Three strikes and you’re out: culture,facilities, and participation among LGBTQ youth in sports

ABSTRACT

School-based sports and physical education play an important role in the development of youth (Jones, Edwards, et al., 2017), but participation in athletics is unequal for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth compared to their straight/cisgender peers [Greenspan, S. B., Griffith, C., & Murtagh, E. F. (2017). LGBTQ youths’ school athletic experiences: A 40-year content analysis in nine flagship journals. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling, 11(3), 190–200]. Sport cultures, generally, recreate dynamics of exclusion for marginalized youth. However, there are opportunities to transform these spaces into more inclusive and positive environments to support positive growth for all young people [Newman, T., Alvarez, A., & Kim, M. (2017). An experiential approach to sport-based positive youth development. Journal of Experiential Education, 40(3), 308–322]. Our study uses a data set of adolescents, collected as part of a community-based participatory action research project led by high school students in southeast Michigan, USA. Respondents reported their sexual and gender identities, as well as experiences in youth sport, as well as safety using sex-segregated facilities (i.e., bathrooms and locker-rooms). Using mediation models based on linear regression, we found evidence that LGBQ high school students play sports at a significantly lower rate compared to straight students, and among those who play sports, LGBTQ respondents felt significantly less safe compared to straight and cisgender students. Opposite to the LGBQ and trans youth in this study, straight/cisgender youth also reported feeling safer using all facilities. The mediation models suggest that these inequalities help to explain disparities in rates of sports participation and feelings of safety while participating. These findings have important implications for policy, practice, and future research.     

Actors who can’t play in the sports film: exploring the cinematic construction of sports performance

The sports film often focuses upon character psychology and narrative in the cinematic capturing and construction of sport and sports performance. However, the limited attention given to the role of the actor’s body threatens to compromise this seamless dramatic structure of the narrative, not to mention viewer identification with the protagonist, thus leading to inadequate sporting technique that fails to achieve verisimilitude. This paper looks to address the limitations in the actor’s bodily performance, by rethinking the relationship between the actor’s physical portrayal and their cinematic construction. I argue that cinematic techniques should function as an extension of the actor’s body, thus creating a more seamless fusion between the two. Adopting such a method would facilitate a more heightened representation of sports performance, while contributing to the unfolding of the plot through the bodily interactions between the actors during the spectacle of sports sequences.     

Child-rearing in public spaces: the challenging dual-role relationships of parent–coaches and child–athletes of coaches in Swedish team sports

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to examine the challenges of being either a parent–coach or a child–athlete of a coach within the context of Swedish youth sport. Conceptually, this paper draws on educational and sociological theories regarding changing perspectives in child-rearing. The results are based on data gathered from interviews with parent–coaches and child–athletes (age 13–15) of coaches involved in team sports. The results indicate that a range of meanings emerged through these unique sets of interactions, resulting in both positive and negative experiences for both children and their parents. To manage the perceived challenges, four behavioural strategies were used including fairness, distancing, defence and quitting. Overall, this study provides a deeper understanding of the challenges of these unique dual roles in relation to contemporary child-rearing perspectives.     

‘Governmentality’ in the origins of European female PE and sport: the Spanish case study (1883–1936)

The purpose of the paper is twofold: (1) to contribute to the analysis of the origins of modern European female PE and sports from a power perspective, inspired by Foucault's work; and (2) to present a detailed analysis of female PE and sport in Spain (1883–1936) as a specific European case study. It is argued that these physical activities could be conceived in the Spanish case as part of a specific kind of ‘governmentality’ with a dual nature. On the one hand they represented disciplinary ‘technologies of power’ over the female body. Selected physical activities—dictated mainly from the hygienic-moral position of the Regeneracionistas (‘Regenerationists’)—were exerted as a kind of ‘bio-power’ for the control of the female population. On the other hand, such kind of activities (especially sports) represented certain ‘technologies of the self’ for middle and upper class women. Through participation in sports, women gained a more active and public role in the Spanish society of the era, obtaining some degree of autonomy in self-governance over their bodies and their lives.     

On the fast track? Using standard contracts in public–private partnerships for sports facilities: A case study

Public–private partnerships (PPPs) for the provision of public infrastructure involve costly contracting processes. Standard contracts are modularly structured documents, which provide standard terms for these processes; it is argued that they help reduce transaction costs by limiting the room for contractual negotiations. We investigate the use of standard contracts in an embedded case study of a PPP policy program in the Belgian sports sector, and apply notions of standardization theory and transaction cost economics to explain the differences in the success of using these contracts. On the basis of desk research and interviews, our study demonstrates both successful and unsuccessful usage of standard contracts across a range of subcases, which include artificial pitches, sports halls, and multifunctional sports centers. Unsuccessful cases were characterized by an interference of local governments’ interests that was poorly managed by the leading public actor, and a persistently rigid attitude at the negotiation table of this latter actor. We further relate the different degrees of success to inappropriate government responses to the assets at hand. Finally, we proclaim a more cautious approach toward the standardization of contracts, both in theory and practice.     

Arthur Friedenreich (1892–1969): a Brazilian biography

Arthur Friedenreich (1892–1969) was a Brazilian soccer player, who played in São Paulo from 1909–1935. His father was German and his mother, Afro-Brazilian. Although he is considered as possibly one of the greatest scorers in soccer history, he was forgotten, despite living in a soccer-crazy country like Brazil. This essay will reflect on why he was forgotten by analysing the Brazilian society in the early twentieth century, using Norbert Elias’ concept of figuration. It will also focus on class and racial discrimination as well as amateur soccer, which prevailed in Brazil in Friedenreich’s time.     

Teachers in school sports: between the fields of education and sport?

According to the cultural sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, gaining access to a social space or a position within a social space requires a specific capital. For teachers, this is normally indicated by a valid teaching certificate with relevant subject knowledge. However, when no qualified teachers are available, which is the case for the subject of school sports in Sweden, other assets gain recognition. Drawing on Bourdieu's conceptual framework, this paper examined the conditions for school sports in Sweden, and based on questionnaires answered by 109 teachers, explored the competencies, education and backgrounds teachers in upper secondary school sports possess. The paper address the question: what valuable resources are required to become a teacher of school sports and gain recognition as symbolic capital? The results show that while school sports in Sweden are carried out through a school subject and thus regulated by the government, it is influenced by both the fields of education and sport. Furthermore, the questionnaire results show that a majority of the teachers are employed as coaches instead of teachers and that less than half of them (45%) have a teacher education background, while 95% have a coaching education background. However, the results also show that teachers assessed their competencies for teaching school sports as high, especially with regard to competencies in specific sport skills. In conclusion, this paper shows how coaching education and experience in competitive sports are an important resource required to become a teacher in school sports and is thus recognized as symbolic capital. Therefore, school sports cannot be viewed as a legitimate part of the field of education but can be viewed as a part of the field of sport.     

Structure and dynamics of European sports science textual contents: Analysis of ECSS abstracts (1996–2014)

Abstract

The article discusses general structure and dynamics of the sports science research content as obtained from the analysis of 21998 European College of Sport Science abstracts belonging to 12 science topics. The structural analysis showed intertwined multidisciplinary and unifying tendencies structured along horizontal (scope) and vertical (level) axes. Methodological (instrumental and mode of inquiry) integrative tendencies are dominant. Theoretical integrative tendencies are much less detectable along both horizontal and vertical axes. The dynamic analysis of written abstracts text content over the 19 years reveals the contextualizing and guiding role of thematic skeletons of each sports science topic in forming more detailed contingent research ideas and the role of the latter in stabilizing and procreating the former. This circular causality between both hierarchical levels and functioning on separate characteristic time scales is crucial for understanding how stable research traditions self-maintain and self-procreate through innovative contingencies. The structure of sports science continuously rebuilds itself through use and re-use of contingent research ideas. The thematic skeleton ensures its identity and the contingent conceptual sets its flexibility and adaptability to different research or applicative problems.     

Fan culture and motivation in the context of successful women’s professional team sports: a mixed-methods case study of Portland Thorns fandom

Abstract

By the metric of average home attendance, the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League are the most popular women’s professional sports team in the world. This paper investigates that distinct sports context through a mixed-methods case study of Thorns fandom, asking what fans themselves perceive to be salient elements of a successful fan culture for women’s professional soccer and what motivates their fandom. Drawing on survey data that are contextualized by ethnographic observations and interviews, we offer an interpretive analysis of ways Thorns fandom hybridizes elements of traditional and alternative sports fandom. Our findings highlight the emphasis Thorns fans put on quality soccer in a professional atmosphere where fans themselves create the supporters culture, along with the symbolic importance to fans of identifying with values such as gender empowerment, diversity and inclusion. We discuss ways these themes might offer and inform alternative models of sports fandom.     

Playing on the Field of Social and Technical Innovation: The Impact of the Sale of Lawn Tennis Sets in the Netherlands, 1874–1887

In 1874, after tennis had been played indoors for centuries, British officer Walter Wingfield introduced an open-air version of the game, which he called sphairistike or lawn tennis. He developed a lawn-tennis box that was easy to carry and that contained all the necessary equipment for playing. Wingfield's concept was innovative, not only technologically in both game and design, but also socially. He made it clear, for instance, that lawn tennis was also intended for ladies and he fabricated lighter rackets for women. Little is known, however, about the introduction of lawn tennis in the Netherlands. Our study reveals that the strong sales and marketing concept of Wingfield – and his competitors – also facilitated a quick diffusion of the game in the Netherlands. The first places where lawn tennis was played were estates owned by nobility, seaside resorts such as Domburg and Noordwijk, attracting well-to-do ‘Brits’ for recreational purposes, and – interestingly – also farms. Soon, the first ‘one box clubs’ arose as precursors of the formally established clubs. For most upper-class players, tennis was a leisure-time activity, yet the organization of the first national tennis tournament in 1887 shows that some already had lucrative business models in mind.     

Long-term trends in home advantage in professional team sports in North America and England (1876 – 2003)

Home advantage is quantitatively defined and calculated for each season since the start of the main professional sports in North America and England. Over 400,000 games are analysed. The leagues represented are the National League (1876?–?2002) and American League (1901?–?2002) for baseball, the National Hockey League (1917?–?2003) for ice hockey, the National Football League (1933?–?2002) for American football, the National Basketball Association (1946?–?2003) for basketball, and the four levels of professional football, formerly called the Football League, in England (1888?–?2003). Problems caused by unbalanced playing schedules are considered. The results are presented graphically to show long-term trends and sudden changes. The highest levels of home advantage for all sports were in their early years of existence. Home advantage in ice hockey, basketball and football in England has declined over the last two decades. In baseball there has been very little change over the last 100 years, with home advantage consistently lower than in other sports. There was a large drop in home advantage in football in England following the 7-year suspension of the league during the Second World War. The trends and changes provide some evidence that travel and familiarity contribute to home advantage, but little in support of crowd effects.     

The Origins of Football in Spain: From the First Press Appearance to the Constitution of the First Clubs (1868–1903)

This research focuses on the origins of football in Spain and seeks to show how and where it was introduced in the country, to comprehend the historical context, and to understand why it took roots so rapidly despite the rivalry with the well-established tradition of bullfighting. The period of study spans from 1868 (first news piece on football in Spain) to 1903 (celebration of the first football championship in the country). The methodology focused primarily on identifying the primary sources and selecting the secondary sources, followed by the interpretative analysis and the mapping of football associations created in Spain in the sport’s early days. The large urban cities led the process of creating football clubs from 1889: Barcelona (61), Madrid (15), and Bilbao (9) steered the process of legitimization and institutionalization of football in the country. In the last 11 years of the nineteenth century (1889–1899), 29 clubs were created in 12 different cities. In the first four years of the twentieth century (1900–1903), a further 103 clubs mushroomed all over the country. Thus a total of 132 clubs were founded between 1889 and 1903 in Spain, which laid the necessary foundations for the implantation and legitimization of football.     

Is football now feminist? A critique of the use of McCaughey’s physical feminism to explain women’s participation in separate leagues in masculine sports1

Over the past two decades, there have been a number of sociological investigations of participation by women in sports that had previously appeared to have been played exclusively by men. These investigations have rightly celebrated this participation as examples of greater physical empowerment, choice and freedom for women in sport. Several of these investigations have gone further by utilizing McCaughey’s notion of physical feminism to argue that participation in these sports is indicative of a broader feminist political challenge. This paper contends that this characterization of the broader political challenge is a misinterpretation of McCaughey’s physical feminism. Further, this misinterpretation is indicative of the theoretical underpinnings of the shift from a second wave radical feminism to a third wave celebrity feminism. This paper proposes a set of commitments that would be necessary, although not sufficient, to see these women’s leagues as feminist organizations that politically challenge patriarchal power.     

Identity construction in professional football: the case of Brøndby IF

Professional football clubs exist in a complex environment consisting of multiple stakeholders. When a club is unable to fulfil what is expected of it, its stakeholders are usually quick to express their dissatisfaction. This constant exposure to critical voices, and the fact that clubs are deeply dependent on their stakeholders, not least financially, makes identity construction a very important task. Perceiving identity as a social process in which self-expressions and external stakeholder images interact, the purpose of this study is to examine how the Danish football club, Brøndby IF, constructs its identity. The analysis shows how Brøndby to some extent chooses to ignore external perceptions of the club, which leads to further criticism. The study suggests how football directors should prioritize to construct a well-balanced identity that includes both internal and external perceptions of the club in order to stay attractive to stakeholders and secure future collaboration and funding.     

An examination of father types and the subsequent framing of coach–father relationships in English youth football through the eyes of an expert coach

The 2014 FIFA World Cup produced a poor performance by England which reinforced the view of Gary Lineker, former England captain turned media pundit, that the youth development system was failing and that a ‘parental cultural revolution’ was a necessary element for future improvement. This paper researches fathers in English youth football from the perspective of an expert coach with two aims in mind. Firstly, the paper will identify more father types than the one Lineker based his revolution on. Secondly, the paper will discuss how different father types subsequently frame different coach–father relationships. The paper concludes by recommending that the UEFA Coach Accreditation system embeds knowledge of different father types and the subsequent different coach–father relationships in their courses to assist future coaches. Lastly, there is a call for further research to be carried out into father/parent types in youth sport, especially from the perspective of coach.     

The Social,Political and Economic Contexts to the Evolution of Spanish Physical Educationalists (1874–1992)

This article studies the history of physical education teacher training centres in Spain from the end of the nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth century. It focuses on analysing the studies offered at these centres, which reflect how the training received by the teachers responsible for running physical education lessons in schools has evolved. The content of the different syllabuses has been influenced by the social, political and economic context of each historical era, and the courses have gradually raised their requirements, becoming equivalent to higher university studies.     

Development of dribbling in talented youth soccer players aged 12–19 years: A longitudinal study

Abstract

The aims of the current study were to assess the development and determine the underlying mechanisms of sprinting and dribbling needed to compete at the highest level in youth soccer. Talented soccer players aged 12–19 years (n = 267) were measured on a yearly basis in a longitudinal study over 7 years, resulting in 519 measurements. Two field tests, the Shuttle Sprint and Dribble Test and the Slalom Sprint and Dribble Test, were assessed. Anthropometric characteristics, years of soccer experience, and duration of practice were recorded. The longitudinal data were analysed with multi-level modelling. Comparing the two tests at baseline, low correlations were observed (sprinting: r = 0.49; dribbling: r = 0.22), indicating that each test measures distinct qualities (acceleration vs. agility). Low-to-moderate correlations were found between dribbling and sprinting within each test (Shuttle Sprint and Dribble Test: r = 0.54; Slalom Sprint and Dribble Test: r = 0.38). Both dribbling and sprinting improved with age, especially from ages 12 to 14, but the tempo of development was different. From ages 14 to 16, sprinting improved rapidly in contrast to dribbling; this was especially evident on the Slalom Sprint and Dribble Test. In contrast, after age 16 dribbling improved considerably but sprinting hardly improved. Besides age, the factors that contribute to dribbling performance are lean body mass, hours of practice, and playing position.