Purpose of the Study3

Significance of the Study3

CHAPTER # 2: LITERATURE REVIEW4

Culture4

The Meaning of Sport7

Extreme sports13

Extreme sports and economics15

CHAPTER # 3: METHOD19

Procedure19

Data Analysis20

Ethical Considerations20

CHAPTER # 4: FINDINGS22

Profile of Respondents22

Interview Analysis24

On Risk and Danger25

On thrills and adrenaline26

On death and self-deception26

On control and uncertainty26

Summary27

CHAPTER # 5: CONCLUSION30

Limitations of the Study35

BIBLIOGRAPHY36

APPENDIX43

CHAPTER # 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

“If I choose to burn a piece of cloth, it is of no concern to others. However, if I paint it red, white, and blue, pattern it as stars and stripes (i.e., like a USA flag) and then burn it in public, it would be offensive to Americans from the US, but it may be of no concern to non-Americans”.

The opening quote demonstrates the pervasive usage of symbols for meaning representation in human society. Sport is laden with symbolic meanings. Consuming sport inevitably involves meaning, representation and interpretation. The meaning consumers obtain from sport consumption rise into personal relevance and consequently affect their consumption ...