Dynamic Ecosystems
Social Spaces: Fostering a Sense of Community at Sports Facilities
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Rocky Harris, Eric Legg
Sports facilities have been built using public subsidies and there is limited research about the community benefits derived from these investments. The purpose of this case study was to examine whether social spaces at sports facilities nurture a sense of community for attendees of the 2017 Arizona Diamondbacks Spring Training home games at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona. Social spaces at sports facilities are generally defined as non-fixed seating spaces at the venue where attendees can increase social interactions and foster a sense of community. Non-participant observation and semi-structured interviews were conducted on-site in real time before, during and after the game. In this study, a connection between social spaces in sport, feelings of belonging and feelings about community among fans, was established. The qualitative research advanced the theoretical understanding of social spaces, as contributors to fostering sense of community for sports fans, which expands on past research that focused primarily on sport participants. In addition to advancing the theory, the findings provide practitioners with insight into the importance of developing social spaces at sports facilities, since sense of community can originate in social spaces.
Running 2.0, the Web Graph of a Running Event: Case Study of UTBM and NYC Marathon
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Mathilde Plard, Guichet Violaine
Running is turning into a very popular mass sport. CHALLENGE project aims to contribute to the understanding of whom the runners are and what are their connections to one running event. We choose the social space of the web to explore those relationships. Web 2.0 provides new insights into the ability of sports events to structure social territories. Data from Twitter are used to assess the dynamic of the WebSpace from the accounts of two iconic races: Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in France and the New York City Marathon in the United States. Web Graphs are valuable tools for exploring and queering the relationships between polarities such as hashtags, users, twitter, links, media. An innovative two-step method has been used to shape the database: capture and extraction of the web to collect twitter data (step 1), import and processing in free software analysis and visualization Gephi (step 2). Results will be presented in the form of graphs to illustrate the analysis of lexical fields and representations associated with events; and mappings to show the spatial radiation of events from the user’s account. The exploratory results highlight the emergence of a social community whose territory functions in a reticular way.
MLSE LaunchPad: A Sport for Development Model in an Urban Setting
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Gillian White
MLSE LaunchPad is a 42,000 sq ft. Sport for Development facility located in a social housing development in downtown Toronto, Canada. It is a place where youth use sport to recognize and reach their potential. Our focus is on achieving sustainable, wide-ranging social outcomes for youth facing barriers through a Sport for Development approach. Sport For Development is a specific methodology supported by extensive research that suggests the intentional use of sport and physical activity can build healthy communities and help people reach their full potential. We believe in combining sport and youth development programming with a commitment to measurement and evaluation to maximize impact for youth. The facility serves as a ‘living lab’ to explore and measure how sport can help improve the lives of youth. Our programming methodology supports 4 pillars of youth development: Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, Ready For School and Ready For Work. We will be offering a collaborative presentation of our Theory of Change, key learnings, and outcomes from our Sport Programming and Research and Evaluation teams.
