A Century of British Readings of America through American Football: From the Fin de Siècle to the Super Bowl

Abstract

This paper examines the development of American football and the Super Bowl in the British imagination utilizing data from the British press. Divergent images of America have been present for centuries in British minds, and American football became intertwined with these images in the nineteenth century. Initially presented as a brutalized version of British varieties of football, once American football was seen live in Great Britain and it became a familiar subject on newsreels, some commentators interpreted it as a spectacle and a synonym for American life–modern, exciting, fast, and fun. Others viewed it as a threat that could undermine the British cultural heritage. The regular broadcasting of the NFL by Channel 4, including the Super Bowl live, was a watershed with the game swiftly gaining audience numbers whilst English association football was in a dour period. The increased popularity resulted in more media coverage, including negative images of unbridled capitalism, fixed games, and drug use. By the 1990s, audience numbers declined as English football was rehabilitated and American popularity waned, mainly through unpopular foreign policies. Today, many Britons regard watching the Super Bowl in the same way as a trip to Disney, an one-day holiday to a ‘foreign’ culture.     

Expectancy effects in tennis: the impact of opponents' pre-match non-verbal behaviour on male tennis players

In this study, we examined the impact of a male opponent's pre-match body language and clothing (general vs. sports-specific) on how his performances were judged by an observer. Forty male tennis players viewed videos of a male target tennis player warming up and then observed playing footage of the target. Each participant viewed the target player warming up displaying one of four combinations of body language and clothing (positive body language/tennis-specific clothing; positive body language/general sportswear; negative body language/tennis-specific clothing; negative body language/general sportswear). Participants rated the performance of the tennis player and gave their perceptions of the likely outcome of a tennis match with the target player. Analyses of variance indicated that clothing and body language had an interactive effect on both outcome expectations and ratings of performance. The findings support the contention that the initial impressions athletes form of their opponents can influence the way in which they judge the performances of opponents and their perceived likelihood of success against the same opponents.     

Team-referent attributions among sport performers

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a team-referent attribution scale. Conducted over three studies, Study 1 modified items from McAuley, Duncan, and Russell's (1992) Causal Dimension Scale II by rewording items to reflect team attributions and adding one item per factor. This led to the development of a 16-item scale (Causal Dimension Scale-T, CDS-T). Study 2 tested competing models of attribution theory among a sample of 433 team sport players. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated strongest support for a four-factor model (robust comparative fit index = .961; root mean squared error of approximation = .054). Study 3 tested the predictive validity of the scale among a sample of 201 team players. Results indicated that winners reported more internal and stable attributions than losers. Further, performances perceived as successful were associated with stable attributions. The results of the study, therefore, suggest that the CDS-T provides a valid measure of team-referent attributions in sport.     

Steps for Applying the Complex Dynamical Systems Approach in Educational Research: A Guide for the Perplexed Scholar

Abstract

In this commentary, we propose a framework for applying the Complex Dynamical Systems (CDS) approach in educational research. Drawing on the conceptual articles in the special issue for ontological, theoretical, and methodological principles, and on the empirical articles for examples of these principles’ application, we suggest six interdependent steps for researchers who seek to pursue educational research from the CDS approach: (1) Conceptualizing the phenomenon as a CDS; (2) Defining a theory of the relevant CDS level; (3) Generating a CDS research goal and question; (4) Selecting a CDS corresponding methodology for data collection and analysis; (5) Interpreting the findings as a CDS; and (6) Disseminating the knowledge to relevant audiences and participating in a CDS scholarly community. We end the commentary with several of the promises and challenges of applying the CDS approach in educational research.     

The Uses and Misuses of 'Alienation' in the Social Sciences and Education

Despite the ambiguities, even contradictions, that surround the term 'alienation' it has been much used and found useful, particularly at certain times. This paper provides a brief history and analysis of the term, exploring both its attractions to some, and the suspicions of others. The way in which the term is used and misused in educational research, and the ways in which the concepts which the term suggest could be developed, are also explored.     

Epilogue: Choosing to Learn or Not-Learn in School

As Herb Kohl has pointed out, some students learn to not-learn, refusing to pay attention in school, overriding curiosity. Often students are trying to short-circuit a pattern of failure and humiliation. In classrooms where students have some personal control over what and how they learn, not-learning seems to occur less frequently. I discuss examples of personal control in a reinvented writing program that I studied, as well as in examples from the other papers in this volume. Personal control, or self-determination, is an important component in integrated, constructivist education.     

Over the Top: ‘A Foul; a Blurry Foul!’

Part of Britain's folk memory of the First World War is of long lines of Tommies resolutely going over the top into a storm of machine gun fire and walking bravely to their deaths; following a piper if Scottish or kicking a football if English. However, rather than eventually becoming a conventional act of bravado, evidence suggests that the ‘football charge’ was limited to a 10-month period between 25 September 1915 and 1 July 1916. The most famous example is that of‘B’ Company of the 8th Battalion of the East Surreys led by Captain Nevill atthe Battle of the Somme. However, it was first performed, and possibly mostsuccessfully used, by the London Irish Rifles at the Battle of Loos on 25September 1915. This article examines what actually happened on the 25September 1915 and explores the underlying rationale of the first ‘football charge’.     

Divergent Perspectives on Language-Discordant Mobile Medical Professionals' Communication with Colleagues: An Exploratory Study

On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart as it re-entered the atmosphere. Months later, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board determined the immediate cause of the crash, but it also alluded to relationships NASA has with other organizations as being problematic, suggesting that Columbia was a painful symptom of a deeper disease. This paper uses resource dependency theory and structuration theory together to examine NASA's interorganizational network, illustrating that NASA is involved in multiple toxic relationships and that a pattern has developed through NASA miscues in the last 20 years. This case study demonstrates the advantages of using these two theories together, how such integration provides a useful perspective for understanding power and change in interorganizational relationships. The paper also discusses practical suggestions for NASA specifically, but also for others as organizations become more dependent on external stakeholders and interorganizational relationships.