Cultural Intersections
Psychosocial Issues in Pakistani Domestic Cricketers: A Validation Study
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sara Subhan, Zahid Mahmood, Sadia Saleem
The current paper highlights the development of a scale measuring psychosocial issues for domestic cricket players in Pakistan. This study was carried out in series of phases including item generation and establishing psychometric properties. A list of 55 psychosocial issues were generated through in-depth interviews of 20 national and international male cricketers. The responses of participants were transformed into a 4-point rating Cricketer’s Psychosocial Issues Scale (CPIS). The scale was given to 373 male cricketers with the age range of 16-28 (M=19.28; SD=3.14). The results highlights the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to identify the underlying psychosocial issues that tend to hamper the performance of cricketers. The psychometric properties, as well as the reliability and validity of Cricketers’ Psychosocial Issues Scale (CPIS) were also established that were discussed in its cultural context and relevance. The implications of the study are discussed in terms of psychological counseling for performance enhancing of cricketers.
World Cup and Its Challenge to Free Expression Norms in Qatar
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Craig LaMay
Qatar is an absolute monarchy without a free press, but at the same time is more progressive than other GCC countries. Citizens and residents have access to virtually all international media sources, but the market for domestic news is tightly controlled. Qatar's current media law is almost four decades, a remnant of a time before the country's rise to financial and political power. A revision to the law was proposed in 2012 but not enacted. What effect will the World Cup have on Qatar's media laws specifically and its environment for free expression generally? Unlike other mega-event hosts like China or Russia, Qatar's soft power strategy is built on sport, education, art and media, all fundamentally expressive enterprises. When the world's media begins to descend on the country in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup, how will Qatar respond? Will international media enjoy greater freedoms than they do now? Will domestic media enjoy greater freedom to report? If reporting norms or laws do liberalize, what changes will last and what will be temporary? Both FIFA and the IOC have human rights commitments written into their charters. As mega-events move increasingly to illiberal countries, what are the consequences for those human rights commitments? Qatar is an interesting test case.
Intertribal Contest Powwow as a Sporting Event
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Steven Aicinena
Modern Native American Intertribal Contest Powwows share many similarities with American sporting events. Up to 15,000 spectators attend large intertribal powwow competitions held in basketball arenas. As many as 3,000 contestants representing over 700 tribal groups including dancers, singers and drum groups compete for cash prizes. Winners are determined by well-respected, carefully selected judges. Dancers engage in prayer, ritualistic activity, pounding knuckles and issuance of high 5’s, as do athletes before and after competition. Following the judging of each dance, competitors form lines and congratulate one another as do collegiate basketball players in the spirit of sportsmanship. Singers, dancers and drummers travel the Powwow Circuit as a means of generating income for their families as do participants in the professional rodeo circuit. Intertribal contest powwows typically begin with a grand entry, flag song, prayer, and honoring of veterans, not unlike the pre-game activities observed at collegiate and professional sporting events. Powwow vendors hawk souvenirs, concessions and crafts, as do vendors at sporting events. Larger intertribal contest powwows are sponsored, in part, by corporations and branches of state and local governments much like economically important sporting events. Intertribal contest powwows serve to share and reproduce traditional Native American cultural values and traditions through the involvement of Native American youths just as involvement in sports such as baseball, football and basketball is reputed to reproduce mainstream American values. Local and small intertribal powwows do not include competitive events, but also serve to celebrate Native American culture and traditions.
Sport for Poverty Reduction by an Organization in Cambodia: The Homeless World Cup
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Chiaki Okada
The Homeless World Cup (HWC) is an annual event for homeless people. Almost 600 homeless players sent by national partners from over 60 countries participate. These national partners are currently conducting daily activities in 420 venues worldwide. Happy Football Cambodia Australia (HFCA) is an Australian organization, which has held futsal activities in the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, since 2006. It offers weekly futsal training to Cambodian youth who are sent from several orphanages and youth support NGOs. We conducted eighteen face to face interviews and a number of participant observations from October 2015 to November 2017. As a result, we realized that almost all of the ex-HWC players had found their learning or working opportunities by themselves, although a few ex-HWC players were experiencing difficult lives. Some ex-HWC players had found their jobs as a coaches or players, and even just as staff members by citing their experience in the HWC. The significance of HWC seems to be expanding with the trends of present Cambodian society as well as with the development of HFCA activities.
