Match-Fixing: A Historical Perspective

Abstract

Match-fixing has a long history, but while use of drugs in sport has a substantial secondary literature, match-fixing has only recently begun to attract the attention of historians. This essay begins with a brief overview of its global contemporary contexts, the broad range of sports where it now surfaces, increased recognition of its moral, social, and economic threat, and the varied responses of leading sports organizations, legal gambling operators, police forces, governmental departments, and regulators. The following section explores the challenges of finding any reliable evidence of match-fixing in the past. Such material can include reports of criminal trials and investigations, the decisions of national and international sporting bodies, journalistic investigations, players confessions, suspended investigations, and the many various unsubstantiated allegations of fixing. An overview shows that match-fixing has been a major and substantial long-standing historical continuity in sport usually but not always is linked to gambling and sporting materialism. Examples are brought forward to show that it could be found in Ancient Greece and Egypt, and was widespread across the early modern and modern periods in Britain, America, and Australia. The essay concludes by suggesting some key questions which a future agenda for the historical study of match-fixing might address.     

‘The Whole of Poland Saw It,and You Gentlemen are Blind’: Match-Fixing in Polish Football – A Case Study from 1993

Abstract

This paper focuses on one of the most famous match-fixing cases in the history of Polish football – when in 1993 the Polish Football Association decided to subtract points due to match-fixing in the last match round of the season, an action which meant that Legia Warsaw were stripped of the Polish title. The paper initially presents a brief overview of the history of match-fixing in Polish football and then moves on to an informed narrative of the 1993 case. Two primary analytical focuses are adopted: first the 1993 case study is analyzed in the light of a typology established by criminologist Declan Hill explaining why corruptors decide to fix football matches. Second societal reactions to the 1993 scandal are analyzed. The paper questions to what extent reactions to the 1993 match-fixing scandal were affected by the profound social, political, and cultural transformations of the immediate post-communist period. To do so, the sociological concept of ‘cultural trauma’ is scrutinized in the context of football match-fixing. It is argued that the 1993 scandal was a ‘trigger’ which allowed cultural trauma to emerge and that reactions to the scandal were heavily influenced by wider societal events.     

The 2012 Olympic Badminton Scandal: Match-Fixing,Code of Conduct Documents,and Women’s Sport

Abstract

At the 2012 Olympic Games, eight badminton players were disqualified from the women’s doubles tournament for intentionally losing matches in the group stage. The incident marks the largest mass disqualification of athletes from multiple countries for match-fixing at the Olympic Games in the twenty-first century. Significantly, it is also the first time that female athletes have been disqualified from a Summer Olympic Games for match-fixing not related to betting or gambling. This essay weaves together two interdependent arguments. First, it is suggested that the incident can be understood through the lens of three separate but interconnected issues: the history of match-fixing, the growth of code of conduct documents in sports, and the regulation of women’s bodies in sports. Second, it is argued that the athletes’ gender is a critical element of the incident. The primary aims of the article are to position the 2012 badminton scandal as a key moment in the history of match-fixing and to suggest that the incident is important for future research and policy creation.     

The Perils of Blowing the Whistle: Match-Fixing in Scotland and Australia, 1920s to 2015

Abstract

Two family stories shed some light on changes in the character and causes of corruption in football in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. My grandfather was a central figure in an alleged match-fixing episode in Association football in Scotland in the third decade of the twentieth century, while I was a peripheral figure in one in Australia in the last. I came across another one while researching the story of the Croatian soccer clubs in Victoria in the post-Second World War years. I also observed very closely an attempt to fix a series of matches by introducing a number of players into a team on behalf of overseas betting interests in the twenty-first century. Reflecting on these cases is a way of trying to understand how the forms and the drivers of match-fixing have changed in the twenty-first century. The three earlier episodes seem very old fashioned in the context of globalization, the commodification of sport, international gambling syndicates, and systematic corruption at the heart of the world game.     

Match-Fixing in Polish Football: Historical Perspectives and Sociological Interpretations

Abstract

This paper addresses the massive scale of match-fixing in Polish football revealed by the corruption scandal which hit the headlines in the Polish media in 2005. Although more than a decade later the investigation is far from over, it is already clear that corruption was an everyday phenomenon ignored or purposely overlooked by bodies supervizing football competitions. The peculiarity of the Polish case stems from the fact that the match-fixing was not betting-related. The paper attempts to track the historical roots of corruption, paying particular attention to the period of communism (1945–1989) and the role of the Polish Football Association. Subsequently, several non-mutually exclusive sociological interpretations of the situation are discussed.     

Not All ‘the Evils of Capitalism’: Match-Fixing and the Governance of Chinese Professional Football, 1994–2016

Abstract

Match-fixing has been a key term in Chinese professional football since its inception in the early 1990s. In the light of notorious match-fixing scandals, criticism has arisen that the professionalization of football and the inflow of the free market system mirror the evils of capitalism in post-reform Chinese society. This paper, however, aims to offer an alternative perspective on the inherent governing deficiencies of Chinese professional football, to elaborate on the causes of these match-fixing incidents. By analyzing the status of each corruption-involved actor within the governance structure of Chinese professional football, the paper argues that the following factors collectively account for a large part of the historical and institutional causation of the rampant match-fixing scandals in Chinese professional football: the underplayed role of sport law; the overplayed role of Chinese Football Association officials; the ambiguous ownership and decision-making processes of the clubs; and, the powerless and unprotected role of the referees, the players, and the coaches.     

‘Playing Dead’ and Killing Off Amateurism: Bribery Scandals,Illegal Player Payments,Rule Expunging,and the Victorian Football League’s Authorization of Professionalism in 1911

Abstract

Australian football is an indigenous game codified in 1859. In Melbourne, the code’s birthplace, the game remained officially committed to the amateur ideal for over a half-century. Illegal player payments nonetheless became increasingly commonplace. Moreover, periodically rumours swirled of champion footballers taking bribes to ‘play dead’. By the early 1900s, the code’s leading competition, the Victorian Football League (VFL), was derided with the ‘shamateurism’ label. Following a sensational match-fixing investigation that resulted in two players receiving five-year bans, in 1911 the VFL expunged its rule prohibiting player payments. Was the timing merely coincidental or was the League’s historic switch to professionalism a deliberate countermeasure to redirect press attention, renew public confidence, and restore the game’s integrity? By consulting the League’s official records and contemporary press articles, this work examines the overlooked yet discernible linkages between rising match-fixing allegations and the VFL’s decision to eschew amateurism and embrace professionalism. It argues that Australian football offers an instructive historical perspective of a sporting body tackling mounting concerns over corruption, taking back the ascendency by amending its rules to better govern over dishonest players and duplicitous club officials, thereby growing its popularity and restoring public perception of its integrity in the process.     

Match-Fixing in Cornish Wrestling during the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries

Abstract

During the first half of the nineteenth century, Cornish wrestling, which was distinctive to Cornwall, was the county’s most popular sport, with a large number of wrestlers competing for lucrative prizes at numerous tournaments and watched by thousands of spectators. Its popularity also extended to London, where sporting entrepreneurs, mainly publicans, organized and promoted wrestling in the Cornish style, when the best wrestlers were lured to the capital to compete for large prizes, witnessed by substantial crowds, which often included members of the nobility. During the second half of the nineteenth century, Cornish wrestling suffered a serious decline in popularity with fewer wrestlers, tournaments, and spectators. By 1900 the sport had almost died out and only survived due to the efforts of a small group of talented wrestlers who inspired a minor revival in the years leading up to 1914. One factor that contributed to the decline was the practice of ‘faggoting’, which was a form of match-fixing that involved wrestlers agreeing with opponents to share any prize money. Consequently, the sport developed a bad reputation and became very unpopular with spectators. In order to eradicate the practice, wrestling organizers issued regular warnings to wrestlers or excluded them from tournaments.     

Match-Fixing: Working Towards an Ethical Framework

How does match-fixing, or other unfair manipulation of matches, that involves under-performance by players, or refereeing and umpiring that prevents fair competition, be thought of in ethical terms? In this article, I outline the different forms that match-fixing can take and seek to comprehend these disparate scenarios within Kantian, Hegelian and contractualist ethical frameworks. I tentatively suggest that, by developing an ethical opposition to match-fixing in sport, we can give much greater substance to popular phrases such as ‘respect for the game’, encompassing the value of sport itself and respect for other players, fans, sponsors and organisers. Arguing that match-fixing denies recognition to these ‘others’ demonstrates how fundamentally match-fixing ‘hollows out’ sport because a fixed match is of no worth: the whole value of the game has literally been evacuated.     

论“假球”对公共财产安全法益的侵害及其该当性

"假球"对社会的最大危害,不在于行为人收受了多少贿赂、是否参与了赌球;而在于打假球的行为严重侵害了他人的财产利益、国家形象和社会文化。因此,在评价假球时,不能只关注行为人获取财物的行为是否构成犯罪,而应更多的关注他们打假球的行为对公共财产安全法益的危害和对国家、社会利益的侵犯,及其该当性。对打假球的行为,由于观众买票在前、行为人做球在后,一般不符合诈骗罪的特征,不宜定诈骗罪;但是,它具备"以危险方法危害公共安全罪"的该当性。     

The Triumph of Professionalism in World Tennis: The Road to 1968

This article explores the post Second World War process of change that culminated in the arrival of ‘open’ tennis in 1968, after which the professional game rapidly became a multi-million dollar television-driven enterprise. As well as suggesting that judgements about the pre-1968 era as either immoral on the one hand or as a golden age on the other are unsatisfactory, it will be argued that the switch from one code to another was not – as is sometimes claimed – the inevitable result of social and economic change. The triumph of open tennis was the particular product of the adoption of a compromise formula on the game's international governing body in 1968, one that allowed change yet also preserved some of the spirit of the old system. The triumph of professionalism in world tennis might easily have been delayed, if not indefinitely, then for several more years to come.     

A Game for the Global North: The 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang and South Korean Cultural Politics

Abstract

The South Korean region of Pyeongchang will host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Using Wallerstein’s world system theory and Collins’s notions of zones of prestige and emulation as a conceptual framework, this paper examines the South Korean Government’s intention to stage the winter sporting spectacle. As the Winter Olympics is arguably considered a game for the relatively affluent global north, South Korea, as a semi-core state, attempts to elevate its position to a global economic and cultural powerhouse through being a host of this winter sports mega-event. However, it should be noted that the Winter Olympic Games is an event through which white supremacy and Western cultural hegemony are continuously reinforced. Therefore, the South Korean ambition to enhance its international standing by staging the Winter Olympic Games paradoxically reflects Western cultural imperialism and Orientalism embedded in South Korean cultural politics associated with the winter sporting contest.     

Situated knowledges,sports and the sport science question

Abstract

In this article, I will elaborate on the feminist scholar Donna Haraway’s understanding of the concept of situated knowledges. I believe it is a concept that can be usefully applied to sports and sport science, in that it may create stories about the intertwined relationship between sport science and the narratives of sport science – stories we can believe in.     

对篮球比赛中垃圾时间的思考

篮球比赛中的垃圾时间严重阻碍了篮球市场化的步伐,却又在比赛中客观而大量存在,最大化地减少比赛中的垃圾时间将会有效的提升比赛的精彩程度。本文分析垃圾时间产生的主要原因为：实力悬殊;策略;假球黑哨;偶然性。并提出了借鉴NBA选秀制度、转会制度;借鉴足球比赛的替换规则等有针对性的建议。     

Statistics,truth, and error reduction in sport and exercise sciences

Abstract

Academics have a responsibility to ensure that their research findings are as truthful as possible. InIn every issue of a scientific journal, a large number of significance tests are reported (usually using P <0.05). Of course, most of these results will be true/correct. Unfortunately, due to the nature of sampling, researchers will occasionally make errors, often referred to as type I (probability = α) and type II (probability = β) errors. The power of a test (1-β) is the probability of correctly rejecting a false null hypothesis – that is, correctly detecting a real or true effect. Factors that are known to influence power include: (1) the level of significance (α), (2) the size of the difference or relationship in the population (the effect), (3) the sample size, and (4) unexplained error variance. As researchers, we have little control over most of these factors. The one factor that we have some influence over, however, is the ability to reduce the unexplained error variance. In the present article, we describe a range of methods that will increase the probability that a researcher has correctly identified a real effect by increasing the power of their statistical tests. Such methods will include ways of designing experiments to reduce error and uncertainty. The use of blocking and randomized block designs will reduce unexplained error, such as adopting matched or repeated-measures designs rather than using independent observations. The other method of reducing unexplained errors is to adopt more appropriate (e.g. biologically correct) models and checking the distribution assumptions associated with such models. In conclusion, researchers are responsible for maximizing the likelihood that their results are as accurate and truthful as possible. By carefully planning their experiments and adopting appropriate models, researchers are more likely to publish their findings with a greater degree of confidence, but not certainty.     

Physiological Correlations With Short,Medium, and Long Cycling Time-Trial Performance

Purpose: Several studies have demonstrated that physiological variables predict cycling endurance performance. However, it is still unclear whether the predictors will change over different performance durations. The aim of this study was to assess the correlations between physiological variables and cycling time trials with different durations. Methods: Twenty trained male cyclists (maximal oxygen uptake [VO₂max] = 60.5 ± 5.6 mL/kg/min) performed 4 separate experimental trials during a 2-week period. Cyclists initially completed an incremental exercise test until volitional exhaustion followed by 3 maximal cycling time trials on separate days. Each time trial consisted of 3 different durations: 5 min, 20 min, and 60 min performed in a randomized order. Results: The main results showed that the physiological measures strongly correlated with long cycling performances rather than short and medium time trials. The time-trial mean power output was moderately high to highly correlated with peak power output and VO_2max (r = .61–.87, r = .72–.89, respectively), and was moderately to highly correlated with the lactate threshold Dmax method and second ventilatory threshold (r = .52–.75, r = .55–.82, respectively). Conclusions: Therefore, trained cyclists should develop maximal aerobic power irrespective of the duration of time trial, as well as enhancements in metabolic thresholds for long-duration time trials.     

Old and Grumpy but Still Game

Abstract

My background as an economic historian has strongly influenced my approach to sports history which I practise as a combination of theory and empiricism, particularly of the quantitative kind. Theory is central to our understanding of the social science of sport and evidence makes the subject history rather than fiction. As sports historians we should emphasize that our discipline is as ‘mainstream’ as any other form of history and we can contribute to major historical debates on, for example, race, gender, identity, and nationalism.     

The Identification of Reasons,Solutions, and Techniques Informing a Theory-Based Intervention Targeting Recreational Sports Participation

Purpose: This study is the 3rd piece of formative research utilizing the theory of planned behavior to inform the development of a behavior change intervention. Focus groups were used to identify reasons for and solutions to previously identified key beliefs in addition to potentially effective behavior change techniques. Method: A purposive sample of 22 first-year undergraduate students (n = 8 men; M_age = 19.8 years, SD = 1.3 years) attending a university in the North of England was used. Focus groups were audio-recorded; recordings were transcribed verbatim, analyzed thematically, and coded for recurrent themes. Results: The data revealed 14 reasons regarding enjoyment, 11 reasons for friends’ approval, 11 reasons for friends’ own participation, 14 reasons for the approval of family members, and 10 solutions to time constraints. Twelve distinct techniques were suggested to attend to these reasons and solutions. Conclusion: This qualitative research will be used to inform the development of a theory-based intervention to increase students’ participation in university recreational sports.     

National identity,social legacy and Qatar 2022: the cultural ramifications of FIFA’s first Arab World Cup

ABSTRACT

This article argues that the decision to award Qatar the World Cup in 2022 will have a lasting impact on the Gulf state. I suggest that hosting the 2022 World Cup is a central part of Qatar’s strategy to announce itself as a legitimate actor on the world stage, one unique amongst other Muslim and Arab nations. I contend that the World Cup is a vital part of this process because it allows Qatar a space that permits the emirate to address specific issues within its society in a manner which coexists with, rather than surrendering to, external values and norms. The article concludes by arguing that if Qatar 2022 is to justify FIFA’s decision to cross one of the last civilizational bridges left in global sport, it will have to demonstrate that the image and reform it presents to the rest of the world are genuine and lasting.     

Stimulus Velocity,Duration and Uncertainty as Determiners of Response Structure and Timing Accuracy

Abstract

The present experiments examined the effects of stimulus velocity, stimulus duration, and stimulus uncertainty on the spatial-temporal structure and timing accuracy of coincident timing responses. The results of Experiment 1 indicated that the response structure for aimed movements differed from that of ballistic movements but response accuracy was comparable for both movement conditions. However, when information concerning the stimulus velocity was provided, the responses to the faster stimuli (i.e., stimuli of shorter duration) appeared to be “speeded up” copies of those to slower stimuli and response accuracy increased as the stimulus velocity increased (i.e., stimulus duration decreased). When the stimulus velocity was not known, subjects initiated a common response for approximately 260 msec and response accuracy appeared to decrease as the stimulus velocity increased (i.e., stimulus duration decreased). Experiment 2 indicated that the stimulus duration rather than the stimulus velocity was the major determiner of both the spatial-temporal structure and timing accuracy and that a very fast and a very slow stimulus will be responded to similarly when the stimulus duration remains constant.