Acting out what is inside of us: Self-management strategies of an abused ex-athlete

In this paper, the authors make use of narrative inquiry from the position of a story teller by using creative nonfiction to bring forward the complexities of abuse in sport. Through the use of vignettes, one female athlete’s story of how she self-managed her abuse post sport by acting out sexually is made known. As taboo stories tend to be silenced in sport literature, this research foregrounds how one athlete took back the power and control with men as a way of self-managing the physical and emotional abuse she experienced from male coaches. Although a temporary fix, the vignettes highlight how this athlete’s self-management strategies were a complex form of empowerment, a contrast to what she felt when she was the recipient of abuse. The reader is encouraged to construct their own understanding of the athlete’s stories, thinking with her story rather than about her story. This paper contributes to understandings of athlete abuse by providing insight into the lack of support an athlete received post sport and further how she was expected to fend for herself, formulating her own self-management/coping strategies. Sport managers developing interventions and strategies related to abused athletes should consider the diverse challenges that they face.     

The Effect of Head Position on Sit and Reach Performance

Abstract

This paper compares the prevalence of sexual harassment and abuse among 660 Norwegian elite female athletes and an age-matched control sample of non athletes. It also explores differences in the prevalence of harassment and abuse in sport and work or school settings and compares harassment and abuse perpetrated by male authority figures and peers in these different contexts. No differences were found between the athletes and controls in overall prevalence of sexual harassment or abuse. However, the athletes experienced significantly more harassment from male authority figures than did the controls. Based on these results, the article considers whether or not sport offers women any particular immunity from sexual harassment and abuse. The implications of the findings for structural and cultural change in sport are discussed.     

Does your left hand know what your right hand is doing? Impacts of athletes’ pre-transgression philanthropic behavior on consumer post-transgression evaluation

Despite the importance of an athlete’s image and reputation as an individual brand, the academic literature lacks investigations on whether and how an athlete’s brand can be protected when they engage in unethical transgressions. Focusing on athletes’ pro-social activities, the authors presented an experimental study to test how an athlete’s pro-social efforts can alleviate negative impacts from his/her transgression. In particular, the authors test the impacts of athletes’ involvement level (high vs. low) with a pro-social cause and level of fit between an athlete and a cause (high vs. low) on sport consumers’ perceptions. Results demonstrate that an athlete’s pre-scandal charitable behaviors can mitigate adverse impact of a transgression on consumer response only when the athlete has deeply engaged in charitable behaviors. The results also show that a higher fit between an athlete and a cause can generate more severe damaging impacts on consumer evaluation than a lower fit due to consumer skepticism caused by a combination between a negative reputation and a high-fit cause.     

Snapchat and child sexual abuse in sport: Protecting child athletes in the social media age

Child sexual abuse is a pervasive problem that sport organizations must confront to protect the integrity of sport. While previous researchers have examined this topic, few have explored the role that technology plays. The authors address this gap by examining how coach perpetrators utilize Snapchat to facilitate sexual abuse, using Cense and Brackenridge’s (2001) Temporal Model of Sexual Abuse with Children and Young Persons in Sport as a framework. Analysis of 99 media reports from 2013 to 2018 found that Snapchat provides motivation for coach perpetrators to sexually abuse that allowed them, in varied ways, to overcome internal inhibitions, external barriers, and break down victim resistance. The results indicate that youth sport organizations must develop clear policies that govern coach-athlete communication and relationships in the digital age. To further protect young athletes, youth sport organizations must develop programming to educate parents and athletes on these boundaries, to increase understanding about how sexual abuse and sexual maltreatment occur in virtual spaces.     

Organisational factors and non-accidental violence in sport: A systematic review

The objective of the current systematic review was to investigate the organisational factors that enable and motivate non-accidental violence towards athletes in the sport context. The authors identified and reviewed 43 qualitative studies investigating psychological, physical, and sexual abuse of athletes, and developed a framework of organisational factors (i.e., structural, social, and stress factors) related to non-accidental violence. Athletes were the key informants, yet some studies included athletes’ entourages. The authors independently coded the findings sections of the primary research, using the developed framework. Organisational tolerance for abuse and conformity to dominant values within sports were related to all three types of non-accidental violence. Power imbalance appeared as a relevant factor in both psychological and sexual abuse, while isolation was also relevant in sexual abuse. Believing that non-accidental violence had instrumental effects appeared related to both psychological and physical abuse, whereas a winner-take-all reward system was related to physical abuse. Based on this systematic review, the authors proposed an integrated perspective of the organisational factors driving non-accidental violence in sport and conclude by proposing a whole-of-system approach to the prevention and management of non-accidental violence.     

Defining and categorizing emotional abuse in sport

Abstract

In this study, we used a qualitative research design to explore athletes’ experiences of emotional abuse in sport. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 retired, elite female swimmers, and data were analysed inductively using open, axial, and selective coding procedures. Findings revealed that emotionally abusive behaviours of the coach occurred in three ways: through physical behaviours, verbal behaviours, and the denial of attention and support. Based on our findings, a definition of emotional abuse in sport is proposed. This definition of emotional abuse is the first definition derived from the experiences of emotional abuse within an athletic environment. It encapsulates previous definitions of emotional abuse, types of emotionally abusive behaviours, and outcomes of these behaviours. The need for an athlete protection initiative in sport is discussed and recommendations are made for future research.     

“But a champion comes out much,much later”: A sport development case study of the 1968 U.S. Olympic team

Increasing attention has been given to the effective development of elite athletes. In this inquiry, the authors used a historical case study to ascertain the ways elite athletes were developed in a different era of sport in the United States. Using the attraction, retention, and transition frameworks, the factors that fostered the development of athletes from the 1968 Summer Olympics were drawn out through oral history interviews. In total, interviews with 59 U.S. Olympians were conducted. The results reveal how the athletes experienced supportive recruitment and retention environments, were able to manage the difficulty of developing elite talent, and encountered both challenges and opportunities transitioning through and out of elite sport. This analysis demonstrates how sport development principles are diverse in their temporal relevance and reinforce the practical implications meant to serve the modern athlete. Further, at least some sport development principles could remain constant regardless of how context and elite athlete experiences evolve in the future.     

Coach–athlete sexual relationships: if no means no does yes mean yes?

Coach–athlete romantic relationships and consensual sexual relations are commonly accepted among coaches and athletes, although a growing number of sport organisations discourage or prohibit such relationships. In research, coach–athlete sexual relationships are lumped together with sexual abuse, suggested to harm athletes' well-being, performance, athletic career and team dynamics, and to inherently constitute an abuse of power, trust and ethics. In addition, mistrust of coaches' motives, related to physical touch and fear of sexual misconduct, has resulted in a growing anxiety among coaches. This paper highlights and critically discusses research conceptualisations, contextual understandings and critical issues surrounding coach–athlete sexual relationships, on which there is no comprehensive research outside the sexual abuse context. Studies of authority–subordinate romantic relationships in other social settings have reported that such relationships facilitate both positive and negative characteristics and outcomes. To prevent and reduce harm and to promote well-being, functionality and safe practice in coach–athlete sexual and non-sexual relationships, I suggest that comprehensive research outside the sexual abuse context is required. In addition to the previous research focus on harmful and abusive relationships, coach–athlete sexual relationships that are experienced as consenting and mutually fulfilling by the involved parties need further examination.     

发展柔韧性与运动损伤的预防

在竞技体育不断发展的今天,运动员柔韧性的发展已经引起了运动界的重视。发展运动员良好的柔韧性,可以很大程度上的防护运动员发生不必要的运动损伤,保障运动员持续、系统的训练,从而使运动员的运动成绩稳定的提高,同时还可以有效延长运动员的运动寿命。     

Experiences of amateur athletes’ non-participating entourage at participatory sport events

ABSTRACT

The proliferation of participatory sport events is attracting scholarly attention, with extant research primarily focusing on profiling participants, and understanding participants’ experiences. The experiences and perspectives of those who travel to participatory sport events to support competing athletes, the ‘non-participating entourage’ (NPE), have largely been overlooked. This stakeholder group is arguably under-recognised by those staging participatory sport events. The purpose of this study was to explore NPE experiences at participatory sport events, adopting a phenomenological approach and employing stakeholder theory as an interpretive lens. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 NPE of amateur athletes in Australia. Findings highlighted that NPE provide emotional and logistical support to their athlete at events. However, while providing support, NPE also experienced positive and negative emotions arising from contextual factors including their relationship to the athlete, group composition, athlete performance, and event design and conditions. This research highlights a vexed, though crucial stakeholder relationship between NPE and event management organisations, requiring unique stakeholder management strategies.     

International medallists’ and non-medallists’ developmental sport activities – a matched-pairs analysis

The study examined developmental participation patterns of international top athletes. Pairs of 83 international medallists (including 38 Olympic/World Champions) and 83 non-medallists were matched by sport, age and gender. A questionnaire recorded their volume of organised (coach-led) practice/training in their respective main sport and in other sports through childhood, adolescence and adulthood, and also involvement in non-organised (peer-led) sport activity. Analyses revealed that the medallists started practice/training in their main sport at an older age than non-medallists and accumulated slightly, but significantly less main-sport practice/training through childhood/adolescence. But they participated in more practice/training in other sports, particularly before entering their main sport. The medallists also maintained engagement in other sports over more years and specialised later than the non-medallists. Other sports engaged in were mostly unrelated to an athlete’s main sport. The results were robust across different types of sports. The observations are reflected against tenets of the “deliberate practice” and “Developmental Model of Sport Participation” frameworks. Early diversified practice and learning experiences are discussed relative to the expansion of youngsters’ potential for future long-term learning. In elite athletes, interaction of sport-specific practice/training with early other-sports participation mostly facilitates long-term attainment of international senior medals.     

Coaching athletes with disability: preconceptions and reality

It is now widely recognized that athletes with disability compete at an elite level which parallels that experienced by non-disabled athletes. The importance of quality coaching to develop an athlete’s full potential is similarly recognized. However, research in the area of coaching athletes with disability is still lacking compared to its counterpart in non-disabled sport. This research explored the holistic experience of coaching elite athletes with disability, and therefore encompassed not only the coaches’ preconceptions, but the rewards and challenges of their coaching experience. Semi-structured interviews were held with 12 coaches of elite athletes from sports including swimming, athletics, cycling, canoeing, triathlon, equestrian sport and wheelchair basketball. The results of the study identified that, although the coaches reported their experience as being overwhelmingly positive, they were also regularly confronted with difficulties not generally faced by coaches of non-disabled athletes.     

Experiences of sexual harassment and abuse among Norwegian elite female athletes and nonathletes

This paper compares the prevalence of sexual harassment and abuse among 660 Norwegian elite female athletes and an age-matched control sample of nonathletes. It also explores differences in the prevalence of harassment and abuse in sport and work or school settings and compares harassment and abuse perpetrated by male authority figures and peers in these different contexts. No differences were found between the athletes and controls in overall prevalence of sexual harassment or abuse. However, the athletes experienced significantly more harassment from male authority figures than did the controls. Based on these results, the article considers whether or not sport offers women any particular immunity from sexual harassment and abuse. The implications of the findings for structural and cultural change in sport are discussed.     

对少年运动员社会性支持的研究

本文通过对中国大学生少年乒乓球队12名队员社会性支持的研究发现,提高关怀程度、采取区别对待和抓好文化学习等与期望和感受社会性支持值的变化有关,而感受社会性支持值的提高又有助于运动员运动成绩的提高。     

对少年运动员社会性支持的研究

本文通过对中国大学生少年乒乓球队12名队员社会性支持的研究发现:提高关怀程度、采取区别对待和抓好文化学习等与期望和感受社会性支持值的变化有关,而感受社会性支持值的提高又有助于运动员运动成绩的提高。     

Implicit and explicit attitudes towards sport among young elite athletes with high versus low burnout symptoms

The development of cynical attitudes towards elite sport is a core symptom of athlete burnout and has been associated with dropout from elite sport. To date, this phenomenon has mainly been studied by investigating explicit attitudes towards sport, whereas athletes’ automatic evaluations (i.e. implicit attitudes) that have been shown to influence behavior as well were not considered. This study aimed to compare explicit and implicit attitudes towards sport of young elite athletes with high (N = 24) versus low (N = 26) burnout symptoms. Using self-reported measures, general and athlete burnout symptoms were assessed. Additionally, a single-target implicit association test was administered to examine participants’ automatic evaluation of sport. Statistical analysis revealed greater emotional/physical exhaustion and sport devaluation in athletes reporting high compared to low burnout symptoms. Implicit attitudes towards sport did not significantly differ between the groups. Furthermore, no significant correlations were observed between different athlete burnout symptoms and implicit attitudes. Athletes with high burnout symptoms show a tendency to explicitly detach themselves from sport, thus fostering sport devaluation as a core symptom of athlete burnout. However, this process does not seem to be reflected in their implicit attitudes towards sport.     

雪上技巧项目运动员心理训练监控体系的建立——以自由式滑雪空中技巧和单板U型场地为例

以自由式滑雪空中技巧和单板U型场地滑雪项目为例,在综述已有研究的基础上,构建雪上技巧项目运动员心理训练监控体系,以期为提高运动员训练和比赛的技战术水平,在比赛中创造优异的运动成绩提供心理保障与服务。     

世界优秀中长跑运动员比赛心理战术分析

运用文献资料、录像观察、调查访问和比较分析等方法,通过典型事例,分析研究了世界优秀中长跑运动员比赛心理战术,阐明了中长跑运动员比赛心理战术的重要性.丰富了中长跑运动员比赛战术的理论与方法,为我国中长跑运动员在重大国际性比赛中获得最佳运动成绩和名次提供参考.     

Women athletes emerging from the shadow of men in Kenya: evidence from the Commonwealth,Olympic and World Athletics Championships

The academic interest in women’s roles in sports in Kenya reflects the concern to level the playing field in a major social cultural phenomenon such as sport and its overall significance to social development. It is therefore not surprising that, in Kenya, women were late in establishing themselves in the sporting world. Under-representation of females in sport within the African set-up, Kenya included, is attributed to the inappropriate western-oriented games, the conflicting values of sexual beauty and sporting competence, and the divorce between women and the warrior tradition of indigenous Africa. However, as data on Kenya’s athletes to various international events demonstrate, women have slowly but steadily emerged out of the shadows of men. In some editions of the games, women have not only been the majority, but also have won more medals than men.     

‘Am I sexually abused?’ Consent in a coach-athlete lesbian relationship

Elite-athlete Karin was 17 years old when the considerably older team coach Selma became her girlfriend. Responding to calls to prevent harm and sexual abuse in sport, this study represents Karin’s story, investigates how she makes sense of her coach–athlete sexual relationship, and analyses what can be learnt about consent. Although sexual consent is often the defining criterion of sexual abuse, consent is rarely explicitly defined or its social implications examined. Moreover, there are no studies on coach–athlete lesbian or gay relationships despite sexual minority vulnerability. The interview with Karin was analysed using narrative case study methods; represented as a short story and discussed in reference to sexual consent theory. The analysis outlines contextual factors conditioning the negotiation of consent and problematises heteronormative, gendered perpetrator and victim stereotypes. Secrecy, alienation and isolation is recognised, extending into additional vulnerability inflicted on socially problematic and atypical coach–athlete relationships. In conclusion, social implications of consent are more complex than yes/no to sex or inherent incapability to consent. Consent is multi-layered, alternately absent and present; an ongoing process that includes compromises, contradictions and (re)negotiations influenced by structure and agency. Further research examining a diversity of sexual experiences among majorities and minorities is proposed.