People-based marketing and the cultural economies of attribution metrics

This article examines People-Based Marketing (PBM) to theorize the cultural economies of attribution metrics. Through an analysis of marketing discourses, acquisition patterns, and marketing collaborations, it examines how platform capitalism is increasingly directed towards developing cross-device identity standards that consolidate performance metrics across digital markets. PBM extends the processes of platform capitalization across media properties, and the ways that claims of value and relevance are imbricated with the metricization of behavioral change in digital markets. The imperative of PBM to standardize techniques of identification and to make media increasingly measurable across markets has been a catalyst for new forms of data resolutions through strategic acquisitions and identity resolution consortiums. Moreover, emerging regulatory changes such as GDPR may in effect further reinforce trends towards the consolidation of data management and analytics platforms necessary to resolve identity across markets.     

Phenomenology in the bleachers: Heidegger and the truth of sport

Phenomenologies of sport predominantly focus on an analysis of the experience of participating in sport, either as a part of a team or individually. In this essay, the author argues that a vital avenue for the phenomenology of sport has not been adequately explored, that is, an analysis of the experience of the spectator. Taking up Heidegger’s phenomenological method as outlined in Being and Time, the author argues that Heidegger’s notions of the they-self, idle talk, and falling prey offer critical insights into why sports-talk among fans comes to focus on truth and blame. The object of the phenomenology of sport is thus suggested to be not limited solely to the field of play but is also, as the title suggests, in the bleachers as well.     

Bivariate functional principal components analysis: considerations for use with multivariate movement signatures in sports biomechanics

Sporting performance is often investigated through graphical observation of key technical variables that are representative of whole movements. The presence of differences between athletes in such variables has led to terms such as movement signatures being used. These signatures can be multivariate (multiple time-series observed concurrently), and also be composed of variables measured relative to different scales. Analytical techniques from areas of statistics such as Functional Data Analysis (FDA) present a practical alternative for analysing multivariate signatures. When applied to concurrent bivariate time-series multivariate functional principal components analysis (referred to as bivariate fPCA or bfPCA in this paper) has demonstrated preliminary application in biomechanical contexts. Despite this, given the infancy of bfPCA in sports biomechanics there are still necessary considerations for its use with non-conventional or complex bivariate structures. This paper focuses on the application of bfPCA to the force-angle graph in on-water rowing, which is a bivariate structure composed of variables with different units. A normalisation approach is proposed to investigate and standardise differences in variability between the two variables. The results of bfPCA applied to the non-normalised data and normalised data are then compared. Considerations and recommendations for the application of bfPCA in this context are also provided.     

Does exercise have a protective effect on cognitive function under hypoxia? A systematic review with meta-analysis

ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine (1) the independent effects of hypoxia on cognitive function and (2) the effects of exercise on cognition while under hypoxia.MethodsDesign: Systematic review with meta-analysis. Data sources: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsychInfo, and SPORTDiscus were searched. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: randomized controlled trials and nonrandomized controlled studies that investigated the effects of chronic or acute exercise on cognition under hypoxia were considered (Aim 2), as were studies investigating the effects of hypoxia on cognition (Aim 1).ResultsIn total, 18 studies met our inclusionary criteria for the systematic review, and 12 studies were meta-analyzed. Exposure to hypoxia impaired attentional ability (standardized mean difference (SMD) = –0.4), executive function (SMD = –0.18), and memory function (SMD = –0.26), but not information processing (SMD = 0.27). Aggregated results indicated that performing exercise under a hypoxia setting had a significant effect on cognitive improvement (SMD = 0.3, 95% confidence interval: 0.14 – 0.45, I² = 54%, p < 0.001). Various characteristics (e.g., age, cognitive task type, exercise type, exercise intensity, training type, and hypoxia level) moderated the effects of hypoxia and exercise on cognitive function.ConclusionExercise during exposure to hypoxia improves cognitive function. This association appears to be moderated by individual and exercise/hypoxia-related characteristics.     

The Rise and Fall of the Science Advisor to the President of the United States

The president’s science advisor was formerly established in the days following the Soviet launch of Sputnik at the height of the Cold War, creating an impression of scientists at the center of presidential power. However, since that time the role of the science advisor has been far more prosaic, with a role that might be more aptly described as a coordinator of budgets and programs, and thus more closely related to the functions of the Office of Management and Budget than the development of presidential policy. This role dramatically enhances the position of the scientific community to argue for its share of federal expenditures. At the same time, scientific and technological expertise permeates every function of government policy and politics, and the science advisor is only rarely involved in wider White House decision making. The actual role of the science advisor as compared to its heady initial days, in the context of an overall rise of governmental expertise, provides ample reason to reconsider the role of the presidential science advisor, and to set our expectations for that role accordingly.

An investigation of the in-game behaviours of professional, top-level youth soccer coaches

Although research into coaching has increased considerably during the last two decades, an area of neglect has been that of the professional youth coach. The aim of this study was to investigate the working behaviours of six top-level professional soccer coaches. Data were collected using a modified version of the Arizona State University Observation Instrument and semi-structured interviews. The triangulation of the data ensured that both the "what" and the "why" of the coaches' behaviour were considered. Results revealed a conscious and well thought out pattern of behaviour: silently monitoring, interspersed with clips of instruction coupled with praise and encouragement. The interviews revealed three themes underpinning this behaviour: developing game understanding, support and encouragement, and coaches' role and influences. The use of silence was the largest single behaviour, the efficacy of which was considered in light of theories of experiential and discovery learning.     

The stroke has only a minor influence on direction consistency in golf putting among elite players

In the golf instructional literature, the putting stroke is typically given higher priority than green reading and aiming. The main purpose of this study was to assess the importance of the putting stroke for direction consistency in golf putting. Kinematic stroke parameters were recorded from 71 elite golf players (mean handicap = 1.8, s = 4.2) on 1301 putts from about 4 m. Of the different factors deciding stroke direction consistency, face angle was found to be the most important (80%), followed by putter path (17%) and impact point (3%). This suggests that improvements in consistency of putter path and impact point will have very little effect on overall putting direction consistency and should not be prioritized in the training of elite players. In addition, mean stroke direction variability for an elite player (European Tour) was found to be 0.39 degrees, which is good enough to hole about 95% of all 4-m putts. In practice, however, top professionals in tournaments only hole about 17% of 4-m putts. We conclude that the putting stroke of elite golfers has a relatively minor influence on direction consistency.