Sport,Ethnicity and Racism: The Experience of Asian Heritage Boys

Abstract

It is now almost two decades since concerns were originally expressed regarding the participation of Asian heritage schoolchildren in physical education and sport. Since then, an increasing flow of research literature and, in many instances, successful school initiatives to implement positive multicultural/antiracist policies, have been undertaken to provide equality of opportunity for these pupils. However, problems of access and achievement in physical activity still affect this group and serious health concerns continue to occur, perhaps as a result of such low levels of participation. There remains little take‐up of sport as a career among Asian heritage children. Against the backdrop of these various concerns, this paper contributes to knowledge of issues surrounding the participation of Asian heritage boys in physical education and sport. Through use of interviews and observation, the research focuses on the experiences of primary and secondary age boys within four inner‐urban schools in the North West of England. Findings suggest, primarily, that the role of Asian heritage parents within the sport socialisation experiences of their children was highly influential. Multicultural/antiracist policies were working well within these schools and racism was not stated as the main reason for non‐participation; the low status afforded to physical education and sport, within the home and community, was found to be a more influential factor. Where schools had become proactive in addressing this issue, improved participation had resulted. Findings suggest that education should focus more on Asian heritage attitudes in addition to maintaining and enhancing the antiracism process.     

Sport,physical activity and social exclusion

This paper is a brief review of the concept of social exclusion and its evolution. I address which individuals are excluded from sport and physical activity and how; link inclusion policies to the ‘cross-cutting issues’ and the idea of social capital; and outline the intervention policies being adopted in the new sport strategy ‘Game Plan’ (Department of Culture, Media and Sport, ). I address the link between transport, exercise and health in a case study. Since these policies are new, research and evaluation has been short term and scattered, and outcome measurements have not yet received academic or professional consensus, it is too soon to say for sure what works or even to confirm what is best practice.     

Sport, physical activity and social exclusion

This paper is a brief review of the concept of social exclusion and its evolution. I address which individuals are excluded from sport and physical activity and how; link inclusion policies to the 'cross-cutting issues' and the idea of social capital; and outline the intervention policies being adopted in the new sport strategy 'Game Plan' (). I address the link between transport, exercise and health in a case study. Since these policies are new, research and evaluation has been short term and scattered, and outcome measurements have not yet received academic or professional consensus, it is too soon to say for sure what works or even to confirm what is best practice.     

社会极化理论视阈下城市体育生活方式特征研究

社会极化给城市发展带来两大社会效应:一是社会阶层分化,二是城市空间分异。由于社会阶层分化,除社会底层中的农民工群体外,城市社会各阶层相对稳定的体育生活方式开始显现;各阶层体育活动的空间选择以及体育生活方式主体数量分布都不同;体育消费意愿的高低变化与社会阶层等级的变化相一致。由于城市空间分异,以城市景观为场地开展的体育活动成为了城市体育生活方式的重要内容;体育生活方式条件、体育生活方式形式以及体育消费水平随城市社区不同而各异。     

Sporting hyperchallenges: Health,social, and fiscal implications

There has been a rise in sport-focused event management organisations staging increasingly challenging quests for amateur athletes. Whilst endeavours such as running a marathon or completing an Ironman triathlon were previously pinnacle achievements for amateur athletes, sporting hyperchallenges, events covering greater distances, crossing more difficult terrain, or posing more extreme challenges have set the performance bar significantly higher. Cast against Western neoliberal backdrops the ever-expanding supply-side of this market is broadening opportunities for amateur athletes to test their physical limits, thus necessitating investment of inordinate personal resources. Simultaneously, there is growing empirical and anecdotal evidence suggesting unfavourable impacts can flow from intensely pursuing extreme endurance sports including impacts to athletes’ health and relationships. The authors draw upon intertwined theories of business ethics and corporate social responsibility to critique business practices of sport-focused event management organisations delivering sporting hyperchallenges. The authors propose a conceptual framework aimed at encouraging future research into potential health, social, and fiscal implications stemming from this complex, unregulated market.     

Exploring the impact of social networking sites on running involvement,running behavior,and social life satisfaction

Social networking sites (SNS) are often shown to be influential in developing activity engagement as well as psychological well-being, but empirical evidence is scarce as to their effectiveness in a sport context. The current study examined the potential for SNS use to mediate the effects of physical activity involvement on (1) the level of regular exercise behavior, and (2) social life satisfaction. Results of an online survey (n = 3476) indicated that the influence of running involvement on both running behavior and social life satisfaction are partially mediated by use of running-related SNS. This general finding is reflective of the effects of social media in a specific sport context. Thus, this study demonstrates the theoretical potential for running-related social media to serve as an engagement platform that can augment the influence of involvement on the physical and mental benefits of participation in running.     

Stressors, social support, and effects upon performance in golf

In this study, we extended the work of Rees and Hardy (2004) by examining the main and stress-buffering effects of social support upon sports performance in a different context, using a different outcome measure, and a specific time-frame. A high-level performance sample of 117 male golfers (mean age 24.8, s = 8.3) completed measures of social support and stressors before competitions. Performance outcome was recorded. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses revealed significant (P < 0.05) main effects for stressors upon performance in 8 of the 11 models tested (R2 = 0.08 - 0.21). Over and above the variance accounted for by stressors, there were significant (P < 0.05) main effects for social support upon performance in all models tested (DeltaR2 = 0.10 - 0.24). In all models, stressors were associated with worse performance, whereas social support was associated with better performance. There were no significant interactions (stress-buffering effects). Main effects for social support upon performance suggest that social support may have aided performance directly, regardless of the level of stress.     

Stressors,social support,and effects upon performance in golf

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the effect of eccentric exercise on position sense and reaction angle of the elbow and knee flexors. Twelve males underwent two eccentric exercise sessions involving a randomized crossover design. In the first session participants used their elbow flexors and in the other session their knee flexors. Muscle damage indices, position sense, and joint reaction angle to release of the elbow and knee flexors were measured before, immediately after, and up to 7 days after exercise. Exercise induced greater muscle damage in the elbow flexors than knee flexors. Exercise disturbed position sense of the elbow and knee joint. For both limbs, the participants adopted a more extended position than the reference angle. The elbow and knee joint reaction angles to release increased after exercise for both the elbow and knee flexors. The disturbances in position sense and reaction angle after exercise were greater in the elbow flexors than knee flexors. The elbow flexors remained more accurate and faster than the knee flexors at all time points. These results may be explained by the higher density of muscle spindles and the lower innervation ratio of the elbow flexors compared with the knee flexors, as well as the fact that the arms are more accustomed than the legs to perform fast and accurate movements.     

Communities of practice,social learning and networks: exploiting the social side of coach development

Large-scale coach education programmes have been developed in many countries, and are presented as playing a key role in the development of coaches and the promotion of high standards. Unfortunately, however, coaches often perceive that the current system of formal coach education fails to meet their needs. Perhaps as a result, the majority of their development is personally perceived to take place via informal and non-formal means. Appropriately, therefore, there has been an increasing focus within the coaching literature on the social aspects of learning, with social constructivist perspectives receiving particular attention. Reflecting this appropriate focus, this article explores some of the potential opportunities and threats that social learning methods, such as Communities of Practice (CoP), present for coach developers. In tandem, we outline how all coaches are influenced by a set of pre-existing beliefs, attitudes and dispositions, which are largely tempered by their experiences and interactions both with and within their social ‘milieu’. We argue that, at the very least, we need to begin to understand these constructs and, if we do, the potential for coach developers to manipulate and exploit them is obvious. In conclusion, it is highlighted that whilst offering inherent challenges, CoPs and other social learning methods provide coach developers with a great opportunity and legitimate tool to change coach behaviour and raise coaching standards. Perhaps paradoxically, we also propose that formal coach education may still have a vital role to play in this process.     

The development of social relationships, social support, and posttraumatic growth in a dragon boating team for breast cancer survivors

Physical activity experiences may contribute to psychological and social wellbeing among breast cancer survivors. The main purpose of the current study was to qualitatively explore the development of social relationships, social support, and posttraumatic growth among breast cancer survivors participating in a dragon boat program over 19 months. Guided by interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009), semistructured interviews were conducted with 17 breast cancer survivors on five occasions over their first two seasons of dragon boating. Narrative accounts were developed for each participant, and four profiles emerged describing processes of social and posttraumatic growth development over time: "developing a feisty spirit of survivorship," "I don't want it to be just about me," "it's not about the pink it's about the paddling," and "hard to get close." Profiles were discussed in terms of developing social relationships and support, providing support to others, physicality and athleticism, and negative interactions and experiences.     

Corporate social responsibility and social partnerships in professional football

Within the professional football industry one of the most prominent ways to address corporate social responsibility is through a social partnership involving a range of organizations such as a Community Sports Trust (CST), a professional football club, business organizations and local authorities. These partnerships are responsible for the delivery of community initiatives around a range of social issues. This article seeks to understand the managerial aspects of this type of social partnership, and in particular the objectives and motivations for partnering, by drawing on three analytical platforms that take into account how differences between sectors affect social partnerships. Based on a series of interviews, it is shown that organizations get involved in social partnerships for different reasons and perceive the partnerships in different ways; that from an individual organizational perspective it is difficult to perceive a social partnership entirely in the context of one of the theoretical platforms; and that despite what would appear to be a strong sense of homogenization of organizational form across the sector there are significant differences between social partnerships. The article concludes by arguing that further research is needed to better understand the differences between social partnerships.     

社会体育指导员职业特征、功能和发展形态——兼论我国社会体育指导员管理体制的完善

分析、探讨了社会体育指导员职业的特征、功能和发展形态,在此基础上,进而从专业化运动理论角度解析社会体育指导员职业发展中的4个主体（政府、职业本身、大学和社会）以及主体间的分工,并为解决由各自分工任务而带来的各种问题提供了相应的理论视角,从而为社会体育指导员职业的健康发展和我国社会体育指导员管理体制的完善提供了一条统筹兼顾、综合分析的新思路.     

我国健身群体中的愚昧、迷信现象与社会控制

文化选择困惑、生存困境、社会腐败是健身群体中愚昧、迷信现象的社会基础。对愚昧、迷信现象进行社会控制,既包括对违反社会规范的愚昧、迷信行为的制裁,又包括引导健身群体自觉鉴别、拒绝和抵制愚昧、迷信行为,认同并遵守社会规范。     

Moments of social inclusion: asylum seekers,football and solidarity

Abstract

Established in 2012, ‘the Seekers’ are a football club in Melbourne, Australia. Initially set up to provide social recreation for various refugees and asylum seekers, the Seekers have more recently entered a team in the mainstream league competition. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, this paper considers how football facilitates forms of social inclusion for team members, both in relation to the action of the sport and the political and social context of Australian society more broadly. In many ways the field of sport is highly contested as players engage with the mainstream; however the solidarity forged through playing creates the possibility for moments of social inclusion in other ways. The capacity of sporting interactions to facilitate social inclusion for male team members is vexed, though there is evidence to suggest that, in the correct conditions, sport can contribute to an individual’s capacity to access employment and educational opportunities.