Sport für alle, Sport für manche

The article analyses relations between changing notions of sports and social stratification in sport activities. Current empirical research indicates an increased participation of formerly underrepresented groups, especially women and older people. However, the results of a study show that this is not the case in the traditional contest-orientated model of sports which is still structured by typical differences of age and gender. Furthermore, the traditional notion of sports as a contest is especially pronounced in the less active, lower social strata. A polarity between a rather open “sport for all” and a partly exclusive, traditional, contest-orientated model of sports becomes apparent. As a consequence, research on social stratification in sports should focus on qualitative differences in sports activity.     

Schülerwahrnehmungen des Unterrichtsklimas

The limited findings on student perceptions of class climate in physical education (PE) classes can be attributed to the lack of a suitable measuring instrument. In an effort to overcome this research desideratum, this study aims to construct and develop a questionnaire measuring the students’ perceptions of class climate in PE classes. Therefore, findings from general class climate research (e.g. Saldern & Litig, 1987) are linked with qualitative findings of students’ perceptions in PE classes (Miethling & Krieger, 2004). The questionnaire was answered by 1,135 students from grades eight through ten attending a German secondary school (Gymnasium). A principal component analysis (PCA) with orthogonal rotation (varimax) gives an eight-component solution including 40 items. Regarding the PCA, class climate can be measured by two components pertaining solely to teachers, three components describing the teacher-student relationship and three components describing the student-student relationship. The criterion-related validity is satisfactory at the class level; 57% of variance of the criterion enjoyment in PE class can be explained. Deeper analyses show noticeable class climate characteristics in individual schools. Finally, further developments of the questionnaire and perspectives regarding school climate and academic culture research are discussed.     

Gladiatorprinzip und Tribüneneffekt

The intention of this contribution is to show that training and doping in competitive sports may be considered as two implementations of economic paradoxes of concurrence. They are based on the interaction of the gladiator principle and a tribune effect. According to this terminology, training is related to the classical paradox whereas doping is related to Marx’s paradox (Stützel, 1979, Paradoxa der Geld- und Konkurrenzwirtschaft. Aalen: Scientia; Grass & Stützel, 1983, Volkswirtschaftslehre. München: Vahlen). In the paper, against this background, training and doping in elite sports are evaluated concerning their efficiency and fairness. As a result highly commercialized elite sports with an extreme win orientation turns out to be problematic.     

Stürze im Alter

The consequences of falls can be considerable for elderly people. They often lead to fractures or other injuries, immobility, curtailed independence, need for long-term care, and even death. They decrease the quality of life and can exert a negative influence on self-esteem, activity level, and the number of social contacts. The annual rate of falls in people over 65 is approximately 30%. This number increases to about 50% up to the age of 80 years and almost half of those who fall do so more than once during the course of a year. More than 90% of all falls occur in everyday situations, mostly resulting from movement errors. All studies demonstrated a significant correlation between muscle weakness and the incidence of falls, thus representing a major risk factor for a fall. Gait disorders, hip fractures, and the loss of functional autonomy are closely related to falls and associated with age to a similar extent. Almost 90% of hip fractures in Germany are the result of a fall. From the individual and economic points of view, a fracture near the hip has serious consequences in old age. Based on research findings to date, vibration training could constitute an interesting alternative to classic methods of strength training in fall prevention programs. The aim of this contribution is to provide fundamental facts regarding epidemiology and prevention and to present a potential approach to implementing vibration training in multimodal programs designed to prevent falls.     

„Studenten fliegen“ – die Abteilung für Luftfahrt am Hochschulinstitut für Leibesübungen der Philipps-Universität Marburg (1934–1945)

“Flying,” said curator Ernst von Hülsen in 1936, “needs to become a matter for the whole German people and the universities must go ahead in action.” Together with Peter Jaeck, the director of the Institute for Physical Education, he expanded Marburg to one of the leading German universities in gliding. The special development in Marburg, such as the gliding training of gymnastic teachers and the aviation-related research of other university institutes, is presented within the background of the general gliding development during the period of National Socialism.     

Doping – die Züchtung des Übermenschen

Uncovering new doping scandals does not take an end. The exclamation against this practice of the contest distortion becomes ever louder. The anti-doping wave is about to loom up itself to a tsunami. But why? And against what actually? Doping belongs to the modern occidental culture and philosophy history like space flights and the human enhancement. Doping is the expression of our nihilistic postmodernism. The deregulation and legalization of doping would thus correspond to our historical development rather than its prohibition. And a closer look at the anti-doping wave reveals it as a mere symptom of the prevailing nihilism. The question remains whether we achieve an appropriate “Verwindung” (tortion) of the nihilism rather with or without doping.     

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