Final answer:
Norms defining an athlete in power and performance sports are shaped by conformity, acculturation, and power dynamics within the sports community, impacting young people who view athletes as a reference group. Sports serve as a performance platform and play a pivotal role in shaping youth identity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The norms and criteria for what defines an athlete in power and performance sports are deeply embedded in the cultural and social fabric of the sports community. Conformity to a group norm is often driven by trust in the group's competence and correctness. In sports, this could manifest in expectations around physical capabilities, behaviors, mental toughness, and adherence to the rules of the sport, which are a mix of formal norms (like official rules and regulations) and informal norms (like the unwritten expectations of sportsmanship).
Within any sports community, there is a phenomenon of acculturation, where the ingrained beliefs and norms of the group shape individuals' understanding of what it means to be a 'real' athlete. This is influenced by power dynamics within the group, as those with more power may assert their version of reality upon others. Athletes therefore become a reference group for young people, offering a standard against which they measure their own behaviors and aspirations.
This dynamic is not without its challenges, especially in the context of sports and gender. Organizers of sporting events, including the International Olympic Committee, have grappled with aligning cultural views of gender with biological realities, reflecting the complexities of identity and competition. Ultimately, sports serve as a platform for performance, where athletes enact the norms of their sport while under the watchful eyes of spectators, and they play a significant role in the lives of young people shaping their identities and inspiring their ambitions.