Masculinity, moral atmosphere, and moral functioning of high school football players

In order to identify factors associated with on-field moral functioning among student athletes within the unique context of football, we examined masculine gender role conflict, moral atmosphere, and athletic identity. Using structural equation modeling to assess survey data from 204 high school football players, results demonstrated that moral atmosphere (i.e., the influence of coaches and teammates) was significantly associated with participants' process of on-field moral functioning across the levels of judgment, intention, and behavior. Neither masculine gender role conflict nor athletic identity significantly predicted moral functioning, but the results indicated that participants' identification with the athlete role significantly predicted conflict with socialized gender roles. Results suggest that in the aggressive and violent sport of football, coaches can have a direct influence on players' moral functioning process. Coaches can also have an indirect effect by influencing all the players so that a culture of ethical play can be cultivated among teammates and spread from the top down.     

Ties That Bond: Youth Sport as a Vehicle for Social Identity and Positive Youth Development

An emerging area of research has focused on understanding how the group dynamics of a sport team influence positive youth development (PYD). The identities that youth form through their membership in sport teams (i.e., social identities) have been found to influence teammate behavior and team performance. Yet, minimal work exists on social identity and PYD in youth sport. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between social identity and PYD in sport. Method: Youth engaged in recreational sport (N = 219; M_age = 11.61 years, SD = 1.39 years) completed measures of social identity and PYD in sport. The social identity measure assessed 3 dimensions including ingroup ties (IGT; perceptions of similarity, bonding, belongingness), cognitive centrality (importance of being a team member), and ingroup affect (IGA; feelings associated with group membership). A regression analysis was performed separately for 4 PYD outcomes (personal and social skills, goal setting, initiative, negative experiences) with the 3 dimensions of social identity entered as predictors. Results: Regression analyses revealed that IGT and IGA were positively associated with personal and social skills (R² Adj. = .29). Further, IGT predicted initiative (R² Adj. = .16), whereas IGA was positively associated with goal setting (R² Adj. = .17) and negatively associated with negative experiences (R² Adj. = .08). Conclusion: The findings extend previous research highlighting the benefits of social identity on teammate behavior and team performance and demonstrate how social identity may contribute to PYD through sport.     

Elite athletes as mothers: Managing multiple identities

Mothers’ voices are often silent in the sports literature, especially as elite athletes. This research used a symbolic interactionist approach and semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of nine elite female athletes in New Zealand who were also mothers at the time of competing. The specific objectives were to explore how motherhood impacted on the identity of elite athletes, how they negotiated their multiple identities and roles, and how support systems were utilized to encourage and retain elite athletes as mothers. The women managed their multiple identities and negotiated constraints such as guilt, lack of time and limited organizational support by emphasizing how integral sport was to their sense of self. They highlighted the mutual benefits of motherhood to their sport aspirations and vice versa, by utilizing time/space management strategies, and by creating and accessing strong support networks which sometimes included organizational support. There was a move towards the integration of multiple identities and a focus on how women's choices in leisure and sport were realized for future research and theory development. Sport management practices and policies that create opportunities for mothers to achieve and maintain elite athlete status are also mentioned.     

Gender typing of sports: an investigation of Metheny's classification

The purpose of this study was to investigate if children perceived certain sports to be masculine, feminine, or neutral. Students attending a University Laboratory school (grades K-12) were asked to fill out a survey about sports during a class period, Children in grades K-6 were given a sport (such as baseball) and asked if a boy named David would play it, if a girl named Jane would play it, or if both David and Jane would play the sport. Students in grades 7-12 were asked to name their favorite athlete or team and sport and indicate what sports they felt was best for a girl and a boy. Then they were given a list of sports and asked to indicate, using a 5-point Likert-type scale, whether they believed the sport was masculine, neutral, or feminine. Results from loglinear analyses indicated that students sex-typed certain sports, such as aerobics and football. Additionally, although some responses from students in grades 7-12 indicated that individuals should be able to play any sport they wanted, there were many gendered rsponses in terms of what sport(s) girls and boys should participate in. The results are discussed with reference to Metheny's categories of permissible sports for girls and in the framework of the gender typing of sport.     

Identity tensions in lesbian intercollegiate coaches

Using social identity perspective, we investigated the experiences of 13 lesbian college coaches. Through semistructured interviews, the coaches revealed the daily identity tensions they experienced. There was constant negotiation between their social identities of "coach" and "lesbian." The social context of intercollegiate women's athletics created a complex web that juxtaposed these identities against commanding social norms. The challenges these coaches faced ranged from doing what they believed was best for the well being of their athletes (e.g., fighting homonegativism) versus what was best for their professional well being (e.g., remaining silent). These coaches did not passively accept their fate; while they struggled with identity negotiation, they also found ways to counter the heterosexist atmosphere and create positive social change.     

"It's cheesy when they smile:" what girl athletes prefer in images of female college athletes

Building on previous research in which we provided an opportunity for female college athletes to construct their own photographic portrayals, this study explored young female athletes' perceptions of the college athlete photographs. Fifty-two girls participated in focus group interviews where they viewed and discussed the images. The young athletes particularly liked images they perceived to show authentic athletes (e.g, in athletic settings, with appropriate sport attire), images they could relate to due to personal experiences, and images that reflected competent and passionate sportswomen. Images perceived as revealing a lack of motivation, poor sporting attitudes, and nonathletic poses generally were disliked. Images depicting multiple social identities (e.g., an athlete in a dress) were controversial and generated much discussion.     

On the same page in sporting dyads: does dissimilarity on 2 x 2 achievement goal constructs impair relationship functioning?

This study examined the extent to which 2 x 2 achievement goal constructs (Elliot, 1999) were associated with key relational perceptions (i.e., relationship commitment, relationship satisfaction) for members of athlete-athlete dyads. Both members from 82 regional-level partnerships (mean age = 22.72, SD = 3.83) were recruited from a variety of dyadic sports (e.g., tennis, badminton, rowing). Actor-partner interdependence model analyses revealed that greater dissimilarity between partners on mastery-approach and performance-approach goals was associated with lower commitment and satisfaction. Mastery goals displayed positive actor effects with respect to both relationship perceptions, whereas performance-avoidance goals were negatively related to commitment (i.e., actor and partner effects) and satisfaction (i.e., partner effect). These results indicate that achievement goal constructs may align with important interpersonal perceptions in athlete dyads.     

Riding Instructors,Gender, Militarism,and Stable Culture in Sweden: Continuity and Change in the Twentieth Century

Equestrian sport underwent significant changes in Sweden during the twentieth century, from being connected to men and the army to being associated with women and leisure activities. Previous research has shown that a stable culture with masculine military norms still exists in spite of these changes. The purpose of this study is to explore why these norms continue to influence Swedish equestrian sport. Institutional economic theory and gender theory are used to explain continuity and change in stable culture. The source material consists of interviews and document analysis. An important finding is that military norms have been reproduced in the education of the riding instructors.     

Rahmenbedingungen männlichen Gerätturnens im deutschen Spitzensportsystem: Disziplinspezifische Anmerkungen zur nationalen Debatte

In German sports science, the national elite sport promotion system is a steady topic of discussions. The federal government and the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) expect new impetus of the reformed elite sport system in the areas of, inter alia, young athlete promotion, scientific support, and the coaches’ situation in German elite sport. The present article is a discipline-specific approach to these three issues for men’s artistic gymnastics. The first author served in various functions in German gymnastics (former squad athlete, young athletes‘ coach, academic teaching) for several years and is familiar with essential problems due to close communication with gymnasts, coaches, scientists, and officials. The purpose of this article is to point out specific challenges in men’s artistic gymnastics in view of the present debate on the German elite sport promotion system. This is intended to stimulate further discussions on solution approaches concerning the common exploitation of potentials.     

论体育“秩序”——“谁的问题”和“先后问题”

既往的体育关注的对象多是集体,并以军事和体育教育的形式过多地注重集体利益,忽略了个体自身增强体质和体育竞争性、娱乐性。现在的体育需以集体和个体并重,且以个体为基础,关注并满足个体的体育需求,从而实现体育强国之梦。集体和个体的问题是"谁的问题";增强体质与物质利益和体育的竞争性、娱乐性存在的先后,即"先后的问题",这便是体育的秩序。围绕此问题,展开体育秩序的"是"和"应当"之研究,即先考察体育秩序的历史,然后分析其目的性及实现方式,在理清体育秩序发展趋势的基础上,再提出体育秩序的规范和要求。     

关于竞技体育学与运动训练学理论认识问题的思考

竞技体育学理论和运动训练学理论不是一个层次的理论问题,传统竞技体育学理论涵盖了运动员选材学、运动训练学、运动竞赛学以及竞技体育管理学等4个子学科;从竞技体育学理论体系结构的完整性和运动选材学科发展的需要,有必要把“运动员选材学”发展成为“运动选材学”;并提出了新的竞技体育理论体系构成的有序结构,使竞技体育专项系统层的目标、任务更加明确,为运动训练各个阶段训练工作的具体操作确定明确的方向。     

兴奋剂处罚取消比赛成绩“除非公平另有要求”探讨

通过对2022年北京冬奥会运动员瓦利耶娃案件的思考,对《世界反兴奋剂条例》（WADC）第10.10条规定的兴奋剂处罚取消比赛成绩例外之“除非公平另有要求”条款进行分析,指出该条款即公平原则例外情况在实际应用中存在的争议,即为保证体育运动的纯洁健康发展,对运动员实施取消所有比赛成绩时,必须注重对该例外情况的使用。但该条款的广泛性、模糊性以及赋予仲裁员无限制的自由裁量权,可能直接影响案件审理结果以及运动员的整个运动生涯。基于此,分析了公平原则例外情况在具体案件中的适用因素、存在不足以及相关完善建议。     

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.     

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.     

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.     

上海市"体教结合"中学运动员招生现状的调查与分析

运用文献资料、问卷调查、访谈、数理统计等方法,对上海市实行体教结合的27所中学的运动员的招生情况作了详尽描述,为体育后备人才在数量和质量上的进一步提高提出了合理化的建议。     

Implementation of a modified sport programme to increase participation: Key stakeholder perspectives

ABSTRACT

Modified sports, whereby equipment and rules are manipulated to facilitate skill performance, have been shown to promote skill learning and potentially increase participation. However, it is currently unexplored how key stakeholders – coaches and key figures working in National associations – who are critical stakeholders in implementing and delivering sport programmes, perceive modified sport. This study explored how tennis coaches and key figures working within tennis National associations perceived the impact of implementing a modified tennis campaign on participation and skill development in children and adults. Key figures and coaches around the world completed an online questionnaire. Both groups considered that modified tennis was positively associated with increasing and sustaining participation, skill learning, talent development and people’s attitude towards tennis. Furthermore, participants thought that a rule change (i.e., use of a low-compression ball in children competitions) and the campaign’s core messages (i.e., “serve, rally, score” and “easy, fun, and healthy”) have been critical for the success of the campaign. These results support previous research on the positive impact of modified tennis on skill development and provide a further impetus on implementing modified sports to increase participation. Other sports can adopt similar strategies to improve their modified programmes.     

新时期“体教结合”的现实需要与长远发展

“体教结合”经过多年的探索与实践,取得了一定成绩,新时期仍面临着很多问题。加强和完善“体教结合”的管理机制,加强学校体育,改革竞赛制度,转移高校高水平运动队招生重心,才能保证“体教结合”的长远发展,培养更多优秀体育后备人才。     

Australian Elite Athlete Development: An Organisational Perspective

The purpose of this paper is to examine and map the process of Australian elite athlete development from an organisational perspective, that of 35 national sporting organisations (NSOs). Research on elite development has focused on the significance of economic and cultural factors (macro-level studies) and the role of sport science and athletes’ close environment (micro-level studies) in fostering success. In an effort to depict elite athlete development processes in a more inclusive way, this paper offers an evaluation of the ways elite athletes are nurtured from an Australian NSOs perspective adopting a meso-level approach (e.g., programs). The study is based on a document analysis examining 74 annual reports from 35 NSOs over a period of four years, before and after the Sydney Olympic Games and offers a generic framework of the Australian elite athlete development process. The resulting framework shows that various interested groups are involved with nurturing elite athletes through either initiating or implementing specially designed programs or other strategies that cultivate success, and helps broaden the definition of elite development. The implications of successful elite athlete development include increased finances and public profile for sports as well as the creation of pathways to increase interest in sport.     

“It's Cheesy When They Smile

Building on previous research in which we provided an opportunity for female college athletes to construct their own photographic portrayals, this study explored young female athletes' perceptions of the college athlete photographs. Fifty-two girls participated in focus group interviews where they viewed and discussed the images. The young athletes particularly liked images they perceived to show authentic athletes (e.g., in athletic settings, with appropriate sport attire), images they could relate to due to personal experiences, and images that reflected competent and passionate sportswomen. Images perceived as revealing a lack of motivation, poor sporting attitudes, and nonathletic poses generally were disliked. Images depicting multiple social identities (e.g., an athlete in a dress) were controversial and generated much discussion.