A “leaky pipeline”?: Factors affecting the career development of senior-level female administrators in NCAA Division I athletic departments

National governing bodies, international sport federations, and national Olympic committees continue to struggle to attain minimal levels of female representation. Sport organizations in the United States are no exception. Despite the fact that more women work in intercollegiate athletics than ever before, the number of female assistant and associate athletic directors is declining. As such, fewer women are in the “pipeline” to achieve the position of Athletic Director. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that may influence women's career development in intercollegiate athletic administration. Twenty assistant and associate athletic directors were interviewed about their career paths, experiences, and goals. Results suggest strong interpersonal relationships with supervisors and mentors and access to professional development activities aided in participants’ career advancement. Factors attributed to perceptions of gender and professional value incongruence affected women's career choices and opportunities for advancement. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.     

‘I was there from the start’: The identity-maintenance strategies used by fans to combat the threat of losing

On-field performances are a key, yet uncontrollable, determinant of team identification. In this research, we explore how fans of a new team, with an overwhelming loss to win ratio, maintain a positive social identity. Qualitative data gathered from 20 semi-structured interviews were used to address this research objective. Our findings indicated fans use social creativity and social mobility strategies to help preserve a positive and distinctive group identity. In the absence of success, fans evaluated the group on dimensions that reflected positively on, and emphasised the distinctiveness of, group membership. Fans also sought to increase their status in the group to increase the positivity of this association. We use these findings to extend understanding of social identity theory and provide recommendations for sport organisations with unfavourable performance records. Recommendations are themed around highlighting the unique nature of the group and favourable status comparisons between members of the in-group.     

“They cannot seem to get past the gender issue”: Experiences of young female athletic trainers in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics

Within Division I intercollegiate athletics, women hold 46.4% of graduate assistant and 47% of assistant athletic trainer positions, yet hold only 18.8% of head athletic trainer positions. The purpose of this study was to explore whether issues of power and gender stereotyping contribute to the lack of women in head athletic training positions in intercollegiate athletics. Data were gathered from 14 female athletic trainers at Division I universities through semi-structured interviews and follow-up questions based on those interviews and were analyzed using post-structural feminism as the theoretical framework. The findings revealed that male coaches used gender stereotypes to challenge the professional competence of our participants along with formal and informal work practices to reinforce power over the professional lives of our participants.     

“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.     

“The process isn’t a case of report it and stop”: Athletes’ lived experience of whistleblowing on doping in sport

Whistleblowing is effective for exposing doping in sport, garnering increased support and promotion within the global anti-doping community. However, limited attention has been afforded towards understanding the doping whistleblowing process. In response, the authors convey a sense of the whistleblowing context by using the actual words of whistleblowers to illuminate their experience. To achieve this aim, the authors have adopted a narrative approach. Three doping whistleblowers were interviewed regarding their lived experiences of whistleblowing on doping and the data has been represented in the form of one composite creative non-fiction story. The story narrates the whistleblowing experience as a process whereby individuals must (a) determine what they witnessed and experienced was doping, (b) make the decision and take action to report it, and (c) deal with the myriad of consequences and emotions. It also highlights the dilemma faced by whistleblowers who are likely equally compelled to adhere to the moral of loyalty and fairness; yet in this context they are unable to do both. Stemming from the story presented and the forms of retribution experienced, the authors offer practical suggestions for sporting organisations to address in order to empower others to whistleblow on doping in sport. Specifically, organisations should establish and implement whistleblowing policies that: (a) provide protection for whistleblowers, (b) mandate whistleblowing education, and (c) identify an independent person for individuals to seek guidance and support from before, during and following the act of whistleblowing.     

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.     

“So begins the demise of #Superman from Metropolis”: Consumers’ Twitter reactions to an athlete’s transgression

When athlete transgressions occur both on and off the field, there can be negative impacts on stakeholders. Therefore, it is essential to explore how consumers react to transgressions to gain a better understanding of how they can be successfully managed. The purpose of this study was to explore consumers’ Twitter reactions to an athlete’s transgression using a homophobic slur, drawing on critical discourse studies as a conceptual framework. Using Visual Twitter Analytics (Vista), tweets were collected over the 2017 Toronto Blue Jays’ season. For this study, the subset of tweets related to the incident were isolated. We found a duality in discourses, in that consumers shared perspectives for and against the use of homophobic language in sport. Practically, many consumers supported the idea of athletes being assigned a punishment for this type of language use. While consequences may satisfy some consumers, a cultural change within the organization and fan base is required to create an inclusive sport environment regarding language use.     

The “I” in team: Coach incivility,coach gender,and team performance in women’s basketball teams

Incivility is common across many sport contexts, yet empirical examination of its influence is lacking, especially when it comes to the influence of incivility on team emergent states and performance. The purpose of the present study was to address this topic by investigating the effects of leader incivility toward team members on team outcomes. The authors also examined team cohesion and psychological safety as potential mediators of the leader incivility-performance relationship and leader gender as a moderator of these mediational relationships. Participants included players from 52 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I female college basketball teams whose experiences of incivility were aggregated to the team level. As predicted, results revealed that leader incivility related to lower team cohesion, lower psychological safety, and lower objective team performance. Additionally, psychological safety mediated the incivility-performance relationship, as hypothesized. Based on these findings, the authors point to several implications, including emphasizing civility among leaders, instituting organizational policies designed to deter incivility, establishing reporting mechanisms, and implementing interventions and training.     

“Yoga is yoga. Yoga is everywhere. You either practice or you don’t”: a qualitative examination of yoga social dynamics

Within the context of yoga’s increasing popularity, the prevailing view that yoga is ‘good for everyone’ is often perpetuated by participants. This view is derived from popular media portrayals and activities, as well as scientific research purporting yoga’s health benefits for all citizens. This paper accordingly investigates these dominant claims reproduced about yoga practise in the United States using a qualitative study involving five practitioners. We specifically invoke Michel Foucault’s concepts of discourse and governmentality to interrogate how yogic ‘truths’ are negotiated, taken up, and reproduced by several participants in the San Francisco area. Five in depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with a diverse demographic sample of yoga participants. Our findings suggest that these various individuals invested in and reproduced the ideals of social inclusion and multicultural diversity with the accompanying view that yoga operated as a community or ‘family’. The practitioners subsequently acknowledged specific barriers and instances of exclusive practises within yoga and its communities. Yet, in some cases the participants countered that these perceptions of exclusion and barriers to practise could be overcome by individual choice-making; this latter view implicates a specific mode of neo-liberal self-governance. Our analysis therefore suggests that the yoga participants invested in and reproduced ideals of individualism and meritocracy relative to normative neo-liberal yoga discourses.     

“The fouled player should not take the penalty himself”: An empirical investigation of an old German football myth

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the old German football myth that the fouled player should not take the resulting penalty himself, as he is at an increased risk of missing. Previous analyses are improved on as we adjust for potential confounders that might influence self-taking as well as successful penalty conversion. Our findings reveal some important predictors for self-taking but, somewhat surprisingly, neither self-taking nor any of the potential confounders predicts scoring a penalty kick.     

“Sport for Development” in developing countries: The case of the Vilas Olímpicas do Rio de Janeiro

The benefits of sport for general social outcomes has permeated sport policy in Brazil since the beginning of the twentieth century, but recently the jargon of “development through sport” is more overtly informing public policy and government action in this field. Despite increased uptake of the positive discourse of “sport as a development tool”, the reality for government-funded and -run “sport for development” programs is one far removed from enjoying the attention and financial investment needed to reach their stated development goals. This paper focuses on one such program: the Vilas Olímpicas do Rio de Janeiro. When analysing the specific matters associated with the management of this program three themes were identified that encapsulate the main issues that emerged during the analysis: partnerships, conflicting aims, and community involvement. These themes are analysed in light of the literature that discusses the application of “sport for development” programs worldwide and we conclude with some questions on the applicability of well-defined frameworks and approaches to such programs when these programs themselves tend to operate in very ill-defined and unstable environments.     

Unlocking a novel determinant of athletic performance: The role of the gut microbiota,short-chain fatty acids,and “biotics” in exercise

The gut microbiota refers to the collection of trillions of intestinal microorganisms that modulate central aspects of health and disease through influential effects on host physiology. Recently, a connection has been made between the gut microbiota and exercise. Initial investigations demonstrated the beneficial effects of exercise on the gut microbiota, with cross-sectional studies revealing positive correlations between exercise-associated states, and healthy gut microbiota and exercise interventions showed post-intervention increases in the abundance of beneficial bacterial taxa. More recent investigations have focused on exploring the reverse relationship: the influence of the gut microbiota on exercise performance. Murine investigations have revealed that certain bacterial taxa may enhance endurance exercise performance by augmenting various aspects of lactate metabolism. Further, short-chain fatty acids—which modulate metabolism at various organ sites, including within skeletal muscle—have been shown to enhance endurance exercise capacity in mice. This review highlights what is currently known about the connection between the gut microbiota and exercise, with a particular focus on the ergogenic potential of the gut microbiota and how it may be leveraged to enhance endurance exercise performance.     

“Everyone rolls up their sleeves and mucks in”: Exploring volunteers’ motivation and experiences of the motivational climate of a sporting event

Research examining volunteer motivation and satisfaction has been criticised for the limited explanation of the cognitive and social processes that may underpin the proposed relationships among motivation, satisfaction, performance and retention (Costa, C.A., Chalip, L., Green, B.C., & Simes, C. (2006). Reconsidering the role of training in event volunteers’ satisfaction. Sport Management Review, 9(2), 165–182.; Cuskelly, G., Hoye, R., & Auld, C. (2006). Working with volunteers in sport. Theory and practice. London: Routledge.). Self-determination theory (SDT) (Deci, E.L., & Ryan, R.M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.; Ryan, R.M., & Deci, E.L. (2000a) has proven useful in both for- and not-for-profit domains (e.g., Baard, P.P. (1994). A motivational basis for consulting with not-for-profit organizations: A study of church growth and participation. Consulting Psychology Journal, 46(3), 19–31.; Deci, E.L., Connell, J.P., & Ryan, R.M. (1989). Self-determination in a work organisation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74(4), 580–590.; Hollembeak, J., & Amorose, A. J. (2005). Percevied coaching behaviors and college athletes’ intrinsic motivation: A test of self-determination theory. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 17(1), 20–36.) and appears particularly suited to understanding volunteer motivation. Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.). Therefore the purpose of this study was to examine sport event volunteers’ motivation and experiences of the motivational climate at a large sport event using self-determination theory. The participants were volunteers at the NZ Master's Games held biannually in Dunedin, NZ. They participated in focus group interviews in which their experiences as volunteers at the event were discussed. In general, the findings support tenets of self-determination theory. Participants reported intrinsic motivation toward volunteering but also forms of extrinsic motivation toward some volunteer tasks. With regard to the motivational climate, volunteers experienced support for their autonomy, and felt that their competence and sense of relatedness were fostered. These findings suggest that SDT is a viable framework for examining volunteer motivation.     

A closer look at the FTEM framework. Response to “More of the same? Comment on ‘An integrated framework for the optimisation of sport and athlete development: A practitioner approach’”

Abstract

The Foundations, Talent, Elite and Mastery (FTEM) framework was designed through the lens of a world leading high-performance sport agency to assist sporting stakeholders operationalise and research their whole of sport development pathways (Gulbin, J. P., Croser, M. J., Morley, E. J., & Weissensteiner, J. R. (2013). An integrated framework for the optimisation of sport and athlete development: A practitioner approach. Journal of Sport Sciences, 31, 1319–1331). In response to the commentary by MacNamara and Collins (2013) (Journal of Sports Sciences, doi:10.1080/02640414.2013. 855805), it was possible to document many inaccurate, false and misleading statements based on inattentive reading of the original article. We reinforce that: FTEM is a holistic framework of sport and athlete development and not a surrogate for a talent identification ( TID) model; bio-psycho-social components of development are liberally embedded throughout the FTEM framework; and the combined research and applied insights of development practitioners provide strong ecological validity for the consideration of stakeholders looking to explore applied approaches to athlete pathway management.