Sport communication research: A social network analysis

Sport communication research has experienced exponential growth since the 1980s. As one of the four primary sport management functions, sport communication has formed a synergistic relationship with sport management. Researchers have documented this relationship and the continued role of communication within sport. The current study explored the evolution of sport communication research through social network analysis (SNA). This methodological approach offers a visual display of research collaborations and helps identify areas for growth—among researchers, academic institutions, and topics—in an effort to expand research productivity and diffusion. From January 1980 to June 2015, 1255 sport communication researchers shared 2537 collaborations and authored 1283 publications. Their studies most frequently examined topics such as gender, mass media, and sport consumption. The number of researchers, publications, collaborations, and researchers per publication increased over time. A select group of researchers hailed from a smaller number of universities and emerged as key contributors to the field. The findings underscore the importance of prominent researchers, academic institutions, and collaborations in the production of sport communication research. The study also outlines the benefits of using SNA to investigate a field's development and growth opportunities.     

Aspirational Reflections: The Future of Sport History

Abstract

This article provides a scrambled form of SWOT analysis of the ideas contained in the various contributions to this special issue on sport historians and the field of sport history. The market for sport history, pure and simple, is not in good shape in many places. Yet we must be careful not to confuse trends in employment prospects with shorter term fluctuations in demand. Nor should we conflate national issues with the international situation. One thing is certain: worldwide academia is expanding; surely, there must be opportunities somewhere for sport history. Sport historians may have to be prepared to move geographically or to get a job. Nonetheless, the field of sport history also has many strengths highlighted, and opportunities abound for collaborations, public engagement, and supporting our fellow sport historians across the globe. Instead of allowing the external threats and weaknesses to continue to grow, sport historians should draw on the encouraging aspects contained herein and take advantage of our field’s strengths and opportunities to develop new and creative initiatives which demonstrate the vibrancy and breadth of sport history.     

竞技体育中的攻击与暴力:运动心理学界的一次争论

近年来,国际运动心理学界围绕竞技体育中攻击与暴力的问题展开了一次争论。起因是国际运动心理学会发表《体育中攻击与暴力：国际运动心理学会的立场》文章后受到质疑,于是双方在体育中攻击与暴力的本质、运动员和观众攻击与暴力的区分、媒体的影响、裁判员的角色以及国际运动心理学会的忠告等问题上进行了激烈的辩论。在介绍、审视这次争论基础上,对国际运动心理学会的作法提出了自己的看法。     

身份、地位、品格：体育社会科学的三个元问题

从体育社会科学的3个元问题展开讨论,即体育社会科学存在身份不明、地位缺失和品格同化的三重危机。认为：（1）体育社会科学,尤其是其中体育人文科学的“科学”身份还未被认可。其纳入科学范畴可从多个方面因素予以考察,并统一于体育社会科学作为社会科学的分支等方面;（2）当前,体育社会科学的有关语境（对体育、体育科学的界定,体育科学性质及分类）未能反映、揭示或包容体育社会科学及其属性,其很大程度上不能与体育社会科学兼容;（3）体育社会科学内含的价值分析、宏观-抽象学说、经验定性研究、效度和信度问题使得其思维模式、研究范式与体育自然-人体科学存在相异,“规律”的诉求对体育社会科学不具有普适性,而应体现学科、研究差异,且与价值考量保持合理张力。     

Playing on the periphery: troubling sport policy,systemic exclusion and the role of sport in rural Canada

Abstract

In policy contexts, social exclusion can be experienced through the systematic marginalization of groups by inhibiting their ability to access resources and support. In this article, we consider the context of community sport development in rural Canada to discuss the implications of rationalized policy systems for rural citizens. We discuss instances where engagement with the sport system was constrained as well as the way that rural people responded in order to continue engagement in sport both within and outside of policy frameworks. A more inclusive sport policy system requires the acknowledgement of diverse social outcomes which may be realized through sport. But, in order for this to take place, policy makers and practitioners must acknowledge that these outcomes can exist outside of athlete development and must re-consider the ways that resources and support can be allocated.     

主体性与社会身份:关于体育文化认识取向的探讨

受制于文化本身并没有一个各方认同的精确定义,以及体育和体育文化的边界模糊这两重原因,用定义方式将体育文化具体化的方法难以形成有效的认识结果。认为,在体育文化一词中,文化只是体育的一种"社会身份";在此意义上,体育文化作为一个概念可以成立、也能够被理解。从"社会身份"的角度理解体育文化,能够避免体育文化的发展实践因文化概念本身的不确定性而出现行动迷茫,使体育的主体性不会在社会文化发展中丢失。     

2010年中国社会体育的战略构想

研究旨在为中国社会体育的发展提供咨询。主要结论为:中国经济发展和受教育人口增加等为社会体育提供了重要的发展条件;社会体育发展格局将发生显著变化,体育人口、体育消费等显著增加;社会体育类型中的公益型持续发展,准经营型大幅增长等。建议社会体育发展要有适度的规模、逐步优化的结构、多样化的形式。     

Analysing gender dynamics in sport governance: A new regimes-based approach

This paper explores gender dynamics in sport governance with reference to boards of National Sport Organisations (NSOs) in Australia. It is based on a recent study, underpinned by governance and gender theory. Central is the notion of a gender regime, which is characterised by four interwoven dimensions: production, power, emotional and symbolic relations. When applied to governance dynamics in sport boards, this concept permits identification of how gender works. The study involved an audit of 56 NSOs and in-depth interviews with board directors and chief executive officers (n = 26; 9 women and 17 men) from five NSOs. This paper reports on the results of three NSOs. The data suggest that directors’ participation in sport governance was not uniform in terms of gender dynamics. Three gender regimes were identified: masculine hegemony, masculine hegemony in transition and gender mainstreaming in process. Only the latter provided significant opportunities for gender equality in governance while the former two imposed significant constraints. Central to the regime associated with gender equal governance was a combination of presence of women on the board, the occupation of influential board roles by women, active support of women directors by influential men on the board and a commitment to equality in governance as equal participation by both men and women.     

Gender,Class and Sporting Opportunity: Working-Class Women and Sport in Early Twentieth-Century Australia

This paper addresses a major blind spot in the history of Australian sport by investigating women's participation in sport with relation to social class. This is a question that has been largely overlooked in the current literature on the history of women's sport, but stands out as an issue deserving of further attention. The paper considers whether the obstacles faced by Australian sportswomen have been irrespective of social class and status, or if working-class women faced a double burden of both gender and economic barriers to sporting activity? Drawing upon an in-depth examination of sport and identities in an inner-city working-class Australian suburb, the paper examines and analyses the sporting experiences of local women in the early part of the twentieth century. Based on an extensive evaluation (and critique) of the local, city and sporting press and local histories, the paper argues that not only did working-class women have far fewer opportunities to participate in sport than their working-class male counterparts, but that they also had much less access to sport than middle- and upper-class women. It concludes that issues relating to class were the most significant deterrent to sporting involvement amongst local women.     

An examination of the relationship between athlete leadership and cohesion using social network analysis

Two studies investigated the structure of different athlete leadership networks and its relationship to cohesion using social network analysis. In Study 1, we examined the relationship between a general leadership quality network and task and social cohesion as measured by the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ). In Study 2, we investigated the leadership networks for four different athlete leadership roles (task, motivational, social and external) and their association with task and social cohesion networks. In Study 1, the results demonstrated that the general leadership quality network was positively related to task and social cohesion. The results from Study 2 indicated positive correlations between the four leadership networks and task and social cohesion networks. Further, the motivational leadership network emerged as the strongest predictor of the task cohesion network, while the social leadership network was the strongest predictor of the social cohesion network. The results complement a growing body of research indicating that athlete leadership has a positive association with cohesion.     

权力、文化、消费与认同——近20年国外体育符号研究述评

以Web of Science^TM(以下简称WoS)核心合集数据库收录的近20年体育符号相关的354篇英文文献为数据来源,对其进行文献计量和内容分析。发现:体育符号研究年度发文量在整体上呈上升趋势,发文期刊集中在体育史及体育社会研究领域;近20年的体育符号研究可划分为基础研究、快速发展、深入发展3个阶段;研究者主要关注体育符号在其意义生成过程中与经济、政治、文化、教育等符号系统及与社会成员之间的互动,并采取了历时性、内部性、整体性视角进行研究;研究材料来源多样化,且研究方法的运用呈现综合化、创新化特征。     

Sport participation and its association with social and psychological factors known to predict substance use and abuse among youth: A scoping review of the literature

ABSTRACT

This article presents the results of a scoping review of the sport literature (2000–2014) on psychological and social outcomes relevant to youth alcohol and illicit drug use. Prior reviews report that sport is related to increased alcohol use and reduced illicit drug use among youth, yet provide little guidance regarding the mechanisms that can explain this relationship. We reviewed the literature on sport participation and psychological and social outcomes to identify factors that could help explain this link. Psychological and social factors were selected as they play a paramount role in understanding youth alcohol and drug use. Fifty-nine articles were identified and included in the review. The literature generally supported connections between sport and positive psychological and social outcomes, including self-esteem, self-regulation, general life skills, and pro-social behaviour. Yet limitations in the methods and measures limit the ability to draw conclusions from the literature. In addition, the diversity of youth and sport was generally ignored in the literature. This article suggests a number of directions for future research that might improve our understanding of how sport impacts psychological and social outcomes along with alcohol and illicit drug use.     

A person-centered approach to achievement goal orientations in competitive tennis players: Associations with motivation and mental toughness

Background:Research on achievement goal orientations in sport has typically relied on the use of variable-centered approaches that tend to overlook population heterogeneity.In this study,we used a person-centered approach to identify subgroups of competitive tennis players according to unique combinations of achievement goal orientations and tested for subgroup differences in motivation and mental toughness.Methods:A sample of 323 competitive tennis athletes(69.35%male)between 15 and 25 years of age(17.60±2.40 years,mean±SD)completed the 3×2 Achievement Goal Questionnaire for Sport,Sport Motivation Scale Ⅱ,and Mental Toughness Index.Latent profile analysis was used to identify unique combinations of achievement goal orientations.Comparisons between latent subgroups on autonomous motivation,controlled motivation,and mental toughness were performed using analysis of variance.Results:Latent profile analysis supported 3 distinct patterns of achievement goal profiles that were primarily distinguishable based on valence of competence(i.e.,approach vs.avoidance).Analyses of variance indicated that athletes who were classified into subgroups that endorsed approach types of goals(regardless of the types of avoidance goals they endorsed)reported higher levels of autonomous motivation and mental toughness.Conclusion:Results indicated that athletes tend to pursue a number of achievement goals collectively rather than in isolation.Although approach goals are more commonly linked to adaptive psychological functioning and positive outcomes,avoidance goals may also be associated with desirable psychological characteristics if they are pursued in conjunction with approach types of achievement goals.     

Methods of performance analysis in team invasion sports: A systematic review

ABSTRACT

The objective of this review was to systematically describe the traditional and contemporary data capture and analytic methods employed in performance analysis research in team invasion sports, evaluate the practicality of these methods, and formulate practical recommendations on methods for analysing tactics and strategies in team invasion sports. A systematic search of the databases SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE and PubMed was performed. Keywords addressed performance analysis methods and team invasion sports, with all other disciplines of sports science excluded. A total of 537 articles were included in the review and six main themes of research identified. Themes included game actions, dynamic game actions, movement patterns, collective team behaviours, social network analysis and game styles. Performance analysis research has predominantly focused on identifying key performance indicators related to success by analysing differences in game actions between successful and less successful teams. However, these measures are outcome-focused and only provide limited insight into winning team’s strategy. Team invasion sports are now viewed as dynamic, complex systems with opposing teams as interacting parts. Strategies and tactics should be analysed using a holistic process-orientated approach by recording dynamic actions, collective team behaviours and passing networks, and viewing them in game styles.     

社会网络分析在团队运动表现中的应用:研究综述

描述和评价了社会网络分析在团队运动表现中的应用情况。研究采用引文追溯法对文献进行检索,共进行5轮,检索引文3 698篇,最终有74篇文献纳入研究。研究显示,社会网络分析在团队运动表现中的应用是一个新兴现象,相关研究呈现出快速发展的趋势。在已有的实证研究中,将团队运动中的互动行为概念化为一个网络,并从宏观、中观和微观的视角分别概述了网络结构对认识团队运动互动行为的有用见解,验证了社会网络分析在足球等8个不同团队运动中应用的可行性。社会网络分析作为传统运动标注分析的补充被证明是一种有效的研究工具,改变了原有方法将比赛事件从比赛环境中独立出来的研究范式。在对球员互动结构静态属性分析的基础上,未来研究应进一步深入讨论这种互动结构的动态属性,以及多重网络对团队表现的影响。     

社会网络分析在团队运动表现中的应用:研究综述

描述和评价了社会网络分析在团队运动表现中的应用情况。研究采用引文追溯法对文献进行检索,共进行5轮,检索引文3 698篇,最终有74篇文献纳入研究。研究显示,社会网络分析在团队运动表现中的应用是一个新兴现象,相关研究呈现出快速发展的趋势。在已有的实证研究中,将团队运动中的互动行为概念化为一个网络,并从宏观、中观和微观的视角分别概述了网络结构对认识团队运动互动行为的有用见解,验证了社会网络分析在足球等8个不同团队运动中应用的可行性。社会网络分析作为传统运动标注分析的补充被证明是一种有效的研究工具,改变了原有方法将比赛事件从比赛环境中独立出来的研究范式。在对球员互动结构静态属性分析的基础上,未来研究应进一步深入讨论这种互动结构的动态属性,以及多重网络对团队表现的影响。     

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.     

国民收入、 竞技体育与大众体育协整和因果分析

运用文献资料法,对国民收入、竞技体育和大众体育之间进行了协整和因果关系分析,认为,竞技体育水平的提升没有导致大众体育水平的提高,对大众体育是负面的影响,否定了提高普及说和相对独立说;国家经济的增强提高了竞技体育的水平,验证了举国体制的有效性,但竞技体育水平的增强没有提高国家经济实力,说明了以竞技体育为核心的体育产业对促进国民经济的发展是很弱的;国家经济实力的提高对大众体育没有明显的影响,同时大众身体素质的提高同样没有表现为提高国家经济实力.     

青年女性运动身体的在场、互动与意义生成——基于哔哩哔哩健身用户群体的网络民族志

选用网络民族志的研究方法对哔哩哔哩“帕梅拉”虚拟健身社区进行深度访谈与参与式观察。将“帕梅拉”跟练视频参与者划分为五种理想类型,观察她们的身体样态呈现与交往互动内容,以窥见青年女性运动身体与互联网科技的互动生成,并讨论青年女性在社会网络空间中如何通过身体体现实现自我身体认同,进而揭示其运动身体在生活世界的感知内容及表达形式。研究认为:(1)运动身体由“缺席”到“在场”是身体与技术互动生成的标志且身体与世界的互相感知表现为相互作用力的粘连;(2)弹幕仪式互动将身体体现的即时表达转化为强烈的身份认同并试图与他人产生对话;(3)青年女性“反抗的身体”与“属自己”的运动是破除男性对于“女性化”压制以及“自我女性化”示弱的有效办法。     

Between-school variation in physical activity,aerobic fitness,and organized sports participation: A multi-level analysis

Abstract

A large proportion of a child's day is spent at school interacting with certain physical surroundings, teachers, and school friends. Thus, schools could have a marked impact on establishing physical activity habits. The aim of the present study was to assess between-school variation in physical activity, aerobic fitness, and organized sports participation. Altogether, we tested 1766 nine- and fifteen-year-old children attending 242 school classes at 35 different schools in Denmark in 1997–2003. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) for objectively assessed physical activity ranged between 0.06 and 0.18 depending on the dimension of physical activity and the time considered (i.e. school time vs. leisure time). For aerobic fitness, an ICC of 0.10 was observed, whereas that for organized sports participation ranged between 0.01 and 0.10 depending on the age group. Studying between-school variation in physical activity provides information about the extent to which children adjust their physical activity habits according to the social and environmental circumstances that they share, and helps to plan future school-based physical activity studies, especially in terms of sample size and power calculation.