Finding Balance
Asynchronous Session
Dual Career Experiences of South African Olympic Athletes View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Louis Jacobus van Zyl
South Africa’s National Sport and Recreation Plan includes 23 universities that have become hubs for Olympic student-athletes who enter the latter phase of long-term athlete development. Requirements placed on Olympic athletes in contemporary world sport are such that they need to dedicate themselves to reach the pinnacle if they are to achieve excellence. Few Olympic athletes are sufficiently financially rewarded for making a living from their sport, and even fewer can rely on measures that may have been put in place in their countries to assist with financial and psychological impacts of their eventual retirement. This emphasises the need for athletes to either have dual careers or prepare for post-athletic careers while still participating at the highest level of sport. This study develops an understanding of a cohort of Olympic athletes in higher education regarding the simultaneous development of their academic and sporting careers. A qualitative interpretive research design was used. Purposeful sampling included 15 South African Olympic athletes. Data were obtained using ten semi-structured interviews from four sporting codes: track and field, swimming, hockey and rowing. The study showed that Olympic athletes have more than dual careers to balance. Financial obligations make a successful dual career challenging. Travelling demands are also a major burden on athletes. Time management is crucial when Olympians have loaded training, travelling, and academic schedules.
The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket Report: Considering the Psychological Barriers for Participation among the Black Community in the United Kingdom
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Dawn Marie Armstrong
Cricket in England and Wales has been found to be institutionally racist. Yet, after the shocking revelations of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) Report published in June 2023, there has been no widespread discussion on how this plight will be addressed. Interestingly, out of the 44 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) recommendations highlighted, it was noted then that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) “within the next 12 months… [should] commit to an investigation into the decline in participation in cricket among the black community”. To date, now 9 months later, no inquiry in this regard has publicly commenced. As such, the author will provide attendees with a synopsis of the potential psychological barriers to participation by exploring the available literature on race and racism to demonstrate how inequality in sport reflects inequality in society at large. Equally, as sport in its most idealistic form can break down these racial barriers, we explore cricket’s missed opportunities at fostering the inclusion that it seeks to portray.
Gridiron Glory - College Football and Basketball Players Explain the Significance of Faith
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jessica A Johnson
“As I got to know God through Jesus Christ, my faith started to grow … Ever since I made this decision the Lord has been changing my life” – Ohio State Running Back Treveyon Henderson with @His Huddle. College athletes who boldly share their Christian faith in public are in many cases well respected, but they also receive criticism and backlash, especially on social media. Public scrutiny is perhaps more intense in this era of college sports than any other with the additional challenges of NIL (name, image, likeness) and branding for elite athletes. In navigating through this ever-changing landscape, many athletes have used their platforms to share how religion has impacted their lives both on and off the field or court. This study is a survey analysis of college athletes who will be polled through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Ohio. The survey responses will be examined along with comments made to athletes’ X accounts when they post about their faith and how it strengthens their character and influences their decision making.
