A Hole in One: Sport and Environment

Abstract

Sport history is a subfield well positioned to involve and benefit from an interdisciplinary approach to historical actors and spaces. Through the use of personal research and teaching experiences that focuses on the intersection between environmental history and those of sport, this piece explores the value in such an interdisciplinary structure through the examples of researching golf courses as transnational sporting landscapes and of teaching sport and leisure cultures to a diverse student body with high levels of engagement.     

A Life Surrounded by Sport History,as a Non-Sporting Critical Feminist

Abstract

I am a historian, specialized in sport history and in women’s history, and started my research career in Finland in the mid-1970s. The main framework of my research has been popular movements and voluntary organizations in sport, from the nineteenth century to nowadays, with a social historical, grassroots and minority emphasis. Class, gender, language and ethnicity have been the main points of view in my work. In my paper, I discuss less my relation to sport history as science and its theories and methods. Instead, I approach the subject more as a personal process: how I, as a non-sporting woman, came into sport history and women’s history in sport, and which circumstances and contacts have been forming my research interests and life. At the end, I discuss sport historians’ contemporary relation to the understanding of (sport) history and its representations, asking how is the responsibility of the past affecting our ways to understand and interpret the past.     

Art Works as Sources for Sport History Research: The Example of ‘Sports Allegory/The Crowning of the Athletes’ by Charles Louis Frédy de Coubertin

Abstract

Sport historians rarely use works of art as sources for their research. The main challenge they face is the difficulty to draw information and insights from the paintings that lie beyond what is apparent at first glance. This paper introduces the art historical methodology of iconological analysis that is of benefit to sport historians. This three-step approach is a tool for interpreting art works and contextualizing them with relevant biographical and societal information that influenced the artist’s life and work. The art work analyzed in this paper is the painting ‘Sports Allegory/The Crowning of the Athletes’ by Pierre de Coubertin’s father, the artist Charles Louis Frédy de Coubertin (1822–1908). This painting was chosen because of its relevance and importance to Olympic history. Up to now this piece has not been critically analyzed in sport history, and hence hardly any documentation on it can be found.     

Historiography,Cultures of Remembrance and Tradition in German Sport

Erinnerungskultur (culture of remembrance) is a widely discussed notion in German historiography. First, the meaning of Erinnerungskultur, including the specific role of academic historiography of sport, is described and explained with respect to sport and sport historiography. One main objective is to reveal the diversity of cultures of sport history and the specific obligations of academic historiography. Second, the actors of sport memories and/or Traditionspflege (heritage) are characterised, and, third, some controversial and perennial debates that permeate German sports history are explained and interpreted, especially that of Carl Diem, internationally known as ‘Mister Olympics’ of 1936. All in all, the paper provides an overview of the mainstreams, cultures and politics of history in Germany with respect to sport.     

Sport for Social Change and Development: Sustaining Transnational Partnerships and Adapting International Curriculums to Local Contexts in Rwanda

Abstract

Local Non-Governmental Organisations and sports organizations have been recognized as important and well positioned strategic implementing bodies by the ‘Sport for Development and Peace’ (SDP) sector. Whilst they may be experienced and knowledgeable of the historical and local sociocultural landscape, many seek to form transnational partnerships, for the purpose of expanding their capacity, sustainability, and expertise. Rwanda’s history of genocide frames much of its development objectives, and sport has been an integral method for implementing programmes that speak to social impact and reconciliation aims. This paper examines a transnational partnership active in Rwanda, that uses football as a tool to achieve its shared development goals. We conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Rwanda, by volunteering with the organizations as they delivered SDP programmes across the country. In doing so we were able to deconstruct the management and intricacies of this partnership and contextualize the important negotiations, management and style of approach when tackling difficult issues. This paper contributes to both expanding our knowledge of transnational partnerships and provides unique commentary that aligns the complexities of engaging with local populations in post-genocide Rwanda with ‘Sport for Social Development’ programming.     

Across Fields and Boundaries: Finding One’s Way in International Sports History

Abstract

This article presents my personal experience as a European scholar at the turn of the twentieth century. In this period, sports historiography was characterized by a shift from political and social history to a broader cultural consideration of sport. In a time when the internet was developing and exchanges between researchers became easier, I experienced and contributed to the internationalization of the field. Nevertheless, this evolution did not erase national boundaries, which are still present and reveal the weight of historical traditions.     

Gender equality,sport and the United Nation’s system. A historical overview of the slow pace of progress

Abstract

The history, milestones and (sluggish) progress towards gender equality within the interconnected movements of sport, international development and human rights are reflective of the broader feminist struggle. In this paper, we shall explore how key stakeholders, such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the (former) United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport together with other women and sport organisations have been working to promote gender equality within and beyond sport. Despite decades of parallel or synchronized effort, critics contend that progress is slow and uneven, leaving generations of girls and women marginalized. In this article, we explain the progression towards a renewed initiative to create a UNESCO Global Observatory for Women, Sport, Physical Education and Physical Activity and discuss how the observatory should serve as a nexus of these collective movements by bringing advocacy, research and action together in one platform.     

‘Science Slam’ and sportification processes in science

Abstract

Sport’s relation to society could be grasped in its connection to science. Thus, there seem to exist two parallel processes: the scientification of sport and the sportification of science. Undoubtedly, science has become an important part in the development of sport, particularly in elite sport. As regards the relation between science and sport, an opposite trend has also been observed, in which sport logic influences the (popular) presentation of science. In this respect, this essay talks about the ‘sportification of science’, by making reference to ‘Science Slam’ and ‘Grand Prix in Science’.     

The School Sport Co-ordinator Programme: Changing the Role of the Physical Education Teacher?

Over the last decade or so, young people have increasingly become a focus of UK sport policy. Fuelled in part by concerns such as the increasing levels of childhood inactivity and obesity, and the lack of international success in sport, a plethora of policy initiatives aimed at young people have been developed. In April 2000, the government published its sport strategy document, A Sporting Future for All, pulling together all the threads of recent policies, and in it, restating its commitment to youth sport, sport in education, excellence and sport in the community. One such policy initiative, the School Sport Co-ordinator programme, is the focus of this paper. The School Sport Co-ordinator programme, currently being introduced into schools in England, is an initiative that involves two government departments (sport and education) and a number of other agencies, reflecting the government's current agenda to ensure 'joined up policy' thinking. It aims to develop opportunities for youth sport through co-ordinated links between PE and sport in schools, both within and outside of the formal curriculum, with those in local community sports settings. The essence of the School Sport Co-ordinator programme is to free up nominated teachers in schools from teaching to allow them time for development activities, specifically to encourage schools and community sports providers to work in partnership. This paper draws on data from an ongoing research project examining the implementation of one School Sport Co-ordinator partnership, 'Northbridge'. Drawing on in-depth interviews, it explores the perceptions of the newly established School Sport Co-ordinators of their changing role. The paper highlights some of the initial tensions and challenges for them in their task of working across different educational and sporting contexts.     

Aspirational Reflections: The Future of Sport History

Abstract

This article provides a scrambled form of SWOT analysis of the ideas contained in the various contributions to this special issue on sport historians and the field of sport history. The market for sport history, pure and simple, is not in good shape in many places. Yet we must be careful not to confuse trends in employment prospects with shorter term fluctuations in demand. Nor should we conflate national issues with the international situation. One thing is certain: worldwide academia is expanding; surely, there must be opportunities somewhere for sport history. Sport historians may have to be prepared to move geographically or to get a job. Nonetheless, the field of sport history also has many strengths highlighted, and opportunities abound for collaborations, public engagement, and supporting our fellow sport historians across the globe. Instead of allowing the external threats and weaknesses to continue to grow, sport historians should draw on the encouraging aspects contained herein and take advantage of our field’s strengths and opportunities to develop new and creative initiatives which demonstrate the vibrancy and breadth of sport history.     

Grappling with the Past: Wrestling and Performative Identity in Kenya

This article explores the decline of indigenous forms of wrestling under colonial rule in Kenya as well as contemporary attempts to revive the sport. Highlighting the role the colonial and post-colonial state played in marginalising ‘traditional' sports reveals a long history of hierarchical control of sport in Kenya. Local responses to this top-down approach also show how cultural lobbies and grass-roots organisations have tried to preserve, reinvent and market the sport as a moral symbol of masculine ethnic pride and cultural identity amidst a sometimes tense political landscape. With the current historiography of sport in Africa heavily imbalanced in favour of studies that highlight the adaptation of European sports within the continent, this article also serves as an initial examination of the historical roots and colonial decline of indigenous sporting traditions in Kenya.     

De-emphasizing Competition in Organized Youth Sport: Misdirected Reforms and Misled Children

In 1972 I attended the Pre-Olympic Scientific Congress in Munich. For the first time science and sport were brought together in connection with the Olympic Games. The organizers presented a book Sport in Blickpunkt der Wissenschaften (Sport from a Scientific Point of View) that summarized history and state of the art of the main sport scientific approaches (41). The German philosopher Hans Lenk gave a presentation of a broad array of past and present interpretations of sport from a philosophic viewpoint (49). The congress in Munch and Hans Lenk's presentation of sport as a suitable philosophic topic became decisive for my own lifelong interest in philosophy of sport. Soon after the Munich conference some American philosophers convened to launch the Philosophic Society for the Study of Sport. In 1973 the first issue of Journal of Philosophy of Sport was published (35). In several ways 1972 was a turning point for philosophy of sport as a serious academic discipline and for my own interest in sport philosophy. From here sport philosophy found its way to Norway and through this and along several other roads to other Nordic countries.     

Variations of Experience in Formal and Informal Sport

Abstract

The premise of this paper is that an important component of the value of sport is the experience it provides: the moods, feelings, and self-perceptions that occur in sports contexts. The Experience Sampling Method (ESM) was used to monitor the ongoing experience of 75 adolescents. Sport was compared with other activities in terms of concentration, mood, self-consciousness and sense of skill, challenge and control. Three different sport contexts were distinguished and compared—organized sport, informal sport, and physical education class. These three contexts were contrasted, and results interpreted in terms of the “flow model” of enjoyment and optimal experience (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975). Sport was experienced as substantially more positive than the rest of everyday life. Sense of control was highest in gym class and lowest in informal sport; sense of skill was highest in informal sport and lowest in gym class; and significantly more was perceived to be at stake in organized sport than in informal sport or gym class. Finally it was shown how the structure of the activity impacts the relationship between sense of skill and other subjective variables.     

Sport cooperation in divided Korea: an overstated role of sport diplomacy in South Korea

Abstract

Sport, widely believed to have a positive utility in the diplomatic arena, has been adopted by the North and South Korean governments from the early 1960s onwards. However, sport exchanges on the divided peninsula functioned as a social agent only when political reconciliation and cooperation prevailed already. Thus, the aim of this article is to understand the relationship between sport and international relations with particular reference to the cases of Korea and Germany. It seeks to critically explore the role of sport as a diplomatic vehicle in inter-Korean relations from a historical and political context, while focusing on the integration theories. This article also uses the German case to highlight how sport has played a role in the process of German reunification. Then this paper argues that sport has not been a crucial factor in promoting either reconciliation or unification, and the utmost efforts to institutionalize sport exchanges are essential.     

Sport burnout inventory–Dual career form for student-athletes: Assessing validity and reliability in a Finnish sample of adolescent athletes

BackgroundThe pressure of pursuing an athletic career simultaneously with education may set adolescent student-athletes at risk for sport and school burnout. Although the 2 life domains of student-athletes are strongly intertwined, so far, there has not been an instrument for investigating sport burnout parallel to school burnout. The aim of the present study was to introduce a sport burnout measure for adolescents in a dual career context and investigate its validity and reliability by using confirmatory factor analysis.MethodsThe participants were 391 student-athletes (51% females) who filled in a questionnaire of sport burnout and background variables in the beginning of upper secondary school.ResultsA 3-factor model or a second-order-factor model described the data better and gave better reliability indices than a 1-factor model. The 3 dimensions of sport burnout were shown to be separate, but closely related constructs. Evidence for convergent and discriminant validity was obtained by correlating the 3 sport burnout dimensions with depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and sport task values.ConclusionThe results suggest that Sport Burnout Inventory–Dual Career Form (SpBI-DC) is a valid and reliable instrument for investigating sport burnout among adolescent student-athletes.     

体育史学与体育社会学关系辨析

体育史学和体育社会学在研究对象和研究方法上的针对性与侧重面是不同的 ,这反映了二者的差异。但从社会学的角度对体育史进行研究 ,却又显示出二者的密切关系。它既是当代体育史学研究日益深化的表现 ,又是体育社会学研究对象进一步扩展的要求。从根本上讲 ,体育史学必须采取社会学的某些研究方法 ,才能达到对体育历史文化的全面而深入的研究。二者是既有密切联系又有区别的体育科学中的重要分支。     

Inter-disciplinarity in sport sciences: The neuroscience example*

Abstract

Sport science is a relatively recent domain of research born from the interactions of different disciplines related to sport. According to the European College of sport science (http://sport-science.org): “scientific excellence in sport science is based on disciplinary competence embedded in the understanding that its essence lies in its multi- and interdisciplinary character”. In this respect, the scientific domain of neuroscience has been developed within such a framework. Influenced by the apparent homogeneity of this scientific domain, the present paper reviews three important research topics in sport from a neuroscientific perspective. These topics concern the relationship between mind and motor action, the effects of cognition on motor performance, and the study of certain mental states (such as the “flow” effect, see below) and motor control issues to understand, for example, the neural substrates of the vertical squat jump. Based on the few extensive examples shown in this review, we argue that by adopting an interdisciplinary paradigm, sport science can emulate neuroscience in becoming a mono-discipline.     

当前体育人文学科研究中存在的历史问题

采用文献资料法、归纳法分析当前体育文化学、奥林匹克等体育人文学科研究中存在的历史问题.当前的体育人文学科研究中的历史问题表现在割裂体育的历史继承性,混淆、篡改历史,削足适履地抛弃某些史实等三方面.     

‘The Sole Anti-Democratic Federation in the Entire Olympic Movement’: Early International Association of Athletics Federations Development Initiatives Between Commercialization and Democratization, 1974–1987

Abstract

Studies on the development of Olympic Solidarity as a tool of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to enable National Olympic Committees of developing countries access to resources and influence in the Olympic Movement exist. However, historical scholarship has relatively neglected the development of aid programs by International Federations to explain how they made use of resources to gain influence in international sport politics. Based on extensive multi-national and multi-lingual archival research in the archives of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) and the German Sport University Cologne, this article explores the establishment and development of the IAAF‘s Technical Aid Program, which had been installed in 1974. Referencing a large amount of previously unknown protocols and written correspondence, the paper critically discusses the IAAF‘s development activities in light of two parallel occurring processes that shaped the federation’s character in the 1970s and 1980s decisively: its increasing commercialization and its path towards democratization in its voting system. It is argued that the IAAF development programs served as a tool to enforce commercial and sport political interests whilst the nature of support remained without clear guidance until the mid-1980s.