Tackling Problems (Asynchronous - Online Only)
Featured Sport Clubs and the Future of Activism: A Scoping Review Highlighting How Sport Clubs Are Embracing a New Role View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Eva Wolzok
This study explores the ways in which sport clubs engage with activism. With globalisation and an increasingly connected world, the phenomenon of activism through sport is growing rapidly. There have been comprehensive analyses of sporting figures such as Billie Jean King, Megan Rapinoe, Serena Williams, Colin Kaepernick, Lewis Hamilton or the Norwegian women’s volleyball team in terms of their own activism with a view to improve not only their sport but to affect long-lasting social change. While a rise has been seen in research concerning individual sporting figures and activism, the area of sporting institutions and activism remains largely unexplored. Given the impact of the activism and advocacy of individual sporting figures, this paper posits that sports clubs and sporting institutions may hold further potential as a way to achieve sustainable positive change within their own communities. With the prospective of greater connectivity and a wider reach, sporting institutions may be posited as role models for broader, systemic social change. Through a scoping review, comprising of both academic journals and grey literature, identification of this new phenomenon is explored. By using a scoping review, it enables a high volume of information to be synthesised, providing an overview of what has been investigated thus far and therefore giving direction to future research. This research aims to answer the following questions: “Who are the sport clubs leading activism?”; “What are the types of activism they carry out?”; and “How have they been discussed in ‘the literature’ thus far?”.
The Participation ARC: Using Self-determination Theory to Optimize Training Experiences of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Practitioners View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Valerie Worthington, Devorah Curtis
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a grappling martial art akin to wrestling. BJJ has a relatively short history in the United States, arriving in 1993 via the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a sports promotion that has ascended in popularity and cultural influence—bringing this once fringe activity more mainstream. Research shows participation in BJJ positively affects practitioners’ optimism and life satisfaction (Wojdat, et al., 2017), spiritual awareness (Pope, 2019), and well-being outside of BJJ (Chinkov, 2014). As the popularity of BJJ increases, how participants can safeguard against potential pitfalls of participation such as overtraining or neglecting other life priorities is less understood. Self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985) provides a framework for exploring how an understanding of participants’ motivations for engaging in BJJ can help them reap the benefits of participation while mitigating the risks. This mixed method study explored BJJ practitioners’ motivations for participating in BJJ in the context of SDT—fulfilling psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence (Deci & Ryan, 1995). We asked the question: How can an understanding of the motivations of BJJ practitioners using the lens of SDT inform healthy participation patterns? Data collection included responses by100 BJJ practitioners to a Likert-scale and short answer survey. Preliminary results suggest (a) BJJ satisfies three dimensions of SDT and positively affects mental, physical, and emotional health; and (b) barriers to healthy participation align with the theme of overreliance on BJJ for a sense of well-being.
The Inequality of NCAA College Football: Quantifying the Chasm in Football Economics View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Cary Caro
The focus of this study is to examine the dispersion of football-generated revenue and athlete talent amongst Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams in the modern College Football Playoff (CFP) era. This research is a follow up to Caro and Benton’s examination of the “Great Divide” in 2012. The aim is to determine if the last decade has closed the parity gap between Group of Five and Power Five classified conferences and determine the impact of classification status on revenue and recruiting. The results of this study indicate that the conference stratification that existed through the BCS era has intensified over the last decade. This study quantifies the inequality in college football and recommends means to correct or control this disparity. While “nobody is broke”, college football may be past the point where parity in recruiting and revenue can be achieved. The implications and realities of this outcome are considered here.
When Politics Trumped Sports: West Germany and the Boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Victoria Harms
In May 1980, the West Germany parliament voted to join the US-led boycott of the XXII Summer Olympiad in Moscow. Although functionaries and athletes, among them the gold medalist fencer Thomas Bach, vehemently protested the politicization of sports, the financially dependent NOC had no other option but to adopted the political decision and West Germany abstained from participation. Nevertheless, two weeks before the opening ceremony, while athletes stayed home, West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, an advocate of the 1979 NATO dual track decision, travelled to Moscow to sign major new trade agreements with the Soviet Union. The case demonstrates how at a time of heightened Cold War tensions, political necessities and economic interests easily stripped athletes and sports of their autonomy. This paper analyzes this seeming contradiction in West Germany policies towards the Soviet Union in 1980 and highlights the close, special relationship between Bonn and Moscow. Based on research in newspapers and archives (Foreign Office, Willy Weyer Archive, NOC and West Germany’s Sports Federation) and an interview with former NOC and IOC member, the late Walther Tröger, this paper demonstrates how the submission of sports in 1980 convinced West German functionaries – alongside the IOC – to make the Olympics independent from supposed political necessities and the swings in attitudes by way of commercialization and sponsorship soon opening the door for corruption and nepotism.
I'm Sorry for Letting You Down: A Study into the Accounts Provided to the Media by Professional Athletes Following a Violation View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Laith Zuraikat
This study explores the image repair strategies employed by professional athletes after they had been accused of committing some sort of violation. As public figures, professional athletes are under constant scrutiny by both the media and the public. While many athletes are able to use this visibility to increase their financial standing and personal influence, as their public profile grows, so too does the risk of serious damage and loss should that profile become compromised. The need to mitigate this potential damage through image repair and restoration strategies makes this group of individuals ripe for exploration. To better understand the uses, patterns, and trends employed in the image repair strategies of professional athletes, a content analysis of the statements provided to the media over a one-year period by male athletes in three professional U.S. sports leagues was conducted. The purpose of this analysis to determine the impact that the variables of account type, violation type, account source, and sports league had on the image repair strategies employed by these athletes. The results of this study found that there was no significant association between the type of account provided and the type of violation committed or the league that the athlete plays in. It was, however, found that a significant association exists between the type of violation committed and who provided the account, as well as the type of account provided, and the source providing the account.
