NBC’s televised media portrayal of female athletes in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games: a critical feminist view

Abstract

Mass media play a major role in influencing societal views of female athletes and in shaping the relationship between women and sport. While female athletes historically tend to receive little media coverage, the Olympic Games provide an opportunity to feature sports for both male and female athletes. This paper, guided by critical feminist theory, focuses on televised media’s presentation of female athletes in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, reporting particularly on the broadcast narrative. Common themes include comparison to male athletes, heterosexualizing female athletes, women as wives and mothers, shaming, and male privilege. The role of production, social media, and female athletes’ perceptions on this presentation are also discussed.     

Service quality,satisfaction, and behavioral intention in a triathlon event: the different experiences between local and non-local participants

ABSTRACT

Understanding the different experiences between local and non-local participants may help event organizers implement diverse marketing strategies for each segment, which could efficiently improve participants’ experiences of the event. However, little research has compared the experiences between local and non-local participants in sport event settings. This study compares the differences between local and non-local participants in their perceived service quality of a triathlon event, examines the relationships among service quality, satisfaction, and behavioral intention, and explores the role of participants’ residence status in these relationships. Data were collected from participants (N?=?289) in a triathlon event held in Japan. The results indicate that local participants evaluated all service quality dimensions more positively than non-local participants. The course, ambience, achievement, and escape had positive effects on satisfaction, satisfaction had an extensively positive effect on behavioral intention, and the effect of escape on satisfaction differed between local and non-local participants. Our findings identify how local and non-local participants evaluate their event experiences differently and provide practical implications for event organizers.     

‘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.     

Competitive Trait Anxiety in Male and Female College Athletes

Abstract

This study investigated issues related to competitive trait anxiety (CTA) among university varsity athletes. Sixty-four male and 64 female athletes completed the Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) and an 18-item questionnaire. The questionnaire measured fear of failure, fear of evaluation, importance of sport success, success/failure in sport, and satisfaction with sport experiences. It was hypothesized that these issues would be significantly related to CTA. Questionnaire responses were factor analyzed, and the four resultant factors were entered into a regression analysis of males' and females' SCAT scores. A fear of failure scale (performance worries items) and a fear of evaluation scale (expectancy of criticism items) were significantly related to males' SCAT scores (R² = .22). Only the fear of failure scale was significantly related to the females' SCAT scores (R² = .24). Results support the proposed relationships of fear of failure and fear of evaluation to CTA, but also suggest that the pattern of these relationships varies across age, gender, sport, and other variables.     

Significant Others and Professionalized Sport Attitudes

Abstract

Using an extension of Webb's concept of professionalized sport attitudes, it was explored whether the type of significant other and degree of parental psychological support were related to professionalized sport attitudes (win/skill orientation) or to nonprofessionalized sport attitudes (fair play/total participation orientation). Comparisons were made between 1236 economically disadvantaged boys and 1096 economically disadvantaged girls enrolled in the summer portion of the National Youth Sports Program, resulting in the following findings. Males demonstrated a more professionalized sport attitude than did females. Males perceived their father/male guardian as the most important significant other whereas females perceived their mother/female guardian as the most important significant other. No relationship was found between the type of significant other (mother/female guardian, father/male guardian, teacher/coach, or friend) and professionalized sport attitudes for both boys and girls. However, parental psychological support factors were found to be related to professionalized sport attitudes for males but not for females. Explanations for the demonstrated relationship between parental psychological factors and professionalized sport attitudes were discussed which included support for the growing concern that parents may be in part responsible for developing “winning” and “skill” values in youth sport participants. This adult intervention, however, presently may only be significant for male youth sport participants.     

‘All the places we were not supposed to go’: a case study of formative class and gender habitus in adventure climbing

This paper explores the origins of meaning in adventurous activities. Specifically, the paper reports on a study of 10 adventure climbers in the Scottish mountaineering community. The study explores how formative experiences have influenced engagement in adventure climbing. Work has been done on the phenomenology of adventure and how individuals interpret and find meaning in the activity—this paper goes a step further and asks where do these dispositions come from? Using Bourdieu’s ideas of field, habitus and forms of capital to frame these experiences in the wider social environment, early experiences are identified that, for the subjects of this study, provide a framework for their later adoption of the ‘adventure habitus’. Among these influences are mainstream education, adventure education in particular, as well as broader formative experiences relating to factors such as gender and class. In addition, the study suggests that accounts differ between males and females in terms of their attitudes and dispositions towards adventure. This may relate to their respective experiences as well as expanding opportunities for both males and females. However, while the ‘adventure field’ provides a context where women can develop transformative identities, these are nearly always subject to male validation.     

Exploring the relationships between collective efficacy,perceptions of success,and team attributions

Abstract

We examined the influence of collective efficacy and subjective interpretations of success/failure on team causal attributions. The participants were 71 male and female high school athletes on 20 track relay teams. Before a selected competition, participants completed a collective efficacy questionnaire. Then, immediately after their race, they were administered a modified version of the revised Causal Dimension Scale-II. A multi-level framework was employed to assess collective efficacy as an individually held perception and as a shared team belief. The individual perceptions of team success/failure significantly predicted the locus of causality and stability dimensions, whereas aggregated collective efficacy emerged as a significant team level predictor of average stability. Individual perceptions of collective efficacy were significantly related to team control and this relationship was moderated by the sex of the team. The findings indicate that collective efficacy beliefs held by athletes and teams prior to a competition influence the formation of post-competition team attributions in sport.     

Description and Process Evaluation of a Physical Training Program for Obese Children

Consistent with other sciences (e.g., Kass-Simon, 1993; Tang, 2006), the field of kinesiology has been called a “masculine domain,” which has an institutionalized culture biased against women (Brackenridge, Mutrie, &; Choi, 2005). This paper represents the second part of a larger project that examined the life histories of eight trailblazing women in sport and exercise psychology. In the first paper (Krane &; Whaley, 2010) we made the case for re-placing these women into the history of sport psychology, based on their contributions to research, teaching, and service to the field. In this study, we explored the experiences of these women with regard to the challenges they faced and how they overcame or coped with them. The specific themes emerging from the data analysis were the trailblazers' graduate school and early professional experiences, general campus climates, departmental politics, gender or discipline, coping and the cost of caring, and giving back and moving forward.     

Defining and categorizing emotional abuse in sport

Abstract

In this study, we used a qualitative research design to explore athletes’ experiences of emotional abuse in sport. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 retired, elite female swimmers, and data were analysed inductively using open, axial, and selective coding procedures. Findings revealed that emotionally abusive behaviours of the coach occurred in three ways: through physical behaviours, verbal behaviours, and the denial of attention and support. Based on our findings, a definition of emotional abuse in sport is proposed. This definition of emotional abuse is the first definition derived from the experiences of emotional abuse within an athletic environment. It encapsulates previous definitions of emotional abuse, types of emotionally abusive behaviours, and outcomes of these behaviours. The need for an athlete protection initiative in sport is discussed and recommendations are made for future research.     

Competition,gender and the sport experience: an exploration among college athletes

Worldwide, sport and physical activity rates of women generally lag behind those of men. One reason for this could be the way that sport cultures typically frame and value competition. This study provides an examination of the meaning and impact of ‘competition’ on the sport participation experiences of men and women. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, individual and group interviews were conducted with 76 current and former male and female collegiate athletes from both varsity and club sports regarding the impact of competition on their sport experiences. Results revealed that women and men tended to view and interpret competition differently, which strongly impacted their sport experiences. Sport programming that embraces a balance of cooperation and competition may be valuable for attracting and retaining both male and female participants.     

A Content Analysis of Physical Activity in TV Shows Popular Among Adolescents

Purpose: Previous research has demonstrated that television has the potential to influence youth behaviors, but little evidence exists on how television depicts physical activity (PA), an important public health priority for youth. This mixed-methods study investigated depictions of television characters' participation in PA in the top 25 favorite shows ranked by a diverse sample of 2,793 adolescents. Method: Randomly selected episodes from each show were content-analyzed for PA incidents, reasons, and context and in relation to the gender and weight status of participating characters. Results: A total of 374 incidents of PA were coded across 75 episodes, with an average of 5.0 incidents per episode. Although male and female characters were equally likely to engage in at least 1 incident of PA, male characters were involved in a statistically significantly larger proportion of PA incidents than were female characters, and they were more likely to engage in PA for competitive sport. There was no statistically significant difference in engagement in PA or the proportion of PA incidents for characters coded as overweight compared with nonoverweight characters. Conclusions: Although female characters tended to be underrepresented in PA, this study reveals positive messages for how gender and weight are portrayed in relation to PA on TV.     

Women,Disability, and Sport and Physical Fitness Activity: The Intersection of Gender and Disability Dynamics

Abstract

This study explores the often overlooked experiences of women with physical disabilities in the sport and physical fitness activity domain. Interviews with 16 women with a physical disability (age range of 19–54 years) revealed the following major themes: (a) participation in fitness-related as opposed to sport-related activities, (b) participation to maintain the functional level of the body and preserve existing capabilities, (c) intrinsic nature of gains derived from participation (perceived competence, enhanced view of body, motivational outlet, control in life), and (d) perceived differences in the sport and physical fitness activity experiences of men and women with disabilities. Findings support the notion that gender and disability interact in the sport and physical fitness context for women with physical disabilities.     

Experiences of amateur athletes’ non-participating entourage at participatory sport events

ABSTRACT

The proliferation of participatory sport events is attracting scholarly attention, with extant research primarily focusing on profiling participants, and understanding participants’ experiences. The experiences and perspectives of those who travel to participatory sport events to support competing athletes, the ‘non-participating entourage’ (NPE), have largely been overlooked. This stakeholder group is arguably under-recognised by those staging participatory sport events. The purpose of this study was to explore NPE experiences at participatory sport events, adopting a phenomenological approach and employing stakeholder theory as an interpretive lens. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 NPE of amateur athletes in Australia. Findings highlighted that NPE provide emotional and logistical support to their athlete at events. However, while providing support, NPE also experienced positive and negative emotions arising from contextual factors including their relationship to the athlete, group composition, athlete performance, and event design and conditions. This research highlights a vexed, though crucial stakeholder relationship between NPE and event management organisations, requiring unique stakeholder management strategies.     

Correlates of Sport Participation among Adolescent Girls

Abstract

Most research on the correlates of sport involvement has utilized male samples. The present study focuses on a sample of high school girl gymnasts, basketball players, track participants, and a control group of nonathletes. The correlates of participation investigated include familial factors, peers, teachers and coaches' encouragement to participate in sports, and the social psychological variables of perceived femininity, self-reported athletic ability, and body image. The findings indicate that socialization into sport begins in childhood and continues into high school with considerable encouragement from significant others. The basketball players reported somewhat less encouragement and tend to see themselves as less feminine than the other athletes. Athletes had higher self-perceptions of athletic ability than the nonathletes. The athletes' perceptions of their body image were generally more positive than the nonathletes. This latter finding suggests a reduction of stigma formerly associated with female involvement in sport.     

The Development of the Olympic Narrative in Chinese Elite Sport Discourse from Its First Successful Olympic Bid to the Post-Beijing Games Era

Abstract

As a phenomenon exogenous to China, the Olympics have been proactively interpreted in the local context since China’s entry (and subsequent re-entry in 1984) into the Olympic movement. With China’s increasing involvement in promoting three bids to host the Olympic Games, two of which were successful, respectively, in 2001 and 2015, the nature of the discourse of key stakeholders in relation to Chinese elite sport has both reflected and reshaped the meaning of the Games to Chinese elite sport. This paper examines the discursive construction process of the Olympics in the Chinese elite sport system by key stakeholders through analyzing statements of political figures on sport and Olympic phenomena, Chinese elite sport policy documents, and the commentaries of leading Chinese sport academics. The analysis of discourse highlights two main features in the construction of the Games in official accounts during the period under investigation. The development of these two themes reflects the nature of the Chinese Olympic discourse, manifests the political power over the interpretation of the Olympics in Chinese context, and continues to characterize the on-going major themes in Chinese elite sport policy.     

Assessing parental impact on the sports participation of children: A socio-economic analysis of the UK

Abstract

This study examines the effects of parental attitudes on children's physical activity. A measure of parental attitude (their sport participation when being young) that is independent of the child's behaviour is needed. Using data from the sixth wave of the Taking Part Survey (n =14,002 adults and n =1116 children), a matching estimator analysis is conducted. The results reveal that there are substantial intergenerational transfers of behaviours, in particular for male adults and male children. Furthermore, while an effect is observed for female adults and male children, female children's sport participation is only marginally influenced by female adult's physical activity when growing up. The results imply that promoting sport to the younger generation seems to be a fruitful strategy in creating a sporting habit and promoting sport participation when being older. However, there are challenges to be overcome in promoting female participation.     

Sport and civil society in the Nordic region

Abstract

This paper examines the key elements within the relationships of sport and civil society in Scandinavia. The analysis combines themes and developments in Nordic sport and civil society, such as the role of the welfare state and the impacts of neoliberalism, with consideration of specific national experiences, especially in Finland. The discussion has four main parts. First, we set out the principal features of the ‘Nordic model’ of society, and how it shapes sport and civil society relations. Second, we advance a Finnish case study, examining the historical connections of three sectors to the national sport culture. Third, we consider how, in recent decades, the Nordic model has encountered and sought to respond to neoliberalism and globalization processes. Finally, we explore how Nordic societies have sought to influence globalization processes and ‘global civil society’ through sport, specifically through taking lead roles within the transnational ‘sport for development and peace’ sector.