How sports can uplift the working class

By Ryan Mullen

Image by Arisa Chattasa via Unsplash

This article is part of a series which explores how working-class culture in Glasgow is changing. All related articles are available to read on this website. This project was produced by Flora Irvine-Hall, Sasha Main, Ryan Mullen, and Lola Lea.

Whether it’s football, basketball or boxing, sports have always been a cornerstone of life in Glasgow. Almost everyone in the city has a favourite team or a favourite sport or even a club they go to on weekends or after school. The stadiums and parks people play in can often be the beating heart of a working class community. Even hobbyists that partake in a sport just for fun will find some good out of it. Local clubs, junior or senior, are somewhere that will bring people together that otherwise might never even share a room. In fact, these clubs themselves are communities.

For young people growing up in the working class, they can find role models in sporting heroes. There are a thousand success stories in the world of sports. Perhaps the most accomplished Scottish boxer of the modern era, Ricky Burns grew up in Coatbridge and started his fighting career there. Fast forward to today and Burns is a veteran of over 50 fights with a professional career where he won world titles across three weights. People  like Ricky are an inspiration to the people of Glasgow. 

Though it’s viewed as a rougher sport, boxing is a sport that brings all kinds of people together. Christine Morrison, who runs Morrison’s Gym in Dalmarnock said: “The best part is the people, definitely. Meeting all sorts of different people with different abilities;

Christine talked about the mental health and social benefits of the club. She said: “Meeting people, talking to people. Getting involved in exercise with them. The all-round mental health side of it is really important here.”

Boxing gyms are like glue, they’re a place that brings all kinds of people together. Nobody cares where you come from or how old you are, as long as you put in the work, you’re going to fit in. Professional boxers often carry their communities with them, representing them on some of  the biggest stages. In the world Part of that is because of the appreciation they have for the grit and grind that working class people have to go through every day.

Participation in sports is a way for everyone, young or old, to feel just a little bit better about themselves. Boxing is often viewed as the sport of the working class. Nothing takes the edge off after a day of school or a tough shift like a round or two  with a punching bag. It gives people an escape from the stress of their everyday life. Consistent physical activity will reduce stress and improve a person’s overall mood. It can also help younger people build a sense of self-esteem  And give them a strong sense of pride and identity. 

One such club that helps working-class individuals build a sense of self is The Glasgow Storm The Glasgow Storm play in the Strathclyde League Basketball Association (SLBA). Will Webber, the team manager, said: “You see the release of people, you see what it can give. It’s something that- when I got involved in Basketball -I didn’t never really understood how much of life it can teach you, and the way it can change people for the better.

The scoreboard at Easterhouse Sports Centre, the Glasgow Storm's home court.

“I definitely see that people are getting to release stress. They walk out happier, they definitely seem like they’ve let off some steam. Certainly, the ones that come in recreationally do.”

The Glasgow Storm, while a community team, have teams in multiple age groups. Will believes that having something like this, particularly for younger people of a working class background, is very important. He said: “There’s different aspects of what you get from this. Certainly for some of the people here it’s almost like a sort of safe space for them.

“We have Friday night community sessions that are free for people to come along to, they’re not the greatest basketball players, but they’re not really there to improve. They’re maybe just there to get an outlet.

“There’s other ones that do want to get better and get a bit more structure, maybe join a club or go into individual coaching and it definitely deters them away from the streets.”

Another element that working-class people competing in lower-level sports can gain is feeling success from working at something. A day-to-day job can feel monotonous,  thankless and grating. But the earnestness of putting effort into something and reaping the results of it is the perfect counterbalance to that. It’s why there are so many success stories from working-class people getting into sports. Will has coached people like this, he said: “There’s definitely been success stories like that in the sport. Where there’s been people that’ve had tough upbringings, maybe not the best start in life and they’ve turned it around through the sport.

Will gave a real-life example of this, saying: “I’ve got one in my club at the moment that’s a bit of a role model in that situation, they weren’t your typical athlete and they quickly learned that it’s a bit of a family in there. People might yell at each other, we might disagree on the court, but that’s the sport. That’s how bonds are formed. 

“In terms of success stories, we’ve had people compete nationally for us and stuff, I think they mature a lot quicker. For a lot of them it’s no longer recreational, but they think ‘can I make something of this, can I go pro, can I go and get a scholarship. It kind of gives them an opportunity they wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

For those that don’t want to compete, there is a massive mental health aspect to even just  regularly participating in sports as well. Work environments can cause the amygdala, which is responsible for fear and stress responses to become activated. If this is a persisting issue then it will become chronic stress which   will have a noticeable effect on someone’s mental and physical health. Playing a sport, even casually, causes a release of dopamine and endorphins, which will then improve mood and reduce tension instead of making it worse. 

Will very much agrees with this idea. He said: “I think there’s always that stereotypical aspect of that where the older generation don’t really talk about mental health, or there weren’t really many issues. Doing something like this will free those types of people up a bit.”

The inside of Easterhouse Sports Centre.

Local sports teams like the Glasgow Storm play such an incredibly vital role in the building and strengthening of  the bonds in working-class communities. Grassroots football is a good example of this. For young people, it’s a safe and secure environment to make friends. It may also introduce people of diverse cultural backgrounds to each other who might not have interacted  otherwise. Community events surrounding these teams are also a way of generating revenue. Lots of small or grassroots clubs will have local businesses for sponsors, which will have a positive economic impact on their community.

Having clubs like The Glasgow Storm can not only keep a community happier, but also safer, too. Instead of being drawn into antisocial behaviour, young people will have both an outlet that keeps them active and involved. Antisocial behaviour can come from many different factors, and clubs can minimise exposure to these negative influences and help with development. Being in a club like the Glasgow Storm will lead to being surrounded by good influences and building a strong work-ethic which will  make young people more prepared for the working world.

Organisations like Scottish Sports Futures are instrumental in making sure young, working-class people have a fairer shot in life. Over the last few years, their charity has reached out to a lot of young people. From 2022-23 they conducted 132 education and training courses that resulted in 2,970 SCQF qualifications achieved.

Sported’s work has not only helped those in Glasgow but also hundreds of individuals across the whole of Scotland living in deprived or working-class communities. There have been improvements in five key areas, such as an 8% improvement in  antisocial behaviour, a 55% improvement in community cohesion, an 80% improvement to health and wellbeing, a 16% increase in education and employability and a 41% decrease in sports inequality. 

This is the kind of thing that sports do to bring a community together. Whether you’re a member or a fan of a team, you all have one thing in common and that is a love for the sport. Barriers of all kinds are torn down and people of all backgrounds are brought together. The 2020s have brought lots of adversity and supporting a team can be a kind of solace. There are examples of this all across Scottish sports. 

While there is no such dramatic comparison for our own sports teams, supporting them and seeing them win is still something that brings people closer together. Sport has always been something that united the working class. Through the best and worst times in Glasgow, everyone, young or old, working or in school can still count on their favourite team to put a smile on their face.