Betterness,injustice and failed athletic contests

In this paper, I provide an account of failed athletic contests which consists of two ideals, the Athletic Superiority Ideal and the Just Results Ideal. Related to this, I argue that a sports contest can fail in terms of the Athletic Superiority Ideal without failing in terms of the Just Results Ideal and vice versa. In the process of doing the former, I argue that besides adjudicating errors, cheating, gamesmanship and (bad) luck, there are two other types of reasons because of which a sports contest can fail in terms of the Athletic Superiority Ideal. Finally, I argue that my account of failed athletic contests is more plausible than Mika Hämäläinen’s three-standard model of athletic superiority.     

Three Standards of Athletic Superiority

The aim of this paper is to deepen our understanding of the inherent purpose of sports competitions. In ‘On Winning and Athletic Superiority’, Nicholas Dixon states that the central comparative purpose of an athletic contest is to determine which team or player is superior, or, synonymously, to provide an accurate measure of athletic superiority. Dixon identifies athletic skill as the standard of athletic superiority in competitive sport. However, I argue there are three separate standards of athletic superiority: the demonstration of athletic skill, the achievement of prelusory goal using lusory means, and achievement of superior formal result. This stance responds to Dixon’s argument that failed athletic contests are contests that have not fulfilled the central purpose of competitive sport, because they have been undermined by refereeing errors, cheating, gamesmanship or bad luck. I argue that a failed athletic contest occurs when any of the three standards of athletic superiority conflict.     

Playing to your opponent’s weakness – or strength

Playing to your opponent’s weakness is a strategy commonly adopted in head-to-head sports. I argue, however, that competitors in head-to-head sports should adopt the opposite strategy: playing to your opponent’s strength (PTS). To do so, I first distinguish two senses of victory and explain what constitutes a meaningful victory in head-to-head sports. I then examine the implications of mutualism as exhibited in Robert L. Simon’s view that sport is a mutual quest for excellence through challenge. Finally, I defend the notion that competitors in head-to-head sports should adopt PTS by stating and answering seven objections.     

Reflections on soccer,sovereignty and the state of exception

In this paper, I examine soccer, sovereignty and the state of exception. The paper is a pedagogical tool for undergraduate students in order for them to learn about sovereignty and the ‘state of exception’ through soccer, the world’s most popular sport. I begin by examining differing conceptions of sovereignty and the state of exception. I then highlight the fate of soccer under various states of exception. I focus on Pinochet’s Chile, but also provide examples from the Argentinean military junta, Nazi Germany and El-Sisi’s Egypt. I then reflect about soccer, sovereignty, and the state of exception in relation to Fédération Internationale de Football Association. I offer concluding remarks about soccer and states of exception. I argue that states of exception are in theory opportunities for change because they expose the naked aggression of states, but in practice they represent a danger for soccer players, fans and democracy.     

‘Supporters,not consumers.’ Grassroots supporters’ culture and sports entertainment in the US

Abstract

Based on ethnographic research with supporters’ groups in the US, this article explores how Ultra and other global models of fandom are being appropriated by soccer fans in the US and Canada. I argue that these fans enact more than stylistic expressions of fandom but instead contest the boundaries of locally accepted models fandom. Most notably, organized soccer supporters in the US reject the notion of being simply consumers of sports entertainment and see themselves instead as stakeholders in the teams they follow and as de facto constituents that the clubs need to be accountable to. At the same time, the global and local organizational structures and histories of professional soccer confront these fans with specific restrictions in how they are able to articulate their interest as fans.     

The Rise and Fall of Professional Soccer in Holyoke Massachusetts,USA

During the first half of the twentieth century, the city of Holyoke Massachusetts and surrounding communities had a strong tradition of playing soccer, so much so that in 1921 one club was convinced to try and make it in the country's first major professional league. I argue that the experiment failed mainly due to financial reasons brought on by an inability to draw fans to watch the team play. The cause of this failure was not necessarily because soccer was seen as un-American but rather because it was too closely identified with a single ethnic group – British Protestants.     

Toward sport reform: hegemonic masculinity and reconceptualizing competition

Hegemonic masculinity, a framework where stereotypically masculine traits are over-emphasized, plays a central role in sport, partly due to an excessive focus on winning. This type of masculinity marginalizes those that do not possess specific traits, including many women and men. I argue sport reform focused on mitigating hypercompetitive attitudes can reduce this harmful and marginalizing hegemonic masculinity in sport. I make this argument first by challenging the dichotomous nature of sport, especially in recognizing that all outcomes are a blend of winning and losing, that ties are relevant and informative outcomes to contests, and that winning and losing do not always tell accurate stories of the outcome. Secondly, I contend that expanding the potential outcomes in sport can help broaden the emphasis of competitive sport to take into account playing well and improving, in terms of both the test and the contest. I conclude that these reforms decrease hegemonic masculinity, making sport better for all.     

壁球比赛的计分方法与平分决胜研究

壁球比赛先后出现SOS9,PARl5及PARll三种不同的计分方法,本文在合理的简化与假设下,通过概率模型研究了不同计分方法下,球员在平分决胜中获胜的概率,用数学的方法分析壁球比赛的各种计分方法与平分决胜结果之间的关系.结果表明,PARl5与PAR11计分方法在平分决胜时对接发球双方均公平,而S0S9计分方法对接球方不利.     

Patronage and industrial football: explaining the de-politicization of Turkish soccer fandom

Turkey has arguably one of the most passionate fan bases in the world. Yet, the political silence that permeates through the ranks of the fan bases of Istanbul’s ‘big’ clubs is puzzling as the country slowly decays into authoritarianism. What explains this silence and the surprising apolitical disposition of fans? I argue that a multi-layered de-politicization process hangs over Turkish soccer, nested within a web of clientelistic relations that stretches from the state to the clubs and fan groups. The military’s heavy-handed approach to suppressing political expressions of all sorts for several years following the 1980 coup helped ensure the de-politicization of soccer stadiums. Likewise, as major beneficiaries of state funds and sponsorships, soccer clubs sought to avoid political trouble and were actively involved in discouraging fan groups from political activism. Empirically, the article focuses primarily on the post-1980 period and the ‘big three’ of Istanbul, i.e. Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas.     

Forthcoming events

Quantitative analysis of sports performance has been shown to produce information that coaches can use within the coaching process to enhance performance. Traditional methods for quantifying sport performances are limited in their capacity to describe the complex interactions of events that occur within a performance over time. In this paper, we outline a new approach to the analysis of time-based event records and real-time behaviour records on sport performance known as T-pattern detection. The relevant elements of the T-pattern detection process are explained and exemplar data from the analysis of 13 soccer matches are presented to highlight the potential of this form of analysis. The results from soccer suggest that it is possible to identify new profiles for both individuals and teams based on the analysis of temporal behavioural patterns detected within the performances.     

Soccer’s Small Worlds

Abstract

In this autobiographical article about my academic career I explain how I developed my approach to sport and soccer in particular, drawing on sociology, linguistics, and cultural history. This career has been and continues to be characterized by interdisciplinary work and intercultural perspectives and by a variety of working relationships that they generate. In a way I turned into a sports scholar by accident. I am convinced, however, that sport, and soccer most of all, lends itself ideally to a comparative analysis of cultural practices which suggests case studies – both on and off the field – that are open to interpretation from historical, sociological, or linguistic perspectives.     

Temporal pattern analysis and its applicability in sport: an explanation and exemplar data

Quantitative analysis of sports performance has been shown to produce information that coaches can use within the coaching process to enhance performance. Traditional methods for quantifying sport performances are limited in their capacity to describe the complex interactions of events that occur within a performance over time. In this paper, we outline a new approach to the analysis of time-based event records and real-time behaviour records on sport performance known as T-pattern detection. The relevant elements of the T-pattern detection process are explained and exemplar data from the analysis of 13 soccer matches are presented to highlight the potential of this form of analysis. The results from soccer suggest that it is possible to identify new profiles for both individuals and teams based on the analysis of temporal behavioural patterns detected within the performances.     

我国青少年体育偶像选择特征研究

通过问卷调查法对我国部分城市青少年体育偶像的运动项目、运动项群、竞赛属性、性别等问题进行了调查分析。研究表明：我国青少年的体育偶像覆盖了众多的运动项目,国际重大赛事上为中国争得荣誉的国内明星运动员,是我国青少年崇拜的主要对象;我国青少年体育偶像选择普遍倾向夏季奥运会体育明星,男性体育明星更受青少年的欢迎;NBA及职业足球文化对我国男性青少年体育偶像选择具有重要的影响,奥运文化对女性青少年体育偶像选择具有更大的影响;女性青少年在难关类体育偶像的选择上高于男性青少年,男性青少年则在重竞技项目偶像选择上高于女性青少年。     

The Case for Inter-national Sport: A Reply to Gleaves and Llewellyn

In their recent contribution to JPS, Gleaves and Llewellyn argue on lusory and ethical grounds that elite sporting competition should cease to be predicated on competitions between nations. From a lusory perspective, they argue that inter-national sports’ limitation on who can compete (due to it being based on national and cultural criteria) undermines some of the central principles of elite sport, such as athletic supremacy and merit. From an ethical perspective, they argue that inter-national sport is categorically unethical because the national and cultural narratives that frame such contests are inherently untruthful and inauthentic. In this article, we challenge Gleaves and Llewellyn on both these grounds and argue that national identity and representation are worthy values that can be achieved through sport, and that inter-national sport, far from being categorically unethical, has the potential to stimulate meaningful cultural conversations, both within and between national communities.     

Understanding and measuring coordination and control in kicking skills in soccer: Implications for talent identification and skill acquisition

In this review, we explore the role of motor control and biomechanics in developing an understanding of soccer skills using kicking as the main vehicle. The links between these sub-disciplines of sport science have not been well established in the past because of an emphasis on cognitive processes in traditional accounts of motor behaviour. We argue that a dynamical systems interpretation of the processes of coordination and control in movements with multiple degrees of freedom signals a new era in the relationship between the sub-disciplines of motor control and biomechanics. Although research on coordination and control of soccer skills is currently sparse, there are indications that the relationship between motor control and biomechanics could form a significant component of scientific programmes in talent identification and skill development. Further interdisciplinary work is needed to enhance understanding of coordination and control of soccer skills.     

2002世界杯--奇迹带来的思考

已经结束的 2 0 0 2年韩日世界杯足球赛 ,以其奇迹诞生、冷门迭爆、问题丛生而备受世人关注。高水平职业联赛对世界杯质量的冲击越来越大 ,足球技战术的革命还没有真正到来 ;另一方面 ,足球的纯粹性也受到了人们的质疑 ,商业炒作、裁判问题、政治因素和民族情绪正一步步侵蚀着足球     

Understanding and measuring coordination and control in kicking skills in soccer: implications for talent identification and skill acquisition

In this review, we explore the role of motor control and biomechanics in developing an understanding of soccer skills using kicking as the main vehicle. The links between these sub-disciplines of sport science have not been well established in the past because of an emphasis on cognitive processes in traditional accounts of motor behaviour. We argue that a dynamical systems interpretation of the processes of coordination and control in movements with multiple degrees of freedom signals a new era in the relationship between the sub-disciplines of motor control and biomechanics. Although research on coordination and control of soccer skills is currently sparse, there are indications that the relationship between motor control and biomechanics could form a significant component of scientific programmes in talent identification and skill development. Further interdisciplinary work is needed to enhance understanding of coordination and control of soccer skills.     

A generational divide within the class-based production of girls in American youth soccer

By building upon earlier research on social class and soccer, the following study specifically provides insight into American, adolescent girls’ experiences with youth soccer (Swanson, ‘Complicating the “Soccer Mom”’; Swanson, ‘Soccer Fields’; Andrews, ‘Contextualizing Suburban Soccer’; and Zwick and Andrews, ‘The Suburban Soccer Field’). Driven by Pierre Bourdieu’s theoretical concepts regarding social class reproduction, I engaged in ethnographic-style conversations regarding recreational youth soccer with girls ages 11–14 and their Baby-Boom-Generation mothers in order to further understand how the American, middle-class habitus may be contributing to a particular gender-based path in youth sport (Bourdieu, Distinction). Additionally, Grossberg’s and Giroux’s literature on youth and politics of culture informed my understanding of the discrepancies between parents’ views and their children’s views on youth soccer experiences (Grossberg, ‘Cultural Studies’; Giroux, Stealing Innocence). In this paper, I recognize American involvement in youth soccer as a class-based form of childrearing as I describe parents’ expectations of girls in youth soccer. The participants’ thoughts on race, social class, gender, and today’s youth as related to their soccer experiences are provided.     

Does it really matter? A study on soccer fans’ perceptions of ethical leadership and their role as “stakeowners”

Ethical leadership is increasingly studied in the context of soccer clubs, as it is believed to represent an effective answer to soccer’s “dark side.” However, current academic understanding is limited to key internal stakeholders’ perspectives, such as coaches and players. A highly relevant stakeholder group that is still largely neglected is fans, as they are believed to be uniquely able to influence leadership in sport clubs, while some of soccer’s ethical issues, such as violence and discrimination are strongly associated with fans. This study highlights this duality by referring to fans as “stakeowners,” namely legitimate stakeholders with certain rights as well as responsibilities. Moreover, the authors examine whether ethical leadership by soccer club leaders really matters to fans. Drawing on a qualitative case study in a Belgian professional soccer club, findings indicate fans care mainly about those aspects of ethical leadership that impact their own position, such as clear communication and fan empowerment. On the other hand, findings suggest fan influence on the leadership of their club should not be exaggerated. After all, the club’s leadership questions the critical importance of fans as being core to (soccer) management’s activities and leadership.     

‘Connected to Something’: Soccer and the Transnational Passions,Memories and Communities of Sydney's Italian Migrants

This paper explores the importance soccer can play in the lives, identities and memories of migrants by drawing on 32 oral history interviews conducted with Italians who settled in Sydney in the 1950s and 1960s. Sport can provide an illuminating lens for analysing the experience of migrants, because not only are sports sites of individual, regional, national and transnational identities, they can also facilitate social inclusion or, conversely, become sites of exclusion. Soccer in Australia is often celebrated as a multicultural game. At the same time, the expressions of the complex histories of migration, colonialism, exploitation and racial and ethnic discrimination that have shaped the game have often been silenced. The interviews show that soccer has been a key site of negotiation, agency and at times resistance for first and second generation migrants. We also argue that, while it is the de-ethnicisation of soccer that has understandably dominated media, political and academic debate, the concern of these migrants in recent years has been mostly with the loss of memory and with the removal of an important history made of shared relationships and bonding experiences.