Sport to the Rescue of the Suburbs: Sport to Educate? Sport to Reassure? When Politicians Respond to the Signs of Disturbance of Law and Order

Since the beginning of the 1980s, sport has appeared to be the last recourse against the worsening of living conditions, lack of job security and the ghettoisation of certain boroughs that stand out mostly because of continuing urban riots and juvenile violence. All of this is continually exaggerated by the media and politicians in their continual desire to dramatise and exaggerate. Certain sub-issues immediately emerge: what are the theoretical or ideological foundations on which this concept of making sport a lever for preventive policies is based? And what sport are we talking about? Is it the physical activities and sport (PAS) practised in the schools and institutes, civil sport or sport in the streets? Why do young people increasingly abandon civil/federated sport to practise ‘adventure sports’ or self-organised sports? Can self-organised sports and, more precisely, sport played outside the tower blocks favour the ‘self-control of impulses’? And if they can, under what conditions can they favour socialisation and contribute to preventing vandalism or violent acts? If it must be admitted that the links between sport and education, sport and prevention, sport and insertion, etc., are considered to be self-evident, they are rarely analysed or questioned.     

Grabbing the Opportunity to Create Elaborately

Approved by Ministry of Culture in 1999 as China Wuqiao International Acrobatic Art Training Center, Hebei Wuqiao Acrobatic Art School started to train 6 students from Tanzania.     

Large Acrobatic Play Pilgrimage to the West

Hosted by Ministry of Culture and Guangzhou Municipal People's Government,Guangzhou Bureau of Culture organized a list of first-class singing and dancing and acrobatic plays in Guangzhou in September 2006. Among these plays, large original acrobatic play Pilgrimage to the West of Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe went on the stage during October 12th and November 5th.     

Kit: Fashioning the Sporting Body – Introduction to the Special Edition

This is an introductory essay for the special edition of Sport in History entitled ‘Kit: Fashioning the Sporting Body’. As well as giving an overview of the six articles in the collection, the introduction seeks to give an overview of sport and dress history. It then raises questions of the intersection of national style, costume history and sporting fashion as active and leisurewear.     

From the cradle to the grave: how fast can we run?

I model average running speed on distances from 5000 m to the marathon as a function of age, distance and sex. Using data on US age-dependent road-racing records, I simulate optimal performance forages ranging from 3 to 95 years. The results of the correlation between running speed and age are in line with medical results on the relation between age and maximal oxygen uptake. The results show that official track and field age-grading overestimates human performance at older ages.     

Acrobatic Drama Pilgrimage to the West Winning Wenhua Award

The 8th China Arts Festival was held in Wuhan from 5th to 20th of November.Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe's acrobatic drama-"Pilgrimage to the West"competed for the Wenhua Award, which is the most prestigious prize for performance art given by the Chinese government.     

Reliability and Validity of the Zephyr™ BioHarness™ to Measure Respiratory Responses to Exercise

The Zephyr? BioHarness? (Zephyr Technology, Auckland, New Zealand) is a wireless physiological monitoring system that has the ability to measure respiratory rate unobtrusively. However, the ability of the BioHarness? to accurately and reproducibly determine respiratory rate across a range of intensities is currently unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of the BioHarness? to measure respiratory rate. Twelve physically active participants attended the laboratory on two separate occasions to perform an incremental treadmill test to volitional exhaustion. Respiratory rate (br.min^?1) was measured continuously and simultaneously during both trials using both a Metamax 3b online gas-analysis system (Cortex, Leipzig, Germany) and the BioHarness?. The mean respiratory rate measured by the Metamax 3b and BioHarness? did not differ statistically (p < .05) for most speeds, except for 70% of peak treadmill speed (p = .039). Mean absolute differences were small (2 to 3 br.min^?1; typical error = 4.4%–8.7%). The typical errors for the test 1 versus the test 2 comparisons for respiratory rate ranged from 1.4 to 2.8 br.min^?1 (typical error % = 4.3–7.3) for the BioHarness?. There were no significant differences between devices for the absolute respiratory rate, speed, and percent of respiratory rate maximum at the respiratory breakpoint (p > .05). The BioHarness? is a valid and reliable device for determining respiratory rate and the respiratory breakpoint during exercise of varying intensity.     

What Are the Barriers to Mobilizing Intensive Care Patients?

Purpose

Recently there has been increased interest in early mobilization of critically ill patients. Proposed benefits include improvements in respiratory function, muscle wasting, intensive care unit (ICU), and hospital length of stay. We studied the frequency of early mobilization in our intensive care unit in order to identify barriers to early mobilization.

Methods

A 4-week prospective audit of 106 patients admitted to a mixed medical-surgical tertiary ICU (mean age 60 ± 20 years, mean APACHE II score 14.7 ± 7.8) was performed. Outcome measures included number of patient days mobilized, type of mobilization, adverse events, and reasons for inability to mobilize.

Results

Patients were mobilized on 176 (54%) of 327 patient days. Adverse events occurred in 2 of 176 mobilization episodes (1.1%). In 71 (47%) of the 151 patient days where mobilization did not occur, potentially avoidable factors were identified, including vascular access devices sited in the femoral region, timing of procedures and agitation or reduced level of consciousness.

Conclusions

Critically ill patients can be safely mobilized for much of their ICU stay. Interventions that may allow more patients to mobilize include: changing the site of vascular catheters, careful scheduling of procedures, and improved sedation management.Key Words: intensive care units, mobility, physical therapy     

Feasibility of the 2-point method to determine the load−velocity relationship variables during the countermovement jump exercise

PurposeThis study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of load−velocity (L–V) relationship variables obtained through the 2-point method using different load combinations and velocity variables.MethodsTwenty men performed 2 identical sessions consisting of 2 countermovement jumps against 4 external loads (20 kg, 40 kg, 60 kg, and 80 kg) and a heavy squat against a load linked to a mean velocity (MV) of 0.55 m/s (load_0.55). The L–V relationship variables (load-axis intercept (L₀), velocity-axis intercept (v₀), and area under the L–V relationship line (A_line)) were obtained using 3 velocity variables (MV, mean propulsive velocity (MPV), and peak velocity) by the multiple-point method including (20–40–60–80–load_0.55) and excluding (20–40–60–80) the heavy squat, as well as from their respective 2-point methods (20–load_0.55 and 20–80).ResultsThe L–V relationship variables were obtained with an acceptable reliability (coefficient of variation (CV) ≤ 7.30%; intra-class correlation coefficient ≥ 0.63). The reliability of L₀ and v₀ was comparable for both methods (CV_ratio (calculated as higher value/lower value): 1.11–1.12), but the multiple-point method provided A_line with a greater reliability (CV_ratio = 1.26). The use of a heavy squat provided the L–V relationship variables with a comparable or higher reliability than the use of a heavy countermovement jump load (CV_ratio: 1.06–1.19). The peak velocity provided the load–velocity relationship variables with the greatest reliability (CV_ratio: 1.15–1.86) followed by the MV (CV_ratio: 1.07–1.18), and finally the MPV. The 2-point methods only revealed an acceptable validity for the MV and MPV (effect size ≤ 0.19; Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient ≥ 0.96; Lin's concordance correlation coefficient ≥ 0.94).ConclusionThe 2-point method obtained from a heavy squat load and MV or MPV is a quick, safe, and reliable procedure to evaluate the lower-body maximal neuromuscular capacities through the L–V relationship.     

‘Welcome to the Olympic Victims Hotel’: Homelessness and the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games

This paper uses newspaper reports to document the experiences of people who were made homeless by the building frenzy surrounding the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Quebec. What these reports show is that the ‘Olympic victims’, as they were named by the press, were displaced from their homes and dwellings due to rent hikes and demolition projects related to the Games. Then, they were further disadvantaged by falling through the cracks of an already struggling welfare system in Montreal. The findings from this paper address concerns surrounding claims to benefits and legacy discourses associated with the Games, while bringing attention and awareness to the lives of the people most at risk from Olympic development. In doing so, this paper also contributes to the small but growing body of literature that aims to document the stories of such displacement and extends that timeline to 1976.     

Factors influencing soccer referee’s intentions to quit the game

The number of football referees in England has declined significantly over recent years, posing a threat to the future of competitive soccer. This exploratory study investigates the factors which influence referee’s intention to quit the game. Unstructured qualitative interviews (N?=?12) were conducted with 3 past and 9 present referees. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using inductive content analysis. Three higher order dimensions emerged: Organizational factors (e.g. support, training and feedback on performance), Personal factors (e.g. psychological impact, intention to quit and personal benefits) and Match factors (e.g. psychological intimidation, physical intimidation and RESPECT protocol). Organizational factors were cited more than any others in relation to intention to quit and thus, ultimately, have the most impact on attrition. Ways in which the findings might inform efforts to retain referees are discussed.     

The role of the athletes’ entourage on attitudes to doping

ABSTRACT

The present study investigated athletes’ and coaches’ beliefs about the role of athletes’ entourage in deterring or promoting doping. Competitive athletes and coaches in Greece and Australia took part in semi-structured interviews. Our analysis of the interviews produced five main themes: coach influence, peer influence, doping stance, doping stigma, and entourage’s culture. Overall, coaches and peers having a close and trusty relationship with the athletes were considered most influential with respect to doping-related decisions. The majority of the athletes held a strong anti-doping stance but could not articulate why they held this position. This inability could be ascribed to the stigmatization of doping which led to lack of knowledge and anti-doping education. Finally, an anti-doping culture in the athletes’ environment was considered central to an anti-doping stance. The study findings provide valuable information towards a comprehensive understanding of the role athletes’ entourage can play in shaping athletes’ attitudes and decision for doping.     

Barney Kieran,the Legendary ‘Sobraon Boy’: From the Mean Streets to ‘Champion of the World’

This article explores the remarkable career of Bernard Bede (Barney) Kieran, known in the Australian sporting press of the time as ‘the Sobraon Boy’. He was born in Sydney in 1886, grew up in the mean streets, was imprisoned aboard the industrial training ship Sobraon and, at the zenith of his sensational world record-breaking swimming career, died suddenly on 22 December 1905. He was only nineteen and was mourned by the public as one of Australia's first sporting icons to be cut down tragically in his prime. Incorporated in this study is the forgotten tragic sporting saga of the first great Australian twentieth-century swimming hero and its connotations of muscularly-based youth reclamation. Consideration is given to the social context, the growing popularity of swimming in the early twentieth century, Sydney and the widespread newspaper coverage of his career and death which helped to create the formation of the tragic sporting hero of Australian myth.     

#SheBelieves: the use of Instagram to frame the US Women’s Soccer Team during #FIFAWWC

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine of the representation of women athletes during the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. More specifically, we examined how individuals used various event-related hashtags (ie #SheBelieves and #FIFAWWC) on Instagram during the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup to frame identity, and challenge or reinforce gender stereotypes from the bottom-up. A content analysis of athlete photos containing #FIFAWWC (n = 706) and athlete photos containing #SheBelieves (n = 629) revealed that users primarily portrayed women athletes as athletically competent. Specifically, nearly 90% of Instagram posts containing either #FIFAWWC or #SheBelieves portrayed athletes in either athletic action or preparing for athletic action. These findings demonstrate that social media provide an opportunity to challenge gender stereotypes in women’s sports and thereby illustrate that social media users are willing to create their own frames around women athletes.     

Do sporting activities convey benefits to bone mass throughout the skeleton?

It is well known that sport and exercise play an important role in stimulating site-specific bone mineral density (BMD). However, what is less well understood is how these benefits dissipate throughout the body. Hence, the aim of the present study was to compare the BMD (recorded at nine sites throughout the skeleton) of 106 male athletes (from nine sports) with that of 15 male non-exercising age-matched controls. Given that BMD is known to increase with body mass and peak with age, multivariate and univariate analyses of covariance were performed to compare the BMD of the nine sports groups with controls (at all sites) using body mass and age as covariates. Our results confirmed a greater adjusted BMD in the arms of the upper-body athletes, the right arm of racket players and the legs of runners (compared with controls), supporting the site-specific nature (i.e. specific to the externally loaded site) of the bone remodelling response (all P <0.01). However, evidence that bone mass acquisition is not just site-specific comes from the results of the rugby players, strength athletes, triathletes and racket players. The rugby players' adjusted BMD was the greatest of all sports groups and greater than controls at all nine sites (all P <0.01), with differences ranging from 8% greater in the left arm to 21% in the lumbar spine. Similarly, the strength athletes' adjusted BMD was superior to that of controls at all sites (P <0.05) except the legs. The adjusted BMD of the triathletes was significantly greater than that of the controls in both the arms and the legs as well as the thoracic and lumbar spine. The racket players not only had significantly greater right arm BMD compared with the controls but also a greater BMD of the lumbar spine, the pelvis and legs. In contrast, the low-strain, low-impact activities of keep-fit, cycling and rowing failed to benefit BMD compared with the age-matched controls. These results suggest that sporting activities involving high impact, physical contact and/or rotational forces or strains are likely to convey significant benefits not only to the loaded sites, but also to other unloaded peripheral and axial sites throughout the skeleton.     

Buddy up: the Köhler effect applied to health games

The present investigation examined the K?hler motivation gain effect in a health game using an absent partner, presented virtually. The K?hler effect occurs when an inferior team member performs a difficult task better in a team or coaction situation than one would expect from knowledge of his or her individual performance. The effect has been strongest in conjunctive task conditions in which the group's potential productivity is equal to the productivity of its least capable member. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions (individual control, coaction, additive, and conjunctive) in a 4 (conditions) ? 2 (gender) factorial design and performed a series of isometric plank exercises within an exercise game. They performed the first series of five exercises alone holding each position for as long as they could, and, after a rest period, those in the partner conditions were told they would do remaining trials with a same-sex virtual partner whom they could observe during their performance. The partner's performance was manipulated to be always superior to the participant's. Results showed that task persistence was significantly greater in all experimental conditions than in the individual control condition. The conjunctive condition was no more motivating than either the additive or coactive conditions. Results suggest that working out with virtually present, superior partners can improve persistence motivation on exercise game tasks.