Sport Context Research Articles

Shared decision-making with athletes: a survey study of healthcare professionals’ perspectives

ObjectivesShared decision-making (SDM) is a trending topic in athlete health care; however, little is known about its use in a sports context. This study aimed to measure knowledge and self-perceived...

Kirol-testuinguruak Lehen Hezkuntzako matematikako problemetan, ikasleen motibagai

The research presented in this article analyzes whether the use of sports contexts in problems can increase the motivation of Primary School students towards mathematics. For this purpose, a case study research has been carried out with fifth grade students of a school in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country in the 2022/2023 school year. Mathematical problems in a sports context have been designed and treated in the school, using real data and incorporating Basque sports. The students state that they like sports, not so much mathematics, and less mathematical problems. Significant gender differences were observed in the study. In conclusion, it can be stated that, in general, the use of close and realistic sports contexts has increased the students' motivation towards mathematics.

A scoping review of coach-parent interactions and relationships across youth sport settings

ABSTRACT To foster positive sporting experiences and enable young people to reach their sporting potential, parents and coaches need to have positive relationships. Correspondingly, literature exploring parent-coach relationships is expanding. However, previous studies have yet to be considered as a collective body to identify what characterizes effective and ineffective parent--coach relationships across youth sport settings and potential lines of inquiry for future research in the field. Consequently, this scoping review sought to (1) review published studies about coach-parent interactions and relationships within the context of youth sport; (2) systematically consider and identify the characteristics of effective and ineffective coach-parent relationships; and (3) highlight the existent gaps in the literature as they pertain to coach-parent relationships, and identify future research directions. Ten studies were reviewed. Findings highlighted that previous studies have provided valuable insights about coach--parent relationships, but missed important opportunities to understand context, cultural and relational dynamics across socio-cultural contexts. More research is needed on coach-parent interactions and relationships; particularly studies that can help parents and coaches come together to increase their children’s development and performance.

Disentangling Gender and Relative Age Effects in Women's and Girls' Rugby Union.

Relative age effects (RAEs) within sports refer to the overrepresentation of athletes born earlier in the selection year and the underrepresentation of those born later in the selection year. Research examining RAEs in women's and girls' rugby union remains limited in comparison to the male literature, whilst the impacts of RAEs on the youth-senior transition are yet to be explored in a female sport context. As such, the purpose of this study was to examine RAEs during entry into the women's and girls' premiership and international rugby union pathways in England, as well as to compare them to their respective senior cohort (n = 1367): (a) U18 England Rugby Centre of Excellence Player (n = 325) vs. Senior Premiership Player (n = 868), and (b) U18 England Player (n = 49) vs. Senior England Player (n = 125). Chi-square (χ2) analyses compared birth quarter (BQ) distributions against expected distributions. The findings revealed no significant difference in BQ distributions at either youth or senior levels, as well as no significant differences in the BQ distributions of those who were likely to transition from youth to senior levels (all p > 0.05). Importantly, though, descriptive statistics showed a skewed birthdate distribution in both U18 England Rugby Centre of Excellence Player (BQ1 = 30% vs. BQ4 = 20%) and U18 England Player cohorts (BQ1 = 33% vs. BQ4 = 18%). We highlight the gender-specific mechanisms that potentially explain the variations between male and female RAEs in rugby union, including developmental differences, sport popularity, and sociocultural norms. We also warn against a 'copy and paste' template from the male provision to ensure the recent growth of female rugby union does not fall victim to the same RAEs in the future.

Should organized sport characteristics be considered as a strategy for meeting physical activity guidelines in children?

A clearer understanding of the relationships between specific sport context with overall physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (ST) may contribute to the development of more accurate preventive strategies to increase children's engagement in PA. This study aimed to examine how different organized sports contributed to children's daily PA and ST. PA was measured for seven days via accelerometers, in 410 children aged 6-10 years (49.8% boys). Of those, 332 (53.0% boys) were engaged in an organized sport and were further considered for statistical analyses. Parents reported children's sport participation (e.g. which sport, number of times per week, duration). The sports were classified into: indoor vs. outdoor; individuals vs. team; combat vs. individual aesthetic vs. racing vs. invasion. Children's height and weight were objectively collected. Multiple one-way analyses of covariance were used to examine the effects of sport characteristics on PA and ST. A linear regression, adjusted for children's sex, age, body mass index and father's educational level, determined the relationship between being involved in multiple PA and sedentary behaviours with Moderate to Vigorous PA (MVPA) levels. Although engaged in an organized sport, only 30% of the children achieved the PA recommendations. Sport (compared with active commute and active play) was the best contributor to daily MVPA. Outdoor sports (vs. indoor) contributed the most to vigorous PA (VPA) and MVPA. Team sports (vs. individual) were significantly associated with lower ST. Children in combat sports accumulated more VPA and MVPA, while those in racing sports showed a higher ST. Sport participation alone does not guarantee children will reach the PA guidelines, and the type of sport can influence children's PA levels. Gender-stereotypes in sports may prevent girls from achieving their 60 minutes of MVPA daily.

An Exercise in Tournament Design: When Some Matches Must Be Scheduled

Single-elimination (SE) tournaments are a popular format used in competitive environments and decision making. Algorithms for SE tournament manipulation have been an active topic of research in recent years. In this paper, we initiate the algorithmic study of a novel variant of SE tournament manipulation that aims to model the fact that certain matchups are highly desired in a sporting context, incentivizing an organizer to manipulate the bracket to make such matchups take place. We obtain both hardness and tractability results. We show that while the problem of computing a bracket enforcing a given set of matches in an SE tournament is NP-hard, there are natural restrictions that lead to polynomial-time solvability. In particular, we show polynomial-time solvability if there is a linear ordering on the ability of players with only a constant number of exceptions where a player with lower ability beats a player with higher ability.

Development and experiences of an internet-based acceptance and commitment training (I-ACT) intervention in ice hockey players: a qualitative feasibility study.

Internet-based psychological interventions have increased the accessibility of evidence-based treatments in clinical psychology but are still an unexplored delivery format in sport psychology research. This study describes the development and evaluates the experiences of an internet-based acceptance and commitment therapy/training (I-ACT) intervention in ice hockey players focusing on performance enhancement and a sustainable sport participation. I-ACT consisted of seven weekly modules and the feasibility of the intervention was investigated using a qualitative research design. Four national level ice hockey players took part of I-ACT and were interviewed about their experiences using a semi-structured protocol. Interview transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings suggest that the content of I-ACT was comprehensible, relevant, and that it was possible to put the psychological skills into practice. I-ACT was described as helpful to the ice hockey players either in their sport performance or in their life outside of sport. The internet-format was generally perceived as positive, flexible, and a feasible option for delivering psychological interventions in an elite sport context. Some concerns were raised regarding the timing of the intervention at the end of the season, and some players also wished for more time to complete I-ACT. It was also expressed that some of the exercises could have been better adapted for goaltenders. Further trials are needed to evaluate the effects of I-ACT on performance and mental health outcomes in various sport populations using robust quantitative research methodology. Internet-based psychological interventions are a potential future opportunity to make evidence-based practices more accessible for athletes.

From theory to practice: Examining evidence-based approaches in youth sport coaches in Singapore

Although evidence-based practice (EBP) is considered the ideal approach for achieving optimal outcomes for sport science practitioners, coaches and athletes, significant concerns impede its adoption. This study examines (1) the implementation of, (2) sources to gather evidence-based knowledge and (3) barriers to EBP from youth coaches’ perspectives within Singapore. Fifty-three coaches (M age = 33.1 years, SD = 8.1) completed a 22-question survey through purposive sampling. Questions regarding the implementation of EBP showed that the top 3 research areas used were ‘Strength and conditioning/fitness’ (72%), ‘Skill development’ and ‘Mental training and preparation’ (both 57%); coaches relied on their personal experience more than scientific evidence (mean = 55.7 AU, SD = 1.5) when designing performance/training programmes. The top 3 preferred sources to gather evidence-based knowledge were ‘Websites/podcasts/forums’, ‘Practitioners within their sport’ and ‘Social media’. The top 3 preferred feedback methods from practitioners were ‘Informal conversations/speaking’, ‘Scheduled meetings’ and ‘Shared access of database/cloud-based software’. The top 3 qualities/attributes of practitioners preferred were those with ‘Excellent knowledge of the sport/game’, ‘Years of experience as practitioner’ and ‘Strong communication skills’. More than half of the coaches wished to receive more information regarding ‘Mental training and preparation’ (62%) and ‘Training load monitoring’ (53%). Lastly, the key barriers to EBP were ‘Non-applicable or irrelevant research reported’ (38%), ‘Inability to translate information to applied sporting context’ and ‘Time’ (both 34%). With these findings, practitioners can explore working with coaches on EBP to yield effective and sustainable outcomes.

Consumer engagement on social media in the sport context: a scoping review

ABSTRACT The goal of this study was to address the question: ‘What sport marketing research has been conducted on customer engagement on social media until now, and what could be future avenues for research?’ by conducting a scoping review. The PRISMA-ScR was followed. A total of 37 peer-reviewed journal articles in English were analysed. The findings synthesised the definitions and measurements of consumer engagement on social media as well as the theories and methods utilised. In addition, we proposed an integrative framework to demonstrate the role of consumer engagement on social media in the research model in the sport marketing field. The framework showed seven dimensions of antecedents of consumer engagement on social media, including (1) the content of the post, (2) the feature of the post, (3) the feature of the team/player, (4) the feature of the sponsor, (5) motivation, (6) identification with the team/community, and (7) others. The consequences of consumer engagement on social media mainly include loyalty and consumers’ behavioural intention. Finally, several research directions were provided based on the analysis.

Sports and sustainable development: the troubling absence of meat sourcing policies in the sports sector.

The excessive use of antibiotics in industrial meat production in the U.S. incurs severe health implications for animals, humans, and the environment, thereby threatening the integrated health of the ecosystem and sustainable development. While the consumption of meat, including hot dogs, chicken wings, and hamburgers, is a hallmark of attending professional sports events in North America, the sourcing policies for meat in the realm of professional sports remain relatively obscure. We conducted a content analysis case study on the four major sports leagues in North America, their teams and stadium practices. Our objective was twofold: first, to investigate existing sustainability initiatives at the league, team, and stadium levels; and second, to examine whether there are any food sourcing programs, specifically meat sourcing policies that might encourage the consumption of meat produced without the use of antibiotics, in the sports sector that are designed to mitigate ecological ramifications of meat consumption within sports contexts. Results show that existing sustainability initiatives at the three levels are focused primarily on reducing carbon emissions and waste. There is, however, a notable neglect of food sourcing policies, which is concerning given that industrial animal agriculture is a leading cause of antibiotic resistance and environmental degradation. This suggests that meat sourcing policy is a missing piece in current sustainability initiatives. The major sports leagues should therefore consider incorporating pertinent policies, such as procuring meat-based products produced without the use of antibiotics to help strengthen their existing efforts in achieving their sustainable development goals.

Luxação Fechada Pura do Tornozelo no Jiu-Jitsu

Ankle fractures-dislocations are very common and are often associated with injuries in sports context. Ankle dislocations without associated tibia or fibula fractures, are extremely rare due to the ligamentous and capsular resistance of this joint, which exceeds bone resistance. We present a clinical case of a pure closed dislocation of the ankle that occurred during the practice of Jiu-Jitsu. After closed reduction, the patient underwent immobilization of the limb, which was followed by physiotherapy, obtaining satisfactory results, and returning to sports without restrictions after 4.5 months. In this paper it is discussed this rare traumatic injury in terms of epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment

Self-Esteem, Self-Concept and Academic Performance in Middle-School Students According to their Sport Context

Introduction: Academic performance is favored in students who practice sports with body contact and develops an increasing value in self-concept when a comparison is established with those who don’t are engaged in sports without body contact. Methods: This study aimed to analyze and relate variables of self-concept, self-esteem and other variables such as aerobic capacity (VO2 max), handgrip strength and academic achievement, within the modalities that they practiced, with and without body contact. 132 middle-school students between 10 and 11 years old (69 boys and 63 girls) who attended the 5th and 6th grades participated. Results: It was found a mean level of behavior, physical appearance, school competence, social acceptance and higher academic performance in the group without body contact. A T-test was applied on self-concept variables, self-esteem, aerobic capacity (VO2 max) and academic performance, and the Mann-Whitney test on physical appearance variables and handgrip strength, finding only differences in the behavior variable, with a value of α = 0.014. A linear regression analysis was also presented in order to identify the best predictors of academic performance Conclusions: The practice of sports with body contact promotes a significant increase in behavior levels, compared to students without body contact, however the practice of this type of sports doesn’t show higher levels of self-esteem and academic performance, once compared to other students practicing sports without body contact. The best predictors identified were global self-concept, school competence and aerobic capacity.

Consumer Engagement on Weibo in a Professional Sport Context: The Case of the Chinese Super League

Online fan communities on social media are an effective avenue for sport organizations to engage sport fans. Sport fans who identify with online fan communities express positive and negative consumer engagement behavior (CEB) on social media. Most researchers focus on the positive valence of CEB. This study explores the mediating effect of both positive and negative valences of CEB between online fan community identification and behavioral intention simultaneously. Additionally, the moderating effect of satisfaction with teams’ performance is examined. This study contributes to the conceptualization of the negative valence of CEB on social media and extends the literature on the dual valence of CEB in the sport context. It also provides insights to sport managers on relationship marketing on social media.

Having a Goal Up Your Sleeve: Promoting a Mastery Climate in a Youth Football Academy Team

In sport, there is extensive evidence that supports the benefits associated with a mastery climate. However, limited studies have explored how physical tools could be used to promote mastery climates in youth sport contexts. Using an action research approach, we sought to understand the benefits and drawbacks of applying tools grounded in goal setting to promote a mastery environment: (a) an “arm sleeve” to be worn by athletes during training and matches and (b) a “reflection sheet” for use pre- and posttraining/-matches. These tools were implemented for a 3-week period with a U13 academy team (18 players and two coaches). Based on observation notes, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews, the analysis showed that the arm sleeves were helpful reminders for process goals, whereas the coaches had abandoned the use of reflection sheets due to lack of time. The benefits and drawbacks of the tools are discussed while pedagogical and practical implications are considered.

Dramaturgical analysis of a coaching team’s interactional performances: an ethnography of video-based coaching in a paralympic sporting context

ABSTRACT Sport coaching scholars have increasingly utilised the work of Erving Goffman to theoretically interpret and understand the complexities of coaching practice from a dramaturgical perspective. While this area of scholarship has advanced our sociological understanding of sport coaching, there remains a paucity of literature addressing how coaches work in conjunction with others and stage social interactions as performance teams. Utilising an 18-month ethnographic case study of video-based coaching in a Paralympic sporting context, data were gathered via participant observations, field notes and interviews, which were analysed using Goffman’s The Presentations of Self in Everyday Life as a heuristic framework. Findings and analysis revealed: (a) the coaching staff completed significant preparatory backstage work as a performance team prior to their frontstage delivery of video-based coaching which involved a select group of athletes, (b) the coaching staff found themselves presenting on the frontstage as a performance team to an audience comprising of interested and disinterested athletes, which caused feelings of frustration in response to athlete disengagement, (c) despite the significant backstage preparatory work completed by the coaching team, inconsistencies in their video-based coaching delivery contributed to a spoiled performance team identity in the eyes of their athlete audience. This study contributes new knowledge to the field of sport coaching through its novel dramaturgical analysis of video-based coaching, in particular, the complexity of team-based scripted interactions. Findings and analysis present in this article have important applied implications for preparing coaches for the teamed nature of this aspect of their work and the enactment of performance teamwork.

Virtual Reality Technology Induced Flow in the Spectator Sports Context: Empirical Examinations of VR Flow, Its Unique Antecedents, and Consequences

Abstract: This study aimed to investigate how virtual reality (VR) can create the experience of flow among sport fans and how this phenomenon fits into existing sport service consumption frameworks. Two experiments were conducted to explore VR flow experiences and to examine the impact of VR flow on fan outcomes in different game situations. The poison theory, theories of emotion dynamics, affective expectation, and biased competition were used as theoretical backgrounds. Results from Experiment 1 showed that fans with lower spectatorship involvement and those with less prior VR experience were more likely to experience VR flow. Experiment 2 revealed that VR flow positively influenced fan satisfaction in both decisive and close games. The study offers insights into how flow can be induced through VR spectatorship and highlights the counterintuitive effects of involvement and emotion fluctuations. The study also provides actionable suggestions for managers to effectively utilize VR technology in spectatorship settings.

Interpersonal behaviors in sports context: Spanish adaptation and measurement invariance.

The interpersonal behavior questionnaire (IBQ) is an instrument that measures support and thwarting interpersonal behaviors based on the self-determination theory (SDT). The aim of this work was to adapt the IBQ to the Spanish spoken in Mexico and to examine its psychometric properties (structural validity, discriminant validity, composite reliability, factorial invariance, and nomological validity) in a sample of athletes. For this purpose, 472 athletes (average age 17.15 years; SD = 1.47) completed a question booklet. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the structure of six related factors, three factors of behaviors that support autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and three factors of behaviors that thwarting them. The internal consistency of each factor was also supported, as well as the average variance extracted. However, the discriminant validity between the factors of competence and relatedness in their dimensions of support, on the one hand, and thwarting, on the other, is questioned. Factorial invariance was confirmed across gender (men and women) and sport type (individual and team). Nomological validity is in accordance with theory and empirical literature. More studies of the IBQ in sport are necessary to see if these results are a fortuitous product or if they manifest themselves consistently.

Motivational Climate, Physical Self-Concept, and Social Relationships in Adolescents in Physical Education Classes: A Systematic Review

The aim of the present study was to provide a comprehensive summary of scientific evidence related with the influence on physical self-concept and prosocial behaviours in adolescents, taking into account the motivational climate generated in Physical Education classes by the teacher. Studies with similar samples have shown that special consideration must be given to the motivational climate of involvement with the task and the coach’s style in support of autonomy in a greater occurrence of prosocial behaviours in the sports context, which shows that the social context is the most important variable in the direction of moral behaviours. Following the application of a search protocol in the Web of Science (WoS) database, 131 articles were initially identified, with eight manuscripts finally being analysed according to previously established criteria for the various stages of the PRISMA checklist. Despite only a relatively small number of articles being available to have rigorously evaluated the topic of interest, analysed studies revealed a direct relationship between motivational climate and physical self-concept. In contrast, no relationship emerged with prosocial behaviour.

Muscle geometry and its relevance for sports performance? A perspective of current findings and future opportunities

Muscle geometry and its relevance for sports performance? A perspective of current findings and future opportunities

Meaning in elite sport – A narrative review of scholarship in sport psychology

Introduction Athletes’ heart-felt stories about their experiences in elite sport almost naturally evoke the notion of meaning. However, although various scholars and practitioners have suggested the concept of meaning to the sport psychology audience in the past two decades (e.g., Beckmann, 2023; Ravizza, 2002; Ronkainen & Nesti, 2020), its study in this discipline is still in the early stages compared to established psychological scholarship on the topic. To promote meaning as a complementary lens for research and applied work in sport psychology, the presentation aims to introduce the concept informed by psychological inquiry, and to synthesize and critically comment on the extant scholarship. For this, the wider meaning in life literature will be drawn on to give an overview of components, sources, pathways, and qualities of meaning and set it apart from the related concept of purpose. Methods A narrative review of 15 studies on meaning (n = 10) and purpose (n = 5) from elite sport contexts was conducted. Results The scholarship on meaning and purpose in elite sport revealed itself diverse in terms of employed study designs (quantitative, qualitative), methodologies and theoretical frameworks (e.g., narrative inquiry, phenomenology), conceptualizations of meaning and purpose (e.g., existential meaning, purpose in coaching), interpretations of meaning (intrapsychic or relational), and topics researched in relation to it (e.g., forced migration, injury experiences). To date the literature base on meaning and purpose in elite sport is characterized by fragmentation and largely imprecise use of the concept. Discussion/Conclusion To assist future empirical research and increase conceptual clarity of meaning in elite sport, sport psychology should integrate knowledge from its parent discipline psychology. Additionally, to make the somewhat abstract notion of meaning tangible for sport practitioners, more applied questions must be addressed. Through this, meaning could offer a truly holistic approach to well-being and mental health research and practice in sport. Importantly, “working” with meaning requires personal positioning, since conceiving of meaning as performance enhancement tool or as existential concern has major implications for how it is investigated and for how or whether it should be increased.