Perceptions Of Players Research Articles

THE SOCIAL CONTEXT AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF WOMEN’S FOOTBALL IN ROMANIA

In Romania, women’s football has not enjoyed a development that could ensure this sport a high level of competitiveness. During the communist period, women’s football existed rather at an amateur level, and while the Golden Generation of Romanian men’s football was getting results at international competitions in the 1990s, women’s football was barely starting to be formalised. The purpose of this study is to analyse the perception of female football players on different aspects of their professional life. The sample consisted of 126 women with ages between 12 and 34 years (with a mean age of 18), who completed an online questionnaire with 24 items. The statistical analysis was both quantitative (SPSS) and qualitative (NVivo). Respondents were asked to rate various aspects that interfered with the sports profession (family, society, opportunities, football career) and, although 30% already had a job in sports-related fields, some of them still wanted to focus on other areas of activity. Also, the identification of players with this type of sport shows the highest agreement, with an average of 4.59, and the opportunities for women in this field are considered better than ever, with an average score of 3.56, both items in range 1 to 5. The results emphasise that Romanian women’s football has experienced a significant increase during the last years, but the main problem identified in this sports sector remains the inequality in terms of media coverage and finance as compared to men’s sport.

Understanding Interactions Between Providers of Cosmetic Tourism and Tourists: The Lebanon Experience

Despite the boom in cosmetic tourism, academic research in this field remains scarce. The following interpretive study explores perceptions of key social players involved in the cosmetic tourism process from its initiation to its end. It highlights the perspectives of cosmetic medical providers and cosmetic tourists within a multifaceted theoretical framework that includes the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and self-concept components. A qualitative approach was applied, with similar topics discussed during interviews with a sample of cosmetic medical doctors and cosmetic tourists in Lebanon. The study delivers insight into the cosmetic tourism decision-making process, and the factors impacting choices here in terms of the destination, medical doctor, and medical center. It furthermore sheds light on aspects that distinguish cosmetic tourism, including social media and cultural influence. This study theoretically contributes to the development of an appropriate framework for cosmetic tourism. Empirically, its outcomes can be utilized to better understand the exclusivity of cosmetic tourists while improving their experiences, enhancing marketing strategies and the services provided to them.

Accountability, governance, and institutional change in intergovernmental relations: A theoretical framework

AbstractThis article develops an explanatory framework of institutional change in intergovernmental relations. Using new institutionalism, we focus on a main explanatory factor—the players' perceptions of their own accountability and that of others. Integrating the concepts of multiple accountability and felt accountability, we develop the concept of an accountability gap, meaning differences between the perceptions of players in the central government about their responsibility to provide local services and the perceptions of players at the local level about their responsibilities. Our claim is that perceptual gaps concerning accountability in a two‐tiered or multi‐tiered system may influence their interests, strategies, and behavior and hence determine the timing and pace of specific institutional changes. We illustrate the theoretical framework by examining how Spain managed the COVID‐19 pandemic.Related ArticlesAguado, N. Alexander. 2018. “Mayor‐Council Form of Government and Policy Responses in Times of Economic Travail.”Politics & Policy46(5): 714–30.https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12273.French, Edward P., and Doug Goodman. 2011. “Local Government Human Resource Management Past, Present, and Future: Revisiting Hays and Kearney's Anticipated Changes a Decade Later.”Politics & Policy39(5): 761–85.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2011.00312.x.Kwon, Sung‐Wook, and Sylvia Gonzalez‐Gorman. 2019. “Influence of Local Political Institutions on Policy Punctuation in Three Policy Areas.”Politics & Policy47(2): 300–25.https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12295.

Using Evolutionary Algorithms to Target Complexity Levels in Game Economies

Game economies (GEs) describe how resources in games are created, transformed, or exchanged: They underpin most games and exist in different complexities. Their complexity may directly impact player difficulty. Nevertheless, neither difficulty nor complexity adjustment has been explored for GEs. Moreover, there is a lack of knowledge about complexity in GEs, how to define or assess it, and how it can be employed by automated adjustment approaches in game development to target specific complexity. We present a proof-of-concept for using evolutionary algorithms to craft targeted complexity graphs to model GEs. In a technical evaluation, we tested our first working definition of complexity in GEs. We then evaluated player-perceived complexity in a city-building game prototype through a user study and confirmed the generated GEs' complexity in an online survey. Our approach toward reliably creating GEs of specific complexity can facilitate game development and player testing but also inform and ground research on player perception of GE complexity.

Exploring the perceptions of leadership in Hong Kong rugby

The concept of leadership within sports coaching continues to fascinate and intrigue a multitude of stakeholders. There is still a need for a greater understanding of its role within a complex, dynamic field of inquiry that seemingly relies heavily on the ‘coach as leader’ for a multitude of outcomes (e.g. performance success, athlete development, social outcomes). Given the call for more contextually specific and action orientated research, the aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of coach leadership within the Hong Kong rugby union environment. The study adopted an interpretive paradigm to gain deep insight into coaches’ and players perceptions of leadership in rugby. Data was collected from 16 participants via three separate online focus groups. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyse and interpret the data. The findings suggest that for leadership to be effective, coaches must possess a socio-cultural understanding of their context, have a clear vision for their team and have a principle of transformational and value-based leadership to assist with decision making. Additionally, coaches must become role models and demonstrate authentic leadership characteristics to be able to build and maintain relationships with the people in their organisation through effective communication. Sharing leadership appeared to be an effective method adopted by coaches to enhance leadership throughout a rugby organisation. We suggest that the results provide a grounding for coach learning within a unique coaching context.

Study of Different Personalised Dietary Plans on Eating Behaviour, Body Image and Mood in Young Female Professional Handball Players: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

Low energy availability may precede or be caused by cognitive disturbances in professional athletes. Related psychological problems include disordered eating patterns, body shape preoccupation, depression or anxiety. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of different personalised dietary plans on psychological factors in young professional female handball players with low energy availability. This 12-week randomised clinical trial involved 21 female players aged 22 ± 4 years, 172.0 ± 5.4 cm and 68.4 ± 6.7 kg divided into three groups (FD: free diet; MD: Mediterranean diet; HAD: high antioxidant diet). Eating behaviour (Eating Attitude Test, EAT-26: diet, bulimia and oral control subscales), body image (Body Shape Questionnaire, BSQ) and mood state (Profile of Mode State, POMS: tension, vigour, anger, depression, fatigue) were assessed. All participants showed low energy availability (<30 kcal/lean mass per day). The different plans showed no significant differences between them but significant differences over time within groups for the variables: body image, Tension, Vigour and Depression (p < 0.05). Eating behaviour improved slightly but did not show statistically significant changes. Following an adequate nutritional planning for athletes seems to improve the mood and body perception of young female handball players. A longer intervention period is required to assess the differences between diets and improvement of other parameters.

Effect of conscious conflict on the subliminal perception of table tennis players: from the electrophysiological evidence of ERP.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11571-022-09883-2.

Development and evaluation of a sensory panel for collecting reliable player perceptions of third-generation synthetic turf football surfaces

Perceptions of synthetic surfaces used in football can vary considerably between players, and obtaining reliable feedback is challenging. The aim of this study was to develop a suitable process and evaluate the merits of establishing a sensory panel to assess the subjective attributes of third generation synthetic turf surfaces (3G turf) used in football. Focus groups with 12 male and 13 female footballers were conducted on an outdoor 3G turf pitch to develop a common language to describe sensory feedback related to player–surface interactions. Post-session analysis revealed two main themes related to player–surface interactions: hardness and grip. These themes were broken down further into five sensory attributes (Movement Speed, Slip, Movement Confidence, Leg Shock and Give) which were investigated further in an indoor test area containing ten 3G turf surfaces with controlled surface properties. A panel consisting of 18 University footballers (11 male and 7 female) undertook a screening and training session to refine the language associated with the sensory attributes and become familiar with the testing protocol. During a final evaluation session, players were asked to discriminate between surfaces using the paired comparison method for each of the sensory attributes. Player consistency remained similar between the screening and evaluation sessions whilst the panel’s ability to discriminate between surfaces improved during the evaluation session. Sensory training can therefore be a useful approach to aid players in differentiating between surfaces and lead to a greater understanding of athlete perceptions of surface attributes.

Comparison of player perceptions to mechanical measurements of third generation synthetic turf football surfaces

Mechanical testing of synthetic turf football surfaces is considered essential to ensure player performance and safety. However, it remains unknown how well the mechanical outputs reflect player perceptions of these surfaces. The first objective of this study was to investigate the agreement between the outputs from the Rotational Traction Tester and the Advanced Artificial Athlete with player perceptions across a range of controlled third generation turf football surfaces. The second objective was to identify the modifications to the Rotational Traction Tester and the Advanced Artificial Athlete configurations and output variables that give the strongest agreement with player perceptions. An indoor test area containing ten third generation turf surfaces with controlled hardness and traction properties was constructed. Each surface was tested using the Advanced Artificial Athlete and Rotational Traction Tester in their current configuration and in several modified configurations aimed at better replicating the player–surface interaction. Using a trained panel paired comparisons technique, 18 University footballers (11 males and 7 females) identified differences in the surfaces based on four sensory attributes Movement Speed, Slip, Leg Shock and Give. Results indicated strong agreement (correlation coefficients between 0.7 and 1.0) across several Rotational Traction Tester and Advanced Artificial Athlete testing configurations and output variables with player perceptions. It is recommended that the current Rotational Traction Tester is improved through added instrumentation to allow surface stiffness to be evaluated (the rate of generation of traction resistance). It is further recommended that the Advanced Artificial Athlete adopts a new algorithm to improve the accuracy of the surface’s Vertical Deformation and Energy Restitution, and the number of drops is reduced from three to one.

Physical Exercise and Performance in Esports Players: An Initial Systematic Review

Background: Participation in esports (excluding active video games) has raised concerns due to its sedentary nature and the potential negative effects this may have on player health. As well, research suggests that physical activity (PA)/exercise improves specific cognitive skills that have been identified as positive contributors to esports performance. The aim of this systematic review was to assess whether evidence supports that PA/exercise positively impacts esports player performance. Methods: The systematic literature search comprised PubMed, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science up until March 31, 2022. An additional search included reference list searching, citation searching, and hand searching. Results: Emerging evidence suggests that PA/exercise as an intervention may have a positive effect on esports performance. While it appears that the majority of esports players believe PA/exercise to be beneficial to esports performance, only a minority currently undertake PA/exercise for the purpose of improving esports performance. Conclusion: Although further controlled experimental research is necessary, results highlight that PA/exercise may positively correlate with esports performance. These effects are consistent with the majority of player perceptions that PA/exercise is beneficial to esports performance. Qualified fitness and health professionals should be utilized to implement training to enhance esports performance, improve health, and extend player career length.

The perception of injury risk and prevention among football players: A systematic review.

Football is associated with a certain risk of injury, leading to short- and long-term health consequences. However, the perception of football players about injury risk and prevention strategies is poorly documented. The present article reviewed the literature about perceptions, beliefs, attitudes and knowledge toward injury risk and prevention strategies in football players. An electronic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and APA PsychINFO until July 2022. Studies were eligible if they included the perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge about injury risk and prevention in football players from any competitive level. The risk of bias was assessed in included studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist. A total of 14 studies were included. Most football players agreed that their risk of injury is high and prevention strategies are important, however they do not intend to use some of these strategies. The most frequent perceived injury risk factors were low muscle strength, lack of physical fitness, fatigue, excessive training and type and condition of surfaces. The most frequent perceived injury prevention factors were warm-up, workload monitoring and strength and conditioning training. It is essential to acknowledge perceived injury risk factors, as well as a better understanding of how coaching and medical departments' perceptions match with players' perceptions, and a modification in the perceptions of the several stakeholders at different levels of action.

Perceived Impact of Video Gaming on Employment: Implications for Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> To learn how video games impact individuals in multiple contexts of functioning. To gain knowledge of players' perspectives of their video gaming behaviors on the impact of attaining/maintaining employment. To gain an understanding of players' perceptions of how game play translates to acquiring transferrable skills in the workplace. <h3>Design</h3> Mixed methods study examining perceptions of players' gaming behaviors on past, current and future employment. Likert scale to assess players' perceptions regarding the impact, both positive and negative, of their game play on employment. Qualitative feedback requested for richer data on how gaming impacted their ability to obtain/maintain employment. <h3>Setting</h3> Data were collected via an anonymous online survey through social media and forum-based websites. <h3>Participants</h3> Inclusion criteria - individuals aged 18 years or older who have played a video game within the last month. <h3>Interventions</h3> This study did not employ an intervention. It was conducted to inform future research/interventions that promote wellness and balance for individuals who engage in video game play and strategies/interventions to enhance clinician knowledge/skills to meet the needs of gamer clients with focus on addressing problematic game play affecting the ability to perform in the workplace. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> Data was collected on perspectives of an anonymous sample of gamers to inform future studies/interventions related to problematic gaming behaviors. <h3>Results</h3> 139 respondents. 82% "disagreed" or "strongly disagreed" that gaming had an impact on obtaining or maintaining/retaining employment. Gamers identified transferrable skills gained from video games that have actively contributed to productivity in the workplace. Negative implications focused on too much time spent gaming or prioritizing gaming instead of work. This can cause lack of productivity and avoidance of workplace responsibilities. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Due to the high use and accessibility of video games, understanding how to target problematic gaming behaviors that inhibit ability to function in the workplace is needed. Study results support further exploration of gaming behaviors with focus on implications for individuals with disabilities. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> We disclose that we are colleagues with an ACRM Board member, Dr. Tina Dillahunt-Aspillaga.

Female football players and staff’s perceptions about menstrual cycle and injury

Introduction: Women’s football has grown in the last years, which is reflected in implementing specific monitoring and assessment tools to identify health risks. Research on the menstrual cycle has recently gained attention in sports, suggesting that hormonal phases might affect performance and injury risk. This study describes the perceptions of players and staff in Elite Women Football regarding menstrual cycle and injury risk.

Player perceptions of informal learning in non-educational games

The potential of non-educational games in learning is well-established, but there have been relatively few empirical studies attempting to explore the kinds of informal learning take place in non-educational games outside of formal education. Simultaneously, student motivation is known to have a connection to learning outcomes, but there is a lack of research on the relationship between gaming motivations and informal learning in games. This paper aims to fill the gap in research by, firstly, forming an empirically-based understanding of what players perceive they are learning from playing non-educational games, and secondly, exploring the potential connections of self-articulated learning outcomes with motivations to play games and preferences for gameplay activities.&#x0D; The research data was collected through an online survey panel. The respondents were asked to describe in open-text answers what they had learned by playing games, and their motives and gameplay activity preferences were measured using two psychometric instruments, Motives of the Autonomous Player, MAP (Vahlo and Tuuri, submitted) and the gameplay activity inventory GAIN (Vahlo et al, 2018).&#x0D; The open-text responses analysed using data-driven content analysis, which resulted in 11 main categories of learning outcomes. Cluster analysis of the main categories revealed three clusters indicating informal game-based learner types: (1) Learning perseverance, learning mainly related to coping skills and self-enhancement, (2) Learning practices and communalities, focusing on practical and interpersonal skills, and (3) Learning to perform, emphasising cognitive and sensori-motor competencies.&#x0D; Comparisons of the learning outcome clusters with motives and gameplay preferences revealed the learner types had distinct profiles which denote differences between learner types in the overall motivation to play games, in certain motivational factors, and in preferences of gameplay activities. Based on this analysis we suggest the existence of two distinct continuums, transfer of learning, and the situational dependence to gameplay activities, where these learner types are located.

Ready for impact? A validity and feasibility study of instrumented mouthguards (iMGs)

ObjectivesAssess the validity and feasibility of current instrumented mouthguards (iMGs) and associated systems.MethodsPhase I; four iMG systems (Biocore-Football Research Inc (FRI), HitIQ, ORB, Prevent) were compared against dummy headform laboratory...

Menstrual cycle, hormonal contraception and pregnancy in women’s football: perceptions of players, coaches and managers

The perceptions of policies and research on menstrual cycle (MC), hormonal contraception (HC) and pregnancy of those involved in women’s football from six European countries were analyzed via survey (n = 1127), and focus groups/interviews (49 women, 12 men). Thematically analyzed themes included ‘support’, ‘player decisions’, ‘knowledge and understanding’ and ‘talking and discussion’. Support for MC, HC, pregnancy/childcare was felt to be dependent on the extent of knowledge and understanding, ease of communication between players and staff, and top-level intervention, such as policy, money and resources, which, regarding pregnancy, informed player decisions on whether they started a family. Support also came in the form of MC tracking and solidarity from teammates. To improve the women’s game beyond policy on welfare, suggestions were to hire more women coaches and to formalize coach education to include research on MC, HC and pregnancy, which hopefully should incite open dialogue between the coach and athlete.

Perceptions of professional esports players on performance-enhancing substances

Along with the rapid rise of esports across the globe, the esports industry is increasingly confronted with issues concerning governance, regulations and manipulations. Software-cheating, match-fixing as well as doping seem to be widespread phenomena within professional esports competitions. Addressing these issues is challenging due to complex and fragmented governance structures and the lack of any central steering authority. This study looks into doping and performance enhancement in particular. Based on semi-structured interviews with (n = 9) selected professional FIFA esports players, we explore their perceptions of the use of drugs and other (allegedly) performance-enhancing substances such as energy drinks and gaming boosters. The core findings that emerged out of the data are a high performance pressure related to FIFA competitions as perceived by players, an ambivalent perception towards the legitimacy of different forms of performance enhancement and a lack of anti-doping measures on the part of organisations involved. The study is among the first to explore the view of players as one of the key stakeholders in the esports ecosystem.

Coach competence, justice, and authentic leadership: An athlete satisfaction model

This study analyzed the relationship between athletes' perception of coach competence and their satisfaction, mediated by the influence of authentic leadership and perceived justice in team sports players. A cross-sectional study carried out with 115 (49.6% women and 50.4% men; 17.96 ± 2.85 years old; 8.18 ± 4.67 years of experience), soccer (53.9%), and handball (46.1%) players, all members of performance teams. The player's perception of coach competency, authentic leadership, justice, and satisfaction with the coach was measured. Correlation between variables and comparison throughout gender, sport, and experience were analyzed. Also, a multiple sequential mediation model was tested (coach competence → authentic leadership → coach justice → satisfaction with the coach, 95% CI 10,000 bootstrapping). There was a significant relationship ( p &lt; 0.05) between all the variables, differences in the perception of satisfaction with the coach based on sport, and the perception of coach justice related to the years of experience in the sport. The multiple sequential mediation model (ɖ21 = 0.468; p &lt; 0.001; IE = 0.098; CI = 0.020; 0.183), and the total indirect effect (IE = 0.310; CI = 0.138; 0.479) were significant. In conclusion, the results suggest that athletes emphasize that if the coach is competent and promotes justice to achieve the athlete's satisfaction without neglecting the influence of their authentic leadership style, this can strengthen their relationship and satisfaction with the coach.

Athletes Perceive Weighted Baseballs to Carry a Notable Injury Risk, yet Still Use Them Frequently: A Multicenter Survey Study.

Introduction:Weighted baseball use in throwing programs is widespread; however, their use remains controversial. Prior research shows that weighted baseball programs can increase ball velocity but potentially increase throwing arm injuries. This study aims to ascertain perceptions of weighted baseballs among elite baseball players.Methods:A created online survey questioned common practices, throwing regimens, injury risk factors, and weighted baseball program use. The questions were modeled to ascertain the perceptions of elite baseball players to understand their experience with weighted baseballs. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted.Results:Three hundred seventy-six baseball players with a mean age of 20 ± 2 years completed the survey; 64% of the players (239/376) were pitchers. 71% (267/376) reported the use of weighted baseballs. Of those, 75% (199/267) thought it made them a better player. Overall, 73% (275/377) thought weighted baseballs are a risk for injury. 17% (46/267) attributed their injury to using weighted baseballs. Overall, participants reported a mean 72% ± 30% likelihood of future weighted baseball use.Conclusion:Most of the participating elite adult baseball players reported prior weighted baseball use with a corresponding improvement in pitching performance despite a perceived increased injury risk. Nearly 20% of the players attributed pain or injury to weighted baseball use. Moreover, the players surveyed intend to continue using weighted baseballs because of the perceived performance benefit.

스포츠 선수들의 가족여가의 중요성에 대한 의미 탐색

The purpose of this study is to phenomenologically analyze the meaning of family leisure for golf players. From January to March 2022, a total of 6 participants who had family leisure activities were selected through the snowball sampling method. In-depth interviews were conducted for data collection. First, the interview contents were organized and analyzed. Second, domains were classified according to major themes or phenomena. Finally, classification was performed to derive meaningful interpretation and research results. As a result of the analysis, 'leisure perception', 'leisure time for leisure', and 'with family' were drawn as the results. In conclusion, the positive leisure perception of golf players and the important meaning of family leisure activities were confirmed. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the perception of new leisure academically and continuously present related research questions.