Week 4

The general conclusions that I can draw about the Special Olympics have to do with the organization. I feel as though no matter where one would go in the United States, a Special Olympics meeting would be conducted in a similar way. I feel as though the insider language would be the same. However, I feel like the dynamics of the group of people will vary. Different groups will have differing interests and interactions with each other. I believe the rituals and behaviors would be the same in that all the athletes would play sports for a designated period of time. However, the treatment of athletes by their superiors would probably vary from region to region. One other factor that could change the whole feel of the Special Olympics would be the socioeconomic statuses of the members. This could alter the quality or equipment available. I don't feel as though political positions, demographics, religious positions and geography play a huge impact on the participants of the Special Olympics. I feel as though perhaps I cannot yet see the ways in which these factors would vary my experiences, although I am open to doing more fieldwork to try to see the differences.