The impact of social interaction and team member exchange on sport event volunteer management

In the present study, the authors aim to understand the sport event volunteer experience in the context of social interaction and its effect on volunteers’ team member exchange and future intentions. Sport event volunteers (N = 150) in the Northeast region in the United States participated in the survey. The partial least squares method of structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses. Results indicate that online social interaction ties significantly affect team member exchange, which in turn, predicts volunteers’ intentions to repeat volunteering and also spread positive word-of-mouth about volunteering experience to potential volunteers. The current research specifically demonstrates that establishing social interaction ties through social media promotes positive team member exchange that further impacts volunteers’ future intentions. The research findings also imply that social media can be a cost-effective volunteer management tool in terms of volunteer recruitment and for relatively smaller sport organizations that are generally confronted with limited resources.     

Quantifying the immeasurable: A reflection on sport,time and media

In the last century, professional sport has experienced a process of standardization that has favoured the development of its two most recent characteristics: the quantification and the pursuit of records, as Guttmann exposed in From Ritual to Record (1978). This article reflects on the ramifications that those characteristics have had in the sport consumption of sport in recent times, focusing particularly on the temporal consequences. The work proposes an ‘evolutive time’ perspective to understand the double fundaments of the sporting temporality: its cyclical dimension of recurrences and familiar elements; and its linear dimension of newness and uniqueness. The argument is that sport draws on elements derived from quantification and records such as time serialization and time disruptions in order to produce a globally appealing and intelligible commodity.     

The conventions of sport clubs: enabling and constraining the implementation of social goods through sport

In order to shed light on the possibilities for using sport as a vehicle for the realization of social goods—understood as sport having a wider social role—this paper scrutinizes Norwegian sport clubs. The study is guided by the concept of convention, which refers to individuals’ cognitive structures, and to social structure. Three sport clubs were investigated and three qualitative methods, including document analysis, observation and interviews, were employed. First, in the results section, the main sport convention is identified as being competitiveness. Secondly, it is argued that as a consequence of the main convention for sport there are limited possibilities for the realization of social goods such as health. The possibilities of sports clubs combining the convention of competitiveness with others is discussed, considering the former as substantial for practice and discussing whether the latter is mere rhetoric.     

An exploration of the distractions inherent to social media use among athletes

Social media present athletes with a number of benefits and challenges. As a result, various sport stakeholders have debated appropriate social media use among athletes at major sport events, with some suggesting that using these platforms can have negative consequences. The purpose of this research was to examine the elements of social media that athletes perceive to be distracting during major sport events and the practices they undertake to address such distractions. Interviews with Australian elite athletes (N = 15) were conducted and data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal several elements associated with distraction, including positive and unwanted messages, branding pressures, and competitor content. Athletes reported two key practices that assisted in overcoming distractions, including switching off and handing over the control of their social media accounts. The findings extend distraction-conflict theory to athlete social media research, while presenting a preliminary conceptual model to assist researchers in further understanding the potential impact of social media distractions on athletes. Opportunities for sport practitioners to develop or implement social media education programs are described.     

User-generated branding via social media: An examination of six running brands

The increased global popularity of social media has led many consumer brands to increasingly turn to consumer-to-consumer marketing methods in recent years. One such method, user-generated branding (UGB), is defined as “the strategic and operative management of brand related user-generated content (UGC) to achieve brand goals” (Burmann & Arnhold, 2009, p. 66). Other disciplines have identified potential benefits of UGB such as cost effectiveness, the ability to track consumers, and immediate feedback regarding a brand and its products or services (Burmann, 2010). Hambrick and Kang (2015) also posited that UGB might be effective in developing stronger relationships between brands and consumers and eliciting greater engagement with consumers on social media. This study sought to fill the gap on UGB research within the sport management field. Utilising Porter’s (1985) generic strategies as a theoretical framework, the Instagram accounts of six purposefully selected running brands were examined to determine to what extent brands utilised user-generated content on their Instagram accounts and whether differences existed in audience engagement based on the type of content posted. A quantitative content analysis method was employed, and results indicated that those brands utilising a differentiation strategy and posts with an overt focus on the product or brand were most successful in eliciting engagement from followers. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed in greater detail in the paper.     

Network governance of a multi-level,multi-sectoral sport event: Differences in coordinating ties and actors

To understand how partners within a large, multi-sectoral network coordinated amongst one another, this paper empirically determined stakeholders’ network capital vis-à-vis centrality by focusing on the relationships within the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. An embedded case study was built using 6382 pages of documents (e.g., meeting minutes, memos, newspaper articles, and annual reports) and 55 interviews, and analyzed using social network analysis. The results revealed actors used eight types of ties in their coordination efforts: collaboration, communication, coordinating bridge, instrumental, legal, regulatory, transactional, internal link, and external link. Also, highly centralized actors were context specific to each level of government, with the organizing committee and federal secretariat emerging as the most critical for coordination efforts. Findings empirically demonstrate the importance of the national/federal government to coordinate multi-sectoral sport event networks. Thus, sport event partners can consider structuring an event’s network administrative organization to fit their differing strategic goals.     

More than a sport and volunteer organisation: Investigating social capital development in a sporting organisation

This paper presents the findings of a study that examines the development of social capital within an Australian sporting organisation, Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA). The study draws on the social capital literature across the not-for-profit sector and specific sport management social capital research. The research design incorporated an interpretive approach with data collected nationally from eight focus groups with key SLSA staff, board members and ‘toes in the sand’ volunteers. The findings provide fresh insights into the development and understanding of social capital within a sporting organisation. Both bonding and bridging were important social capital outcomes of the organisation's activities, albeit with important implications for antecedents and process. The data presented strong evidence for arguing that within the organisation bonding within the club comes first, which importantly provides a very strong sense of belonging and mutual support for club members, from volunteers through to the board. The strength of bonding provides a powerful base for subsequent bridging capital to the local, regional and national stakeholder communities that are associated with the organisation. Further, social capital develops in both the collective and individual, with leveraging of individual skills contributing to human capital development, which is closely connected to and inseparable from social capital. The paper concludes by discussing the theoretical implications for social capital generally and social capital in a sporting context.     

Improving well-being through hedonic,eudaimonic, and social needs fulfillment in sport media consumption

Understanding sport consumer well-being is essential for enhancing the psychological experience and benefits of sport consumers. While watching a sporting event on TV or Internet is a key means of sport consumption, not much is known about the activity’s influence on well-being. Well-being improves when one’s hedonic, eudaimonic, and social needs are fulfilled. Need fulfillment occurs when hedonic, eudaimonic, and social values are experienced and perceived as one’s own. A pre-post survey and SEM-based research was conducted to examine individuals’ psychological experiences in sport event viewing and its link to well-being. The influences of the sport fanship and media consumption setting on the links were also examined. The results indicate that hedonic, eudaimonic, and social values experienced by sport event viewers fully or partially (moderated by sport fanship and media consumption setting) led to well-being improvement, supporting the notion of hedonic, eudaimonic, and social needs fulfillment as the mechanism of improving well-being in this context.     

Autoethnography as a critical approach in sport management: Current applications and directions for future research

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the value of autoethnography as a qualitative methodology, document the current literature using autoethnographic approaches, and explore the possibilities for future research in the field of sport management. Using a critical lens to counter dominant ideologies that marginalize certain groups of people through the sustainment of existing power structures and inequities, we sought to address the following inquiries: What is autoethnography and how can it be applied to the critical study of sport management? In doing so, we will explore the benefits of the methodology to the field of sport management as well as the challenges and opportunities created in this form of reflexive study. We also offer suggestions for how to apply autoethnography to a variety of research purposes germane to the field of sport management.     

Image recovery from negative media coverage of a sport event: Destination,venue, and event considerations

The successful hosting of test events in the lead-up to a major event is not only a useful logistical tool and systems evaluation, but also signals to the world that the host city is ready and competent to host the main event. With the intense scrutiny of the media on all aspects of the venue, the city, and the competition, test events offer the potential for a city to establish (or enhance) its reputation as an event host, or to create doubt in its ability to host major events. The case follows the media coverage of the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships held on the Gold Coast Queensland, Australia, which served as a test event for the newly renovated Gold Coast Aquatics Centre in the lead-up to the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The case considers the implications and impacts of negative media coverage of an international event on the destination image of the host city. The case highlights the need for image recovery strategies for stakeholders within the destination who are concerned with the city's ability to host international sport events.     

‘You look like a machito!’: a decolonial analysis of the social in/exclusion of female participants in a Colombian sport for development and peace organization

Abstract

This article critically explores the relationship between the gendered nature of sport in Colombia and girls and young women’s social in/exclusion in football (soccer) through the lived experiences of female participants involved in a local Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) organization. Building on 6 months of ethnographic fieldwork and Lave and Wenger’s theory of Community of Practice (CoP), I explore the complex and connected gendered social elements that constrain girls and young women’s participation. Analyzing these processes and mechanisms through a decolonial lens, I reveal the existence of colonial residues that perpetuate and reinforce females positioning as peripheral actors in sport. The findings demonstrate how female participants are required to negotiate spaces with contradictory gendered meanings and confirm that social transformation within masculine structures is difficult to achieve. This research encourages SDP researchers to further engage with decolonial theory.     

The effect of nostalgia on self-continuity,pride, and intention to visit a sport team's hometown

ABSTRACT

The primary purpose of the current study was to develop a theoretical model regarding nostalgia, self-continuity, pride, and the intention to visit a sport team's hometown and examine the moderating effect of length of time as a sport fan. The study involved showing a short nostalgic video clip and investigated relationships using structural equation modeling (SEM) and multigroup SEM. The results suggest that self-continuity is an important indicator of the relationship between nostalgia and pride and enhances the intention to visit a sport team's hometown. The results also showed that self-continuity is an important indicator for new fans but not for long-term fans.     

Managing sport for social change: The effects of intentional design and structure in a sport-based service learning initiative

The current study focused on addressing a gap in understanding the design, structure, and management of sport-for-development (SFD) initiatives, in this case an initiative rooted in sport-based service learning. Sport, and specifically SFD, has been shown to facilitate positive outcomes such as social capital development through expanding networks and community building. Some studies have focused on impacts on volunteers in sport and SFD programs. These volunteers have developed networks most often through informal relationship building activities. Building on this knowledge, the current mixed methods study investigated the social capital development of alumni of a college service learning through sport course. Survey data (n = 93) and individual interviews (n = 22) with participants who had completed at least one semester in the course indicated that social capital development was facilitated. In particular, the intentional design, structure, and management aspects of the course and program provided opportunities for social capital development.     

Problematizing the absent girl: sport as a means of emancipation and social inclusion

Abstract

Absence from sport participation among girls from ethno-cultural minorities is often highlighted as an inclusion policy challenge. Based on 35 interviews with community sports coaches, managers and partners, we explore how the absence of girls is problematized in four Swedish sports-based interventions, focusing on how problems, as well as the means and the ends of social inclusion, are articulated. The girls are assessed as being in need of social change due to their alleged social exclusion. Absence is explained by “patriarchal norms” as well as by the introvert conduct of the girls themselves. Girls-only sports activities performed by female coaches as role models are described as a way for girls to gain social inclusion and to become emancipated from subjugating norms. In conclusion, participation in community sport is highlighted in discourse as crucial for adopting powers of emancipation. A similar discourse could be recognized elsewhere, inside and outside the realm of sport.     

Twitter,Team GB and the Australian Olympic Team: representations of gender in social media spaces

Twitter is used by athletes, sporting teams and sports media to provide updates on the results of sporting events as they happen. Unlike traditional forms of sports media, online sports media offers the potential for diverse representations of athletes. The current study examined gender in social media coverage of the 2016 Olympic Games using a third wave feminist lens. The analysis focused on the Twitter pages of ‘Team GB’ and the ‘Australian Olympic team’ and the sports stories and images posted during the Rio Olympic Games. Despite a number of traditional differences in the ways that male and females were represented being present, such as the presence of ‘active’ images of male athletes accompanying sports stories and the presence of infantalization in the language used to represent female performers, this analysis demonstrated significant strides forward in terms of the quantity of coverage received by women in online spaces. It further highlights virtual platforms as dynamic spaces for the representation of women athletes.     

If you build it,they will stay: the development of public cricket provision as a construction of social citizenship

Abstract

Immigration is transforming the United States and cultural diversity is becoming increasingly visible within an emerging poly-ethnic society. Such a challenge to the singularity of cultural assimilation is having policy implications at multiple levels. For municipal parks and recreation departments, this cultural shift presents an extra dimension to the local government role of providing facilities that meet the needs of residents. This paper presents the case study of Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina, which is the site of the first purpose-built cricket facility in the Research Triangle area. Furthermore, this paper argues that a Marshallian framework, albeit in re-conceptualized terms, can elicit the objective and subjective domains of citizenship as constructed through sport participation. Specifically, the development of the cricket field fosters a mono-ethnic and diasporic identity as well as a rich sense of belonging among the growing resident South Asian immigrant population.     

The effects of limb dominance and a short term,high intensity exercise protocol on both landings of the vertical drop jump: implications for the vertical drop jump as a screening tool

The effectiveness of vertical drop jumps (VDJs) to screen for non-contact ACL injuries is unclear. This may be contributed to by discrete point analysis, which does not evaluate patterns of movement. Also, limited research exists on the second landing of VDJs, potential lower limb performance asymmetries and the effect of fatigue. Statistical parametric mapping investigated the main effects of landing, limb dominance and a high intensity, intermittent exercise protocol (HIIP) on VDJ biomechanics. Twenty-two male athletes (21.9 ± 1.1 years, 180.5 ± 5.5 cm, 79.4 ± 7.8 kg) performed VDJs pre- and post-HIIP. Repeated measures ANOVA identified pattern differences during the eccentric phases of the first and second landings bilaterally. The first landing displayed greater (internal) knee flexor (η² = 0.165), external rotator (η² = 0.113) and valgus (η² = 0.126) moments and greater hip (η² = 0.062) and knee (η² = 0.080) flexion. The dominant limb generated greater knee flexor (η² = 0.062), external rotator (η² = 0.110) and valgus (η² = 0.065) moments. The HIIP only had one effect, increased thoracic flexion relative to the pelvis (η² = 0.088). Finally, the dominant limb demonstrated greater knee extensor moments during the second landing (η² = 0.100). ACL injury risk factors were present in both landings of VDJs with the dominant limb at potentially greater injury risk. Therefore, VDJ screenings should analyse both landings bilaterally.