Beyond Anti-Fandom: Cheerleading, Textual Hate and New Media Ethics
Drawing on a case study involving mediated vitriol targeting cheerleaders, this article identifies two potentially problematic aspects of the media studies concept of anti fandom. First, it critiques the classification of vitriolic texts produced by anti fans as belonging primarily to the field of audiences and reception. It argues that this move risks sidelining the […]
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Beyond Class: The Many Facets of Gramsci’s Theory of Intellectuals
Gramsci’s theory of intellectuals is widely cited but rarely closely studied. This article makes a case for a rereading of this theory. This is both desirable and necessary because, as the article shows, it is a more nuanced and yet also encompassing theory than recognized in current scholarship on the sociology of intellectuals, and it […]
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Beyond Entertainment: Motivations and Outcomes of Video Game Playing by Older Adults and Their Younger Family Members
The percentage of older adults who are active gamers has increased tremendously in recent years. Although research shows that video games enhance physical and cognitive well-being in older adults, the role of video games in enhancing social interactions has been relatively understudied. We examined the habits, preferences, motivations, and outcomes of video gameplay among older […]
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Assessing the Sociology of Sport: On Cultural Sensibilities and the Great Sport Myth
On the 50th anniversary of the ISSA and IRSS, Jay Coakley, a foundational scholar in the development of the sociology of sport, reflects on the lasting power of the Great Sport Myth (GSM) to shape cultural understandings of sport. Situated in an unshakable belief about the inherent purity and goodness of sport, it is argued […]
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Assessing the Sociology of Sport: On Sport for Development and Peace
On the 50th anniversary of the ISSA and IRSS, Cora Burnett, one of the world’s leading scholars on studying the ways that sport has been used for development, considers the trajectory, challenges and future for understanding sport’s role in conflict resolution and peace. The emerging field of sport-for-development has proliferated since the early 2000s under […]
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Assessing the Trajectory and Challenges of the Sociology of Sport
On the fiftieth anniversary of the International Sociology Of Sport Association and the International Review for the Sociology of Sport, the three guest editors for this special fiftieth anniversary issue of the IRSS, current ISSA president, Elizabeth CJ Pike, the immediate past president, Steven J Jackson, and current IRSS editor, Lawrence A Wenner, introduce the […]
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Assimilating to a Boy’s Body Shape for the Sake of Performance: Three Female Athletes’ Body Experiences in a Sporting Culture
This paper explores three female swimmers’ relationships with their male coaches and the body practices they were exposed to within Australian swimming. Particular attention is given to how the relationships and practices might relate to gender. Additionally, the article examines how (if at all) the conduct contributed to the social construction of an accepted female […]
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At Least Nine Ways to Play: Approaching Gamer Mentalities
Do digital games and play mean the same things for different people? This article presents the results of a 3-year study in which we sought for new ways to approach digital games cultures and playing practices. First, the authors present the research process in brief and emphasize the importance of merging different kinds of methods […]
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Athlete Protection in Quebec’s Sport System: Assessments Problems and Challenges
Sport is often perceived as healthy and safe. However, research has demonstrated that problems involving sexual, psychological, and physical abuse exist in this context and that very few protection measures are available in sport organizations. Quebec’s sport organizations are not an exception. The research project presented here was part of Phase I of a broader […]
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Athletes and/or Activists: LeBron James and Black Lives Matter
As one of the world’s most recognizable athletes, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is emblematic of the modern athlete-activist; as such, it is important to understand how the media frame him in the context of a controversial issue. In recent years, he has used it to quietly support the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2014, […]
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Athletes in the Pool Girls and Boys on Deck: The Contextual Construction of Gender in Coed Youth Swimming
Few studies have examined how groups of individuals enact different patterns of gender relations within and across contexts. In this article, I draw upon nine months of fieldwork and 15 semistructured interviews conducted with eight- to 10-year-old swimmers on a co-ed youth swim team. During focused aspects of swim practice, gender was less salient and […]
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Athletes’ Career Transition Out of Sport: A Systematic Review
The purpose of this study was to provide a systematic review of studies on athletes’ career transition out of sport from 1968 until the end of 2010. A total of 126 studies were evaluated and reported in three sections: sample characteristics, research designs and correlates of athletes’ career transition adjustment. Samples ranged from 1 to […]
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Athletes’ Experiences of the Psychological Effects of Poor Coaching.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to describe the psychological effects of poor coaching reported by collegiate, professional and semi-professional athletes. Design: The present study employs a qualitative research design. Existential phenomenology is a contemporary qualitative research method that seeks to describe lived experience. This research design provided the framework for understanding athletes’ effects […]
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Athletic Identity and Aggressiveness: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of the Athletic Identity Maintenance Model
Research independently examining athletic identity and sport aggression is quite extensive; however, the relationship between these variables has yet to be explored. Findings from both the identity literature and the sport fandom literature regarding team identification and aggressive fan behavior provides a foundation on which to hypothesize about the potential role athletic identity may have […]
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Athletic Participation and Seatbelt Omission Among U.S. High School Students: A National Study
Although seatbelts save lives, adolescents may be disproportionately likely to omit their use. Using data from the 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a national survey of more than 16,000 U.S. public and private high school students, the authors employed a series of logistic regression analysis to examine cross-sectional associations between past year athletic participation and […]
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Athletic Subculture Within Student-Athlete Academic Centers
Over 400,000 student-athletes participate in NCAA intercollegiate athletics programs. Due to their dual roles as student and athlete, they have a different college experience than the general student population. Specialized academic centers and resources for student-athletes are part of the reason they are separated and often isolated from the rest of campus. Teams have their […]
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Athletic Success and NCAA Profit-Athletes’ Adjusted Graduation Gaps
Within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Division I men’s basketball many profit-athletes travel to Predominantly White Institution (PWI) work sites for “pre-professional” sport opportunities. At most PWIs the Black male student population is less than ten percent, while football and men’s basketball rosters are overwhelmingly comprised of Black athletes. […]
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Athletic Voices and Academic Victories: African American Male Student–Athlete Experiences in the Pac-Ten
The purpose of this study was to explore participants’ academic experiences and confidence about their academic achievement. Participants (N = 27) consisted of high-achieving African American male student—athletes from four academically rigorous American Universities in the Pac-Ten conference. Most of the participants competed in revenue-generating sports and were interviewed to obtain a deeper understanding of […]
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Athletic Women’s Experiences of Amenorrhea: Biomedical Technologies Somatic Ethics and Embodied Subjectivities
Taking inspiration from Nikolas Rose (2007a, 2007b) and feminist new materialists, this paper creates space for athletic women’s voices of their biological and social bodies, and particularly their interactions with the medical professions and biomedical technologies. Drawing upon interviews with 10 female athletes and recreational exercisers who have experienced amenorrhea as a result of their […]
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Athletics as a Source for Social Status Among Youth: Examining Variation by Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic status
This study examines sport as a source for youth popularity, and its variation by gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status and grade level, using a nationally representative U.S. sample of 2,185 3rd—12th graders. Results indicate athletes are more likely than non athletes to report self-perceived popularity equally across gender, socioeconomic status, and grade. Black athletes are less […]
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Autonomy, Eating Disorders and Elite Gymnastics: Ethical and Conceptual Issues
Participation in elite sport, and in particular those sports with special demands in terms of weight and shape, is associated with a higher risk for eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa [Sundgot-Borgen, J., & Torstveit, M. K. (2010). Aspects of disordered eating continuum in elite high intensity sports. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in […]
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Bad for Business? The Effects of Hooliganism on English Professional Football Clubs
Football hooliganism, defined as episodes of crowd trouble inside and outside football stadiums on match days, is commonly perceived to have adverse effects on the sport. We are especially interested in the effects of football-related fan violence on a club’s potential for generating revenues. In this article, we measure hooliganism by arrests for football-related offenses. […]
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Bearing Bodies: Physical Activity, Obesity Stigma, and Sexuality in the Bear Community
In recent years, individuals who do not conform to healthiest body shape and weight norms are the target of an increasingly fervent moral panic about “obesity” (Gard & Wright, 2005). As a subculture within the gay male community (Wright, 1997a), the “Bear” community offers a site for examining biopolitical resistance to the pervasive body ideals […]
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An Own Goal in Sport for Development: Time to Change the Playing Field
Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) refers to the use of sport to promote varied outcomes beyond the playing field and has been defined as ‘the intentional use of sport, physical activity and play to attain specific development objectives in low- and middle-income countries and disadvantaged communities in high-income settings.’1 Stakeholders working in the field […]
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An Unexceptional Exception: Golf Pesticides and Environmental Regulation in Canada
This paper features a critical examination of recent legislation banning cosmetic pesticide applications in the province of Ontario, Canada. It focuses in particular on the exemption of golf courses from the province’s Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act of 2009. Drawing from a wide range of materials, the authors first contextualize Ontario’s recent law through an overview […]
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An Unpaid Labor of Love: Professional Footballers Family Life and the Problem of Job Relocation
This article presents qualitative findings which cast light on experiences of job-related geographical relocation for professional footballers and their families. Job relocation is an issue for players and partners, as labor market migration is commonplace in this profession. Although cultural expectations often lead to personal sacrifice, initial research findings indicate that many partners are deciding […]
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Anabolic Steroids in the UK: An Increasing Issue for Public Health
Aim: The aim of the paper was to identify changes in the extent and patterns of anabolic steroid use in the United Kingdom to better understand the public health implications within the context of the current health-related evidence base. Methods: Using the two time points between 1995 (prior to legislation changes in the United Kingdom) […]
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Analyzing Media Representations of Sportswomen—Expanding the Conceptual Boundaries Using a Postfeminist Sensibility
This article seeks to expand the conceptual boundaries of sport media research by investigating the utility of a postfeminist sensibility for analyzing depictions of women in sport. Rosalind Gill’s (2007) notion of a postfeminist sensibility is situated within UK-led feminist critiques of gendered neoliberalism in popular culture and offers a conceptual lens through which sports […]
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And You Thought We Had Moved Beyond All That: Biological Race Returns to the Social Sciences
Recently, sociologists have argued in high-profile journals that racial categories are linked to genetically distinct clusters within the human population. They propose theorizing race as a socially constructed categorization system that is related to biological groupings within our species. This work overlooks, however, the extent to which statistically inferred genetic clusters are themselves socially constructed, […]
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Animal Blood Sport: A Ritual Display of Masculinity and Sexual Virility
Blood sport—the practice of pitting animals against each other (or against humans) in bloody combat to the death—is a tragic form of human entertainment that has been resilient since antiquity. While animal blood sport is a form of human driven sport related violence that involves the abuse and suffering of other animals(Young 2012), it also […]
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Anyone but England?: Exploring Anti-English Sentiment as Part of Scottish National Identity in Sport
This article explores the reasons behind the expression of anti-English sentiment by Scots in relation to both sporting and wider social contexts, whilst also considering the impact of migration to England on the attitudes expressed by members of the Scottish diaspora. Drawing upon the conceptual framework of ‘narrative identity’ proposed elsewhere, data was generated through […]
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Anyone for Tennis? Sport, Class and Status in New Zealand
This article explores how sport, frequently seen as the foremost meritocracy in New Zealand, is a site that can produce and reproduce social class-based distinctions. Specifically, we explore how participation in youth sport is connected with the consolidation of social class boundaries, expectations and ‘tastes’ by means of an ethnographic case study of Oakwood Tennis […]
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Appetite for or Resistance to Consumption Relationships? A Trans-European Perspective on the Marketisation of Football Fan Relationships
Although most sport organisations are encouraged to better manage the relationships they maintain with fans, little is still known about the types of relationships that fans want to establish with sport organisations. Also, as most suggested management and marketing practices come from professional sport organisations and European contexts, it is questionable whether they can apply […]
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Aquatic Antiques: Swimming Off This Mortal Coil?
In recent years it has become widely accepted that one of the greatest demographic challenges facing most developed societies is the shift to an ageing population. Older people are often constructed as dependent and over-burdening societal resources, with many consequently experiencing marginalization, discrimination and social isolation. Public health messages, promoted through various national and international […]
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Are College Students ‘Bowling Alone?’ Examining the Contribution of Team Identification to the Social Capital of College Students
While college sport can impact a campus’ sense of community (Clopton, 2007), no empirical research has established a connection with college sport and social capital, an increasingly researched social phenomenon defined as the sum of trust and reciprocating relationships amongst members of a community (Putnam, 2000). Thus, social activities – such as direct and indirect […]
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Are Sports Betting Markets Prediction Markets? Evidence From a New Test
Researchers commonly use sports betting lines as predictions of the outcome of sporting events. Betting houses set betting lines conditional on bettors ex ante beliefs about game outcomes, which implies that the predictive power of the sports betting market could be an unintended consequence of betting house profit maximization. Using this insight, the authors propose […]
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Are We Asking the Right Questions? A Response to the Academic Reforms Research by Todd Petr and Tom Paskus
The purpose of this paper is to respond to the papers presented by Petr and McArdle (2012) and Paskus (2012). The author questions whether the appropriate issues are being addressed in broader academic reform efforts, and whether the data collected help the prime beneficiaries of intercollegiate athletics: the athletes. Questions pertaining to gender, race, and […]
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Are We Committed to Issues of Race? Institutional Integrity Across Intercollegiate Athletics
The present study employs critical race theory in a critical discourse analysis of intercollegiate athletic departmental directives for high-profile National Collegiate Athletic Association member programs. Consideration of institutional integrity from critical perspectives can advance a nuanced understanding and gain further insight into the sociocultural issues and move toward eliminating inequities relevant to black student athlete […]
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Arousing a [Post-] Enlightenment Active Body Praxis
In this coda, I consider the oncoming and already-present “crises” (see Giardina & Laurendeau, this issue) which threaten to unsettle the Enlightenment (and its hermeneutic legacies) substrata scholars of sport and the active body rest their work upon. In so doing, I aim to take up a number of the questions posited by the guest […]
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Arousing a [Post] Enlightenment Active Body Praxis
In this coda, I consider the oncoming and already-present “crises” (see Giardina & Laurendeau, this issue) which threaten to unsettle the Enlightenment (and its hermeneutic legacies) substrata scholars of sport and the active body rest their work upon. In so doing, I aim to take up a number of the questions posited by the guest […]
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As British as Fish and Chips: British Newspaper Representations of Mo Farah During the 2012 London Olympic Games
This article examines British newspaper representations of the ‘Team GB’ athlete Mohamed ‘Mo’ Farah during the 2012 London Olympic Games. In particular, attention is given to examining how representations of Farah were related to discourses on British multiculturalism. A brief discussion of recent rejections of multiculturalism is provided, with specific reference given to political and […]
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Assessing Impact of Physical Activity-Based Youth Development Programs: Validation of the Life Skills Transfer Survey (LSTS)
Purpose: A signature characteristic of positive youth development (PYD) programs is the opportunity to develop life skills, such as social, behavioral, and moral competencies, that can be generalized to domains beyond the immediate activity. Although context-specific instruments are available to assess developmental outcomes, a measure of life skills transfer would enable evaluation of PYD programs […]
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Assessing the Relationship Between Youth Sport Participation Settings and Creativity in Adulthood
This article presents an assessment of the relative influences of time spent participating in organized sports and informal sports during childhood with respect to the development of general creativity. In this study, 99 upper-division undergraduate and graduate students completed a comprehensive childhood leisure activities questionnaire and the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults. According to the […]
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Alcohol Consumption in Sportspeople: The Role of Social Cohesion, Identity and Happiness
Research indicates that those participating in sport consume alcohol more frequently and at higher quantities than their non-sporting peers. The highest levels of alcohol consumption have been found in university student sportspeople; however, the reasons for such elevated alcohol use are unclear and there has been little research in this area outside US institutions. Moreover, […]
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Alcohol-Related Player Behavioral Transgressions: Incidences Fan Media Responses and a Harm-Reduction Alternative
This article examines fan social media responses to media-reported, alcohol-related player behavioral transgressions that occurred in Australia’s two largest professional sporting leagues, the National Rugby League (NRL) and the Australian Football League (AFL), over a 33-month period. Using netnography and content analysis, the study aimed to better understand the ways in which sport fans employed […]
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Alcoholism and Recovery: A Case Study of a Former Professional Footballer
What little we know about alcoholism amongst professional footballers comes largely from the media (often tabloid newspapers) and published autobiographies and biographies of high profile stars. The coverage often focuses on deviant behaviour when drunk, such as driving under the influence, marital infidelity, violence, and breaking team rules. There is little or no published research […]
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Alibis for Adult Play: A Goffmanian Account of Escaping Embarrassment in Adult Play
The social meanings of play sit at odds with norms of responsible and productive adult conduct. To be “caught” playing as an adult therefore risks embarrassment. Still, many designers want to create enjoyable, non embarrassing play experiences for adults. To address this need, this article reads instances of spontaneous adult play through the lens of […]
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All About Having Fun: Women’s Experience of Zumba Fitness
This study explored women’s subjective experience of Zumba, a new, popular form of group fitness. We interviewed 41 racially/ethnically diverse adult women from the Los Angeles/Inland Empire (California) area who had taken Zumba in the previous year. The women reported taking Zumba for the purpose of exercise and did not challenge the notion that exercise […]
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All the Places We Were Not Supposed to go’: A Case Study of Formative Class and Gender Habitus in Adventure Climbing
This paper explores the origins of meaning in adventurous activities. Specifically, the paper reports on a study of 10 adventure climbers in the Scottish mountaineering community. The study explores how formative experiences have influenced engagement in adventure climbing. Work has been done on the phenomenology of adventure and how individuals interpret and find meaning in […]
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Allez Wiggo: A Case Study on the Reactions of the British Print Media to Bradley Wiggins’s Victory in the Tour de France
On July 22, 2012, Bradley Wiggins became the first-ever British cyclist to win the Tour de France. This article examines how the events surrounding Wiggins’s win were reported in the British (London-based) print media the day after his victory. Thematic coding revealed 2 specific themes: “Arise Sir Bradley Le Gentleman” and “Wiggo the Mod.”
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Alter Globalization, Global Social Movements, and the Possibility of Political Transformation Through Sport
Alter globalization is the name for a large spectrum of global social movements that present themselves as supporting new forms of globalization, urging that values of democracy, justice, environmental protection, and human rights be put ahead of purely economic concerns. This article develops a framework for the study of the influence of alter globalization on […]
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Alumni Perceptions of a University’s Decision to Remove Native American Imagery From its Athletic Program: A Case Study
One of the more contentious issues North American athletic organizations face is how to deal with Native American imagery that is associated with their sports teams. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has, in recent years, banned member organizations from using and displaying Native American nicknames and mascots at postseason events, with a few exceptions. […]
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Ambivalence on the Front Lines? Attitudes Toward Title IX and Women’s Sports Among Division I Sports Information Directors
In light of continuing research that assesses how dominant ideology is communicated via mediated sport, this study examines the attitudes of sports information directors (SIDs), arguably initial “gatekeepers” in the media production process and, thus, critical players in shaping sports media messages. A random sample of Division I SIDs was surveyed on questions clustered around […]
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American Jewish Women on the Court: Seeking an Identity in Tennis in the Early Decades of the Twentieth Century
In the decades after the Civil War, sports slowly gained a prominent position within American culture. This development provided Jews with opportunities to participate in one of the few American cultures not closed off to them. Jewish athleticism challenged anti-Semitic depictions of Jews supposed physical inferiority while helping to construct a modern American Jewish identity. […]
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Amputees and Sports: A Systematic Review
Amputation of a limb may have a negative impact on the psychological and physical well-being, mobility and social life of individuals with limb amputations. Participation in sports and/or regular physical activity has a positive effect on the above mentioned areas in able-bodied individuals. Data concerning participation in sports or regular physical activity together with its […]
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Amusing Ourselves to Life: Fitness Consumerism and the Birth of Bio-Games
Against the common perception that media consumption engenders inactivity, in recent years the technology sector has developed an extensive catalogue of games for bodily and cognitive exercise. Despite their popularity, however, and despite their potential ability to affect perceptions and experiences of health and fitness, there remains a shortage of academic research on video games […]
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An (In)convenient Truce? Paralympic Stakeholders’ Reflections on the Olympic–Paralympic Relationship
Formal contractual agreements between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) evince the closer relationship that has been negotiated in recent times between the governing bodies of the Olympic and Paralympic sporting movements. This article explores the IOC–IPC relationship using Paralympic stakeholder perspectives, gathered via semi-structured interviews. Utilizing Bourdieusian theory, these insights […]
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An Assessment of the Dynamic of Religious Ritualism in Sporting Environments
The main focus of this study is the analysis of the link between sport, leisure and the behavior, and phenomenon of religion. From the qualitative point of view of social anthropology, fieldwork has been carried out with different informers from different sporting environments. Rather than directly show the fieldwork itself, we have decided to present […]
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An Elite Hockey Player’s Experiences of Video-Based Coaching: A Poststructuralist Reading
In this article, we present a poststructuralist reading of Claire’s (a pseudonym) experiences of receiving video-based coaching in elite level field hockey. Data were gathered through a series of in-depth interviews that formed part of a recursive and iterative data collection and analysis process. Interpreting Claire’s stories through a neo-Foucauldian application of Mathiesen’s synopticon revealed […]
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An Ethic of Indulgence? Alcohol, Ultimate Frisbee and Calculated Hedonism
In this article, I use Featherstone’s concept of calculated hedonism to analyse consumption of alcohol amongst Ultimate Frisbee players. Drawing on a multi-year ethnographic project, I examine Ultimate players’ reasons for drinking and contextualize this drinking within Ultimate’s broader lifestyle. This examination and contextualization contributes to a growing body of literature that goes beyond the […]
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An Exploratory Study of Black Male College Athletes’ Perceptions on Race and Athlete Activism
This qualitative pilot case study focuses on black male athletes at a major university in the United States of America (USA) and utilizes critical race theory (CRT) to understand their perspectives on race and athlete activism in the context of American society and sport. Our interviews with this important stakeholder group uncovered four themes related […]
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An Old Boys Club No More: Pluralism in Participation and Performance at the Olympic Games
This article examines the growing diversity of participation and achievement in the Olympics. A wide set of socioeconomic variables are correlated with medaling, particularly with respect to the Summer Games and women’s events. Host advantage is particularly acute in judged contests such as gymnastics. However, there is evidence that the influence of correlates, such as […]
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An Olympic Legacy For All? The Non-Infrastructural Outcomes of the Olympic Games for Socially Excluded Groups (Atlanta 1996-Beijing 2008)
The use of mega sporting events to achieve social goals for socially excluded groups is heavily contested. Comparative evidence regarding the effects of the Olympic Games for these groups is scarce, and there is an even greater dearth of studies focusing on non-infrastructural programmes (such as sport participation initiatives, volunteering opportunities, training and employment schemes). […]
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Academic Research and Reform: A History of the Empirical Basis for NCAA Academic Policy
The purpose of this article is to provide an historical overview of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) academic reform, with a particular focus on the empirical basis for the decisions made. The authors outline four eras of academic reform, examine the types of information the NCAA has collected and used to make decisions about […]
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Academic Self-Concept in Black Adolescents: Do Race and Gender Stereotypes Matter?
We examined the relation between race- and gender-group competence ratings and academic self-concept in 254 Black seventh- and eighth-graders. On average, youth reported traditional race stereotypes, whereas gender stereotypes were traditional about verbal abilities and were nontraditional regarding math/science abilities. Among boys, in-group gender and in-group race-based competence ratings (i.e., ratings of boys and Blacks) […]
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Academic Spending Versus Athletic Spending: Who Wins?
Athletics are big business on many college campuses, but does this come with a price tag? This issue brief looks at academic and athletic spending in NCAA Division I public universities between 2005 and 2010. Among a host of findings, this brief shows that the athletic departments of most public colleges and universities competing in […]
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Access Agenda Building and Information Subsidies: Media Relations in Professional Sport
While much research has examined the composition of sport media and those charged with constructing it, namely sport journalists and editors, far less has explored an essential set of actors in the construction of news: sources. This study aimed to explore the construction of the sport media agenda from arguably the most important sport news […]
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Accounting for Legacy: Monitoring and Evaluation in Sport in Development Relationships
Recent years have seen the extension of the Olympic legacy concept to include the use of sport in international development. As in the wider policy area of international development, the external partners that fund sport programmes require in-country accountability for the use of their investment and this has led to monitoring and evaluation (M+E) programmes […]
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Achieving Against the Odds: Gender, Chance and Contradiction in the Horseracing Industry
In this paper I ask how it is that women, despite being a significant part of the workforce in horse racing, are still only a minority of professional jockeys. I explore the relationship between social practices and the gender based inequalities and use Bourdieu’s concepts of field, capital and habitus to analyze its classed and […]
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Action Sport NGOs in a Neo-Liberal Context: The Cases of Skateistan and Surf Aid International
Sport nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have flourished in the contemporary moment, particularly situated within neoliberal global politics. In this article we focus on the relatively recent proliferation of action sport-based social justice advocacy groups. Drawing on extant materials from our ongoing research on two action sport-related social justice movements—Skateistan and SurfAid International (SAI)—we illustrate some of […]
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Action Sports for Youth Development: Critical Insights for the SDP Community
This article identifies new trends in youth sport participation, particularly the growing popularity of non-competitive, informal, non-institutionalized ‘action sports’ (e.g., skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, parkour). Drawing upon an array of international examples and qualitative research including interviews and media analysis, it considers the potential of action sports for making a valuable contribution to the sport for […]
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Actively Closing the Gap? Social Class Organized Activities and Academic Achievement in High School
Participation in Organized Activities (OA) is associated with positive behavioral and developmental outcomes in children. However, less is known about how particular aspects of participation affect the academic achievement of high school students from different social class positions. Using the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, this study examines the math achievement gains from organized activity […]
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Actualizing Children’s Participation in the Development of Outdoor Play Areas at an Early Childhood Institution
This study examined how children’s participation can be actualized, and their perspectives respected, through an action research project that engaged them in the development of an outdoor play area in a child care center in South Korea. An educator devised a broad plan and invited children to participate and take the initiative in leading the […]
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Adolescent Athletes’ Learning About Coping and the Roles of Parents and Coaches
The purpose of this study was to develop a grounded theory of the ways adolescent athletes learned about coping in sport. We subsequently came to focus on the roles of parents and coaches within this process. Interviews were conducted with 17 athletes (8 females, 9 males, M age = 15.6 years), 10 parents (6 mothers, […]
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Adolescent Sport Participation and Alcohol Use: The Importance of Sport Organization and the Wider Social Context
This paper investigates the relationship between adolescent sport participation and alcohol use, focusing on differences in sport contexts. We also include the wider social context, the role of peers and parents as key variables in our analysis. Our sample consists of a nationally representative sample of 10,992 Icelandic adolescents. The findings indicate that adolescents that […]
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Adolescent Well-Being: An Emerging Agenda for Schools
The well-being of young people is of considerable concern with many initiatives targeting the health behaviors of this population. Educators are among the professional groups being challenged to understand, evidence, and enhance childhood well-being. Working with a case study U.K. school adolescent subjective well-being (SWB) was examined through the administering of the Personal Wellbeing Index–School […]
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Adopting the Diasporic Son: Jeremy Lin and Taiwan Sport Nationalism
Jeremy Lin and the resulting “Linsanity” has caused an unprecedented media and marketing frenzy worldwide. This essay examines its implication through reviewing media narratives in Taiwan, Lin’s ancestral homeland. Japanese colonizers first brought modern sports to the Taiwanese as a symbol of “civilization” and “modernity.” Although “athleticism” confronts Confucian tradition, sports began to play a […]
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After Racial Democracy: Contemporary Puzzles in Race Relations in Brazil Latin America and Beyond From a Boundaries Perspective
This article uses the boundaries theoretical framework to analyse Brazilian race relations. The author argues that the apparent paradox of race relations in Brazil and in parts of Latin America, i.e. the persistencey of racial inequality without blatant racial conflict, can be better understood as the coexistence of strong social boundaries and weak symbolic boundaries […]
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Ageing in Urban Environments : Developing ‘Age-Friendly’ Cities
Developing environments responsive to the aspirations and needs of older people has become a major concern for social and public policy. This article aims to provide a critical perspective on what has been termed ‘age-friendly cities’ by shifting the focus from questions such as ‘What is an ideal city for older people?’ to the question […]
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Agency Constraints and Possibilities: Athletes Manoeuvring Between the Logics of Community, Market, Profession and Corporation in Their Quest for Individual Sponsorships
The purpose of this qualitative study is to add a sociological dimension to sponsorship research, which is otherwise dominated by marketing research. This paper analysis how world-class but often not well-paid athletes from time-consuming endurance sports like rowing and triathlon seek individual sponsorships as a strategy to improve their financial situation. With regard to theory, […]
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Alcohol and Community Football in Australia
This paper focuses on spectators’ alcohol use at a regional community football(Australian Rules) club in Victoria, Australia, in the context of a season-long trial to sell only mid-strength (and not full-strength) beer at the ground during home games. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected on spectators’ alcohol choices and preferences together with experiences and […]
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Alcohol and Marijuana Use Among American High School Seniors: Empirical Associations With Competitive Sports Participation
Drawing on data gathered from high-school seniors in the 2008 Monitoring the Future Study of American Youth (N = 2,063), this research examined the explanatory effects of competitive sports participation on alcohol consumption and marijuana use using race and noncompetitive exercise frequency as controls. Among males, competitive sports included baseball, basketball, football, soccer, track and […]
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Alcohol Consumption Among Women Rugby Players in France: Uses of the “Third Half-Time”
This article explores alcohol consumption among women rugby players, particularly during the “third half-time”, which traditionally takes place after the matches. The article will focus on alcohol use and the transgression of the norms of femininity. A series of ethnographic observations were carried out and semi-structured interviews were conducted with players (n = 10) from […]
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A Fair Game for All? How Community Sports Clubs in Australia Deal With Diversity
Diversity and equality are key issues confronting sport. This article draws on findings from qualitative research carried out in Australia to critically examine how diversity is understood and valued in community sport. The findings suggest that there is a discrepancy between the policy objectives of government and sport organizations and the way in which diversity […]
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A Fumbled Opportunity? A Case Study of Twitter’s Role in Concussion Awareness Opportunities During the Super Bowl
Doctors, journalists, and other advocates are attempting to draw attention to the dangers of head trauma in football, and the popularity of social media has given them a new outlet to perform advocacy. This case study explores how advocates for concussion awareness in football used Twitter to help spread their message during the 2013 Super […]
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A Genuinely Emotional Week: Learning Disability, Sport and Television – Notes on the Special Olympics GB National Summer Games 2009
In July 2009, the Special Olympics Great Britain National Summer Games for athletes with learning disabilities were held in Leicester. Uniquely the Games achieved considerable television news coverage. This article offers a preliminary analysis of television representations of the Games. National TV coverage of the Paralympics is now established, but Special Olympics – and sport […]
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A Golden Silence? Acts of Remembrance and Commemoration at U.K. Football Games
This article reviews the use of minute’s silences and applause at football (soccer) games in the United Kingdom, considering why acts of remembrance take place and for whom. Examining the variation in commemoration, the article explores the extent to which these acts serve as liminal events to reinforce or diminish football fans’ sense of (“fictive”) […]
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A Grounded Theory of Fitness Training and Sports Participation in Young Adult Male Offenders
Research has underscored the need to generate a clear and coherent theoretical underpinning relating to the social processes attached to involvement in fitness training and organized sports when engaging in young adult offender community reintegration supports. The research utilized a collective and instrumental case study approach to explore the learning and associational experiences of Irish […]
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A Level Playing ‘Field’? A Bourdieusian Analysis of the Career Aspirations of Further Education Students on Sports Courses
There is currently a distinct dearth of research into how sports students’ career aspirations are formed during their post-compulsory education. This article, based on an ethnographic study of sport students in tertiary education, draws on data collected from two first-year cohorts (n = 34) on two different courses at a further education college in England. […]
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A Match Made in Heaven?! Sport, Television, and New Media in the Beginning of the Third Millennia
Over the last five decades, the symbiotic relationship between sport and the media in general, and television in particular, has been described as a “match made in heaven.” This essay is a conceptual introduction to the special issue in Television & New Media on sport, television, and new media at the beginning of the third […]
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A Mockery of Equality: An Exploratory Investigation Into Disabled Activists’ Views of the Paralympic Games
This article offers an exploratory analysis of the opinions of disabled activists towards the Paralympic Games. With the use of a qualitative online survey, the work focuses on the perceptions of disabled individuals (n = 32) who are not Paralympic athletes but are affiliated to the disability rights group, the United Kingdom Disabled People’s Council. […]
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A New Injury Prevention Programme for Children’s Football – FIFA 11+ Kids – Can Improve Motor Performance: A Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial
The present study evaluated the effects of a newly developed injury prevention programme for children’s football (“FIFA 11+ Kids”) on motor performance in 7-12-year-old children. We stratified 12 football teams (under-9/-11/-13 age categories) into intervention (INT, N = 56 players) and control groups (CON, N = 67). INT conducted the 15-min warm-up programme “FIFA 11+ […]
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A Nobel Sport: The Racial Football Rhetoric of Mandela, Obama, and Martin Luther King Jr
This article advances a twofold argument regarding the intersection of globalization, sport, and race. Such is world football’s popularity, first, that the sport itself is now a rhetoric in its own right. So freighted is football with internationalist associations that this rhetoric has been enlisted in support of various political invocations of the global from […]
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A Perfect Script? Manchester United’s Class of ’92
The Class of ’92 is a documentary film featuring six Manchester United F.C. players who recount their time during a pivotal period for the club, English football and English society. The documentary claims to offer a commentary on Britain in the 1990s, but appears, without acknowledging the fact, to be a promotional vehicle to establish […]
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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Constructing (Non-) Athletic Bodies
n this article we explore body norms Dutch youth create in their discursive constructions of athletic and (non-)athletic bodies and how these norms are enforced by the Panopticon and the Synopticon. Our methodology consisted of auto-driven photo elicitation group interviews with 42 secondary school students. The results indicate the complexity of the discursive constructions that […]
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A Realm of Mere Representation? “Live” Esports Spectacles and the Crafting of China’s Digital Gaming Image
This article addresses the proliferation of images and appearances in the realm of e-sports culture in urban China. The author’s findings are based upon ethnographic research and participant observation of e-sports audience members, teams, and tournaments, including the 2010 Esports Champion League tournament in Beijing, the 2012 and 2013 World Cyber Games Festivals in Kunshan, […]
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A Response to David Kirk: Personal/Professional Views From US Authors
This paper represents the views of two scholars in the USA with respect to the scholar lecture presented by David Kirk at the 2012 BERA – Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy (PESP) Special Interest Group meeting. We discuss how two unique features of the American universities have an impact on both the corporate nature of […]
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A Smaller Window to the University: The Impact of Athletic De-Escalationon Status and Reputation
Given the changing landscape of Division I athletic competition, determining the most advantageous commitment to athletic programs is an important issue in sport and university policy. With the recent autonomy granted to select Division I Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and pending antitrust litigation vying for college athlete compensation, many universities are considering alternative courses of […]
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A Splendid Effort!’: Print Media Reporting of England’s Women’s Performance in the 2009 Cricket World Cup
The representation of female athletes by the British print media has been an area for close scrutiny since the mid-1990s. This article examines the representation of England’s Women’s performance at the 2009 Cricket World Cup. Using a qualitative content analysis of 29 articles from seven newspapers over the duration of the tournament, results show that […]
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A Summary and Commentary on the Quantitative Results of Current NCAA Academic Reforms
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the quantitative analysis informing current academic reforms in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The article serves as an extension of Petr and McArdle’s (2012) previous work. In addition to discussing current reforms in measuring academic success, the author also outlines results from large-scale student-athlete […]
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