Survey of the Socio-cultural Functions of Wrestling Sport among Primates and Adolescents from 12-19 Years (Case Study in Sari)

Introduction:The functions of sport in today's modern society are varied and numerous as such, it affects most aspects of social life in society. Therefore, understanding and studying these influences and impacts is needed and emphasized in different fields of the humanities including anthropology.
Wrestling is a traditional and popular sport in Iran and in Iranian society and remembering the elders of the Wrestling, such as Takhti, Habibi and other heroes creates a special feeling in the community and as the wrestling in Iran is becoming more professional, it finds a complicated connection with other social institutions such as politics, economics, socio-cultural phenomena such as identity, leisure time, violent behavior and socialization of members of society. That's why this is a common phenomenon in Mazandaran province in general and in Sari community in particular, make the researcher to think this topic of research. And answer the question of wrestling sport in Sari area, such as: what are the socio-cultural functions (with what indicators)? And what is the mechanism of transferring socio-cultural functions through wrestling in this region?
Method: The present research uses qualitative methods (such as observation, interviews, written responses from athletes, wrestling recordings, and in some cases content analysis of specialized wrestling journals and newspapers). The statistical population of the study included Sari wrestling clubs (Takhti, Delavaran, Bargh, Amini, Milad Noor, Machakposht, Ariobarzan, Tabarestan, Javan and Dokhaniat). However, the focus of the present study has been on Milad Noor and Takhti. Each of them has about 70 wrestlers. The sample of the study included interviews and focus groups with salon coaches, wrestler fathers, sports teachers, wrestlers and their coaches in Sari. During the research, 40 focus interviews were conducted with all four groups.
Findings: The findings show that wrestling has a wide variety of functions in the city of Sari, the mechanism of transferring socio-cultural functions of wrestling sport in the researched community, which is  known as the values on an ancient and rooted tradition. In addition, it is consistent with the economic and social conditions of Mazandaran where agriculture is predominant. The dignity of the brave has found a place in the community in itself. So It has influenced many of the social actions and reactions.
Discussion and conclusion: Wrestling was rooted in the religious beliefs of the region and in addition to preventing social harm, it has functions such as leisure time, physical fitness and a channel to drain energy and a route to direct aggression in the city of Sari.