Sport Governance Research Articles

Beyond sports autonomy: a case for collaborative sport governance approaches

ABSTRACT This article critically reviews the concept of sports autonomy. It argues that sports autonomy is of limited use for analysing and explaining the relationships between sports organisations and public authorities in diverse political and cultural contexts. Hence, the article proposes an alternative, advocating the use of collaborative governance theory as a conceptual framework to analyse the relationship between sports organisations and public authorities. We argue that comparative research on collaborative sport governance should employ the method of structured, focused comparisons tracing specific collaborations between public authorities and sports organisations.

Modernising sport governance amid cultural constraints: a case study from Ireland

This paper critically examines the evolving state of sport governance with an applied examination of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland. The challenge, which this article considers, is how this transformation becomes realised in an organisation, like the GAA, whilst remaining broadly aligned to an amateur and volunteer-led ethos, still representative of its membership at large and continuing to be broadly equitable in its funding and other fiscal policies. At a governance level it raises specific questions about the role of elected boards, their backgrounds, competencies, scope, and purpose as this strategic ‘step change’ becomes embedded and, inevitably, poses many challenging questions. Put simply, if the direction of an organisation changes, requiring new and different attributes on behalf of those governing it, what is the most effective way to ensure this happens within specific cultural constraints and what are the associated challenges if it does not achieve this outcome?

Governance in Sport: Analysis and Application

Governance in Sport: Analysis and Application

Globalisation and gender aspects of professional sport: the case of Poland

Motivation: Globalisation is not only about the mobility of capital and proliferation of global problems. It is also about common approaches in public governance. Modern technologies help to disseminate information on sport as well as raise interests and encourage citizens to engage in sport. Globalisation has made it easier. There is no need to travel — Olympic Games, football matches and various other sports can be watched on TV, with broadcasts offering more insights than live watching on the spot. Globalisation, however, is also seen in various public or grass-root initiatives which, by addressing existing inequalities, support certain groups i.e. women or minorities to help them achieve more equal position in sport. Aim: The paper’s aim is to analyse the impact of globalisation (use of modern, digital technologies) on public governance in sport based on the example of Poland. Poland is specific because there exists a strong gender bias and unequal involvement of men and women in professional sport. It translates into financial support. All of the above aspects will be scrutinized. Results: The analyses will be based on the available public data on the financing of professional sport as well as achievements in the Olympic Games between the years 1924 and 2016. Moreover, some light will be shed on media coverage of sports events. The applied research methods include a critical literature review and analyses of gathered statistical data. The paper fills in the gap in the existing literature where impact of globalisation on sport in terms of public governance and gender imbalance is not often discussed.

An analysis of governance failure and power dynamics in international sport: the Russian doping scandal

ABSTRACT International sport is inherently political. Its governance structures are complex involving a multiplicity of actors. Its foundation is traditional, centred on ideas about self-governance and autonomy while simultaneously challenged by the contradictory requirements to promote and regulate sport. The politics of international sport can be seen in the authoritative allocation of values, the collective action necessary to determine who gets what, when and how, and ultimately being clear about who cares about what, where and why. It is in this setting where the concept of power and the ability of agents to exercise power is particularly insightful in garnering a more nuanced understanding of the systemic governance of international sport. To this end, this study examines power relations in international sport by applying Bergsgard’s analytical framework, which adapts Lukes’ three faces of power and Bourdieu’s ideas about symbolic power, to the Russian Doping Scandal. Documentary analysis is used as the primary method of exploration. Our analysis illustrates how the deep structures of the Russian state and the structural conditions of the international sport governance field permitted the case to evolve to scandalous proportions. The paper also reveals the power dynamics between various stakeholders involved in the scandal and how these power dynamics led to failings in the governance of international sport.

Identification of Research Paradigms for Managing the Cricketing Ecosystem Using Stakeholder Analysis and Text Mining

It took almost 400 years for test cricket to start off, and thereafter it just took 94, 34 and 13 years for the introduction of ODI, T20I and T10 formats, respectively. Length of the formats is shrinking over time at an alarming rate. If the trend continues, the format of five overs or less may not be far away and cricket pundits are fearing that the longest format, that is, test cricket, may lose its relevance. Unfortunately, the management part of the cricketing ecosystem has not drawn much attention from the academic world. Since market dynamics is playing a vital role in decision-making post commercialization of the cricket, this study applies stakeholder analysis and identifies three key stakeholders, namely administrators, players and spectators, and their aspirations. It suggests a shift from the ICC-led hierarchical model to the horizontal and more democratic model for sports governance during the post-commercialization stage. The results of the study indicate that even though ICC had taken a number of measures for advancement of the sport during 2015–2018, many of them are criticized like the world test championship or day-night test matches. The study scrapes through opinions of cricket-related professionals from open sources, applies sentiment analytics to classify them, uses text summarization to extract summary viewpoints and rates them on unanimity scale. A comparison is made between the actions taken by ICC and the pool of unanimous viewpoints using evidence-based assessment (EBA). Finally, it develops a framework of six research paradigms, taking into account the stakeholders’ aspirations and the EBA outcome. If these paradigms are acted upon, it can ensure convergence of stakeholders’ goals and balance in the cricket mix. Additionally, if ICC can make unanimous viewpoints from its stakeholders a part of its future plan, acceptability of its decisions will be more.

The rainbow connection: a scoping review and introduction of a scholarly exchange on LGBTQ+ experiences in sport management

ABSTRACT In this scholarly exchange edition, we present a selection of invited articles that focus on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons in sport management. In this introduction, we outline a brief history of how and why sexuality activism evolved over the last 50 years. We also outline why, despite the societal gains in many countries, research into the experiences of LGBTQ+ people in sport management is fundamental to improving those experiences and engendering change. We achieve this by summarizing past research in the area, which lays the foundation for the articles in this scholarly exchange. We provide an overview of the scholarly exchange articles, summarizing how the papers further the understanding of the management, marketing, and governance of sport within the context of LGBTQ+ people’s experiences.

The gatekeepers of sport governance – nomination committees’ shaping potential in national sport organizations’ board composition processes

ABSTRACT Research Question The purpose of this paper is to construct knowledge on the working processes of nomination committees (NCs) in sport and analyze their potential to shape board composition. The significance of such an effort lies in its potential to shed light on the processes preceding the structures and practices created for the wielding of power in sport organizations. Research Methods This paper reports findings based on telephone interviews with NCs of 64 Swedish national sport organizations. Results and Findings The analyses show how NC processes may be distinguished into six components: election of the NC at the general assembly (GA), monitoring of the incumbent board, preparation for nominee identification, assembly of a list of potential nominees, evaluation of potential nominees, and submission of proposed nominees to the GA. Within and across these components, the analyses reveal three aspects particularly powerful in their potential to shape board composition: degree of formalization, network reliance, and transparency. Implications These findings have implications for research and practice. Regarding the former, the study provides a baseline description that can be used in future explorations of the NC process and its determinants and effects in varying contexts. As for the latter, the findings suggest that sport organizations carry an untapped potential in considering NCs’ shaping potential, regardless of whether an ‘adequate’ board is one that is equipped to improve organizational efficiency or one that safeguards representation and democracy.

스포츠 거버넌스 구축을 위한 시론적 연구

스포츠 거버넌스 구축을 위한 시론적 연구

Exploring professional coach educators’ journeys and perceptions and understandings of learning

ABSTRACT Coach educators’ voices rarely feature in the coaching literature. To address this gap, this research explored the journeys and perceptions and understandings of learning of 16 coach educators (tutors) in the United Kingdom (UK). As such, the research enabled the voices of these coach educators to be heard and their socialisation processes to be investigated. Semi-structured interviews were used to gain exploratory insights and the data were analysed thematically through inductive and deductive processes. Themes were identified that related to the coach educators’ journeys and lives as well as their understandings of learning and coach education. To offer a theoretically informed and sophisticated appreciation of coach educators and coach education, the sociological framework of Pierre Bourdieu was adopted. The analysis showed the coach educators’ beliefs and perceptions had been formed, inculcated and reproduced as a result of taken-for-granted and doxic experiences as athletes, learners and coaches and in coach education and tutor training (and tertiary education in some cases). The coach educators suggested that knowledge of ‘learning’ was important for coaching and coach education and associated it with contextualised and situated practice. The participants viewed the coach education they delivered to be decontextualised and to have low impact. Additionally, the findings suggested that coach educators may have limited pedagogical knowledge and conceptual understanding. The analysis typically positioned the professional coach educator habitus as being unreflective, unreflexive and compliant as they appropriated legitimate (but questionable) methods. The findings are significant in that they highlight the need to: (i) appreciate and explore coach educators’ roles, contexts, experiences and understandings and (ii) conduct critical inquiry with coach developers, those occupying senior Sport Governing Body (SGB) positions, policymakers and stakeholders in order to enhance our knowledge of this complex but crucial practitioner and role, and ultimately tutor training and practice.

Sport governance in Chinese competitive and professional volleyball: review and prosepect

Research questions: With the support of the whole nation system, Chinese competitive volleyball has made many brilliant achievements in international arenas. By contrast, the development of professional volleyball league have been in a state of tepid. We can observe the interesting phenomenon of the fire and ice between competitive volleyball and professional volleyball in China. This paper aims to explore sport governance structure in Chinese volleyball. Research method: This paper focuses on the application of national sport governance model in Chinese volleyball. The history of Chinese volleyball are reviewed and data from official website and articles are analyzed. At last, opportunities and challenges are summarized to prosepect the future development of Chinese volleyball. Findings: With a unitary governance model, sport governance in Chinese volleyball governance should be flexible to react to changes, combining the whole nation system with marketization, thus promoting the benign development of Chinese competitive volleyball and professional volleyball league.

Finansowanie organizacji sportowych przez państwo (wniosek ECPRD 4725)

The paper presents the Polish legislation concerning sports organisations. The author begins with an overview of the legal framework, including the main legal acts and their stipulations, sports governance (particularly sports clubs and sports associations) and key stakeholders engaged in sports. Next, he discusses selected issues concerning distribution of the state funds in sports.

Current Dilemma and Ways of Governance: Optimized Governance of Chinese Sports and Leisure Towns

Sports and leisure characteristic towns are an inevitable product of the development of the times, and are also a significant feature of lifestyle changes. The development process will inevitably be accompanied by contradictions and problems. It needs to advance with the times and optimize governance. This study uses the method of literature data, interviews, and field surveys to analyze the practical difficulties encountered in the development of sports and leisure towns, and proposes targeted optimization solutions. The results of the study show that: at present, in the construction of sports and leisure characteristic towns, there are problems such as low integration of production and consumption, employment and life, disconnection between functions and consumer demand, insufficient industrial characteristics and the decline of industrial communities, and lack of cultural connotation. Recommendations: promote the function construction of small town communities, create small towns with complete livable and industrial functions; attach importance to cultural inheritance, reshape its cultural characteristics in combination with modern consumer needs and industrial development needs, and establish distinctive brands; build ecological industrial chains according to different types of industries, to promote the aggregation of multiple economic elements and form a platform for the upgrading and transformation of the sports industry across the entire industry chain.

PUBLIC SPORT GOVERNANCE IN THEORY AND PRACTICE: MANAGING AND ORGANIZING PUBLIC SPORT SECTOR WITH A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BALTIC STATES AND SCOTLAND

Contemporary public sport governance takes place in a very different context than that of past decades. The public sport governance is comprised of a variety of basic aspects that build its managerial basis - legislative base, funding allocation and long-term strategic development. The research problem presented is the seeming ambiguity of the variety of theoretical aspects of public sport governance that define the real-life practice of various public sport governance systems across countries. The aim of research was to examine and analyze the theoretical aspects of public sport governance and to determine the practical differences through the comparative analysis of the public sport governance systems of the Baltic States and Scotland. The research was conducted using monographic and content analysis method to research the variety of theoretical aspects, while the comparative analysis method was applied to compare the public sport governance cases of the chosen countries. The main results of the research present that the available theoretical aspects of public sport governance enable a practical research to be conducted on a wider and detailed scale. The results proved that even the slightest difference between countries within their legal framework could prove its intention in furthering sport sector’s promotion. A definition of the term “public sport governance” was developed and proposed. It could be used in further research of the conceptual and practical understanding within the public governance, policy, sport management, economics and sport law fields as crucial part of the overall public sport governance within the national, regional and international economic framework.

A comparison of US and Scotland youth soccer coaches’ legal consciousness regarding concussion safety regulations

Due to the severe health consequences of sport related concussion (SRC), governments and sport governing bodies around the world have enacted numerous measures including changes to legislation and rules of the game, and increased emphasis on coach education. This study compared the legal consciousness of girls’ youth soccer coaches regarding concussion management under a statutory legal regime in the U.S. and a voluntary regime in Scotland by analyzing qualitative data through ten interviews of girls’ youth soccer coaches in Scotland and another ten interviews of girls’ high school soccer coaches in the U.S. Utilizing the socio-legal theory of legal consciousness, the findings support the idea that people make connections from their past experiences to shape their understanding of the law, broadly defined. We observed variance between U.S. and Scottish coaches’ legal consciousness. Overall, all coaches exhibited a version of conformity to and engagement with SRC management guidance and little resistance. Florida coaches displayed more conformity, likely due to the SRC education mandated by law. Scottish coaches who had coached in the U.S. previously demonstrated the strongest resistance. The findings suggest a need for continued improvement in the implementation of SRC laws and guidelines including updated training and better dissemination of educational materials.

THE ALGUNAS CONSIDERACIONES ÉTICAS SOBRE LA APLICACIÓN DE LA INTELIGENCIA ARTIFICIAL EN EL DEPORTE

La inteligencia artificial (IA) ha irrumpido recientemente en el deporte, pero sus aplicaciones ocupan ya un lugar destacado en la práctica deportiva e irán sin en aumento en los próximos años. Son muchos los beneficios que estos sistemas de tecnología avanzada pueden proporcionar al deporte. Pero las aplicaciones de la IA en el deporte no están exentas de riesgos. Entre ellos, la manipulación de los deportistas y de la competición son probablemente los más acuciantes. Pero hay otros, como la modificación radical de la gobernanza del deporte y las competiciones deportivas que quedarán completamente mediatizadas por esta tecnología disruptiva. En este artículo propongo un marco jurídico y ético que nos permita disponer de un uso fiable de la IA y respetuoso con los derechos humanos de los deportistas y los compromisos éticos del Movimiento Olímpico.

Impact of Attitude Towards Physical Activity and Exercise on Academic Performance of School Students

This research aims to measure the impact of attitude towards physical activity (PA) and exercise on academic performance of school students. The cross sectional and correlational research method were employed. The population of this research was school students of District Sargodha. The total of 307 (154 Male and 153 Female) school students were selected using convenient sampling technique for gathered the data. The attitude towards physical activities questionnaire using to measure the students’ attitude towards PA and exercise; and academic performance was measured through last year academic result of student. The data of this research was analyzed by SPSS (24.0). The results of bivariate correlation revealed positive significant correlation between PA and exercise with academic performance among school students. Students who maximum participate in PA and exercise, they secure better academic marks in their annual exams. Further, the results of linear regression found that PA and exercise significantly impact on academic performance of students. In gender, boys and girls are same in PA and exercise but girls are significantly better than boys in academic performance. This research would be helpful for teachers, physical and sports teachers, psychologist, parents and government agencies for policy making.

Sport research and the policy movement

The modern policy movement in academia is often traced to the early 1950s in the United States, grounded in intellectual traditions that go back decades and centuries earlier. Since then, numerous schools and sects have developed around the world focussed on teaching, research and practice where academic research encounters public and private decision making. Policy studies, policy analysis, policy evaluation, policy sciences, applied ethics and public affairs are but a few of these sub-disciplines which can rightly claim to focus on developing theory and research methods applicable to the study of policy making and its political and social context. Within this complex tapestry of academic inquiry, a debate has thrived for decades between those who look to inquiry primarily to advance theory and those who utilise inquiry primarily to advance practice. This debate plays out within specific topical areas, such as environmental policy, social policy and international relations. We should expect the study of sport to be no different. This paper looks to the history of the broader policy movement to provide guidance to aspiring researchers of sport policy and governance who seek to bring academic expertise to practical challenges of governance and policy.

Leadership in and out of the sport boardroom: new empirical insights

ABSTRACT Research Question The aim of this paper is to increase understanding in the area of leadership at the governance level of nonprofit sport organizations. Specifically, we aim to explore how intra-board leadership at the national level influences the overall leadership capacity of a federal network. Research Methods In gathering new empirical evidence, the authors adopted a qualitative case study method focusing on a national sport organization operating within the Australian nonprofit sport industry. 12 interviews were conducted with current and former board members of the organization including the current and former Chief Executive Officers to gain new insights into the practice of leadership within non-profit sport governance. Interviews were analyzed using an interpretive process, and, a thematic structure relating to leadership in the non-profit sport governance context was developed. Results and Findings Leadership roles of the board, intra-board collective leadership, inter-board collective leadership, and individual and organizational leadership behaviors and actions emerged as the key themes in the research. Implications These themes combined with existing literature, notably an existing working model of leadership in this domain, are integrated into the paper to shed new light on this emerging area of inquiry. We offer a number of suggestions for future research to further increase understanding and to refine, test, critique, and elaborate upon our findings in this work.

Examining Individual Board Member Behaviors in Nonprofit Sport Governing Bodies

Research on individual board members has tended to focus on attitudes and personal characteristics with research on behaviors limited to the fulfillment of prescriptive tasks. This article develops a nine-behavior model of board member behavior using three board member roles (individual, board, and organizational) and three types of behavior (proficient, adaptive, and proactive). The model was tested using survey data acquired from Canadian provincial sport governing bodies. The data did not support adaptive behaviors, but a revised model was supported by the data. The results suggested board members perceive expectations to fulfill individual tasks, work together, and implement positive change. This research provides an empirically tested framework for continuing the advancement in governance research beyond a structural and compositional approach to an approach that captures the social and behavioral nature of boards.