Women's Sports Research Articles

Female elite sports achievements in Iran. The Case of the First Olympic Medalist

The present study aims to identify the societal implications of the first-ever Iranian female medalist in the Olympics to date. We explored the meanings given to Kimia Alizadeh's success within Iranian society. We collected data through an examination of online news agencies and social networking sites using Leximancer software, a computer-assisted program for qualitative content analysis. This analysis uncovered four main themes: ‘women's sports and the dynamics of local-global policy’, ‘hope and determination’, ‘pride in light of hijab’, and ‘meaningful and historic medal’. It was concluded that the societal implications of this medal-winning are more important than the quality of the medal itself within Iranian society. We also suggest assessing Iranian sportswomen within their own socio-cultural context.

Pelaksanaan Program Layanan Sosial Dan Keterampilan Pada Anak Penyandang Masalah Kesejateraan Sosial (PMKS) Di Panti Sosial

This research was motivated by the large number of youth with social welfare problems who managed to have the provisions and abilities through social service programs and skills services held by the Panti Sosial Binan Remaja Harapan Kota Padang Panjang, regardless of their slightly problematic social status.This study uses a qualitative approach, with data sources consisting of research subjects, namely the manager of the Harapan Adolescent Social Institution in the City of Padang Panjang, and research informants, namely students at the Panti Sosial Bina Remaja Harapan City of Padang Panjang. This study uses data collection techniques such as interviews, observations, and documentation, using data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions as data analysis techniques, as well as triangulation of sources and methods for data validity techniques.The results of this study indicate that the implementation of the Social Service and Skills Program for Children with Social Welfare Problems (PMKS) at the Panti Sosial Bina Remaja Harapan City of Padang Panjang, namely: the social service program contains entrepreneurship, social and community relations, ethics and behavior change, religious guidance, women's jurisprudence guidance, psychological guidance, art guidance, sports and others. Meanwhile, the skills service program includes sewing and embroidery skills. Overall, the implementation in the field went smoothly, and was in accordance with the expectations of the Padang Panjang City Community Development Center for Youth Hope. The results of the program are also in accordance with what has become the target of the program itself, such as students who have the courage to socialize with local residents by showing good ethics, have been able to produce clothes for everyday use, and some have started to open businesses. sew yourself and even sell the stitches

Perceptions of the Socioeconomic Impacts of A Women's Major Sporting Event in Africa

Major sports events have emerged as an important destination development tool for many developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to assess the socioeconomic impacts of the 2016 Women African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) hosted in Cameroon. Taking the hosting cities (Limbe and Yaounde) as the case study sites, the study utilized a mixed-methods research approach. The data emerged from the 759 questionnaires distributed to the event attendees and 10 interviews with key informants. The study showed the event to have created employment and income generation opportunities in the host cities and have contributed to increased national pride and social cohesion. Also, the study found the event to have played an important role in the advancement of women in sport. However, the research revealed little leveraging of the event's socioeconomic opportunities for longer gain. The study concludes that female sports events, for destination development and the advancement of women's sport, is an important but neglected area of focus. The study argues for stronger collaborations and partnerships within tourism and sport stakeholders to ensure the positive advancements of female sports events are sustained.

Women in Sports: Some Physiological Issues and Gender Differences - A Brief Overview

Access to participation, training, and competition in sports has historically been denied to women. But clearly, this view has changed dramatically in recent years. The significant number of women in competition, coaching, administrative, officiating, ang training positions, is a matter of serious concern. The present article briefly highlights some important as well as pertinent physiological issues under the purview of gender along with some suggestive measures in favor of the worldwide movement of sports for all.

Defining ‘woman': A governmentality analysis of how protective policies are created in elite women's sport

Women's sport remains a contested realm that frequently features standards and regulations premised on women's inferiority and physiological distinctions from men. In response to these purported sex-based differences, a range of protective policies have been implemented to ostensibly ensure women's safety and health, defend “fair competition” in women's sport, and/or prevent the violation of social and medical boundaries that define who is a “woman.” Yet, protective policies encompass a multitude of rationales and strategies, demonstrating the malleability of “protection” in terms of who is protected and why. In this article, I draw from Michel Foucault's theory of “governmentality” to investigate the nuances of protective policies, especially their placed importance on sex differences. To do so, I examine three case studies: World Athletics’ (WA) 2019 female eligibility policy, WA's 2019 transgender eligibility policy, and the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) consensus statement on relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S). Using document texts and semi-structured interviews with eight scientists involved with developing the case studies, I find that protective policies are developed through messy and often contentious processes that selectively draw from varying knowledges and discourses. This then culminates in contrasting methods of defining, protecting, and governing women athletes and their bodies.

Sports Journalism and Women Athletes: Coverage of Coming Out Stories by William P. Cassidy

Reviewed by: Sports Journalism and Women Athletes: Coverage of Coming Out Stories by William P. Cassidy Michael Tsai (bio) Sports Journalism and Women Athletes: Coverage of Coming Out Stories William P. Cassidy Palgrave Macmillan, 2019, ix + 127 pp. ISBN 9783030305253, $59.99 hardcover. Building on his incisive study of how journalists reported the coming out of two American male professional athletes (Sports Journalism and Coming Out Stories: Jason Collins and Michael Sam), William P. Cassidy has turned his attention to how the media covered the coming-out stories of prominent female athletes Billy Jean King, Sheryl Swoopes, and Brittney Griner in his latest book Sports Journalism and Women Athletes: Coverage of Coming Out Stories. Cassidy's 2017 examination of how American print media reacted to the public announcements by NBA veteran Jason Collins and Michael Sam (a standout collegiate defensive end drafted by the NFL's Los Angeles Rams) offered fresh insight into the breadth and depth of reporting and analysis devoted to the events over their initial thirty-day coverage cycles. In content analysis of some 248 print stories, the author found that, contrary to the perception of sports sections as the "toy departments" of daily newspapers, sports journalists dug deeper than presenting facts, reached beyond official sourcing, and addressed social issues outside the traditional boundaries of sports coverage. In the new book, Cassidy acknowledges previous analysis of media coverage of LGBTQ athletes from a perspective of cultural hegemony—thereby accounting for the vast disparity between overall coverage devoted to men's and women's sports as well as perceptions about the comparative impact and newsworthiness of male and female athlete coming-out stories—and expands the conversation utilizing the same media sociology approach he applied to his analyses of the Collins and Sam examples. [End Page 113] Cassidy's book is meticulously researched and firmly grounded in established theory and practice. In the first of four chapters, the author lays out the justification for his examination, citing the traditional lack of coverage of women's sports, the unique challenges faced by women in professional sports, and evolving media coverage of lesbian athletes. In King, Swoopes, and Griner, Cassidy selected three very distinct subjects whose coming-out stories effectively span the history of out lesbians in professional athletics. The chapter devotes the most space to explaining the unprecedented circumstances surrounding King's public disclosure that she had engaged in a years-long affair with hairstylist Marilyn Barnett, a response to a lawsuit Barnett had filed against King that revealed their relationship. As Cassidy notes, "When King was outed in 1981, it marked perhaps the first time journalists were forced to directly discuss lesbian athletes in sports" (2). The extended history lesson on King, which documents the range of positive and negative reactions and representations in the press and the issues they raised, establishes a baseline for the examination of Swoopes's more contrived and significantly less controversial coming out (via a 2005 story cowritten with LZ Granderson for ESPN's website and magazine), which coincided with her newly signed endorsement deal with Olivia, a travel company marketed to lesbian clients. While Swoopes's announcement received generally positive coverage, Cassidy observes that much of the reporting and commentary either questioned the significance of the story (given the widely held assumption that many female athletes are gay) or reframed the story as a set-up for the question, "How much harder would it be for a male athlete to come out?" By the time Griner came out eight years later, the reaction from the media seemed to be a collective shrug of indifference. While it is true that King, a pioneering feminist icon whose fame and popularity transcended her involvement in sports, and Swoopes, who ranks among the most dominant WNBA players of the generation next to Cynthia Cooper and Lisa Leslie, had higher profiles when they came out, the physically imposing Griner was a Wilt Chamberlain-like presence in college basketball and one of the few female basketball players to regularly garner highlights on ESPN's SportsCenter before becoming the overall No. 1 pick in the 2013 WNBA draft. The muted reaction was largely attributed to Griner's own understated...

РЕАЛІЗАЦІЯ МАРКЕТИНГОВИХ ІНСТРУМЕНТІВ У ТРЕНДАХ ЦИФРОВІЗАЦІЇ СПОРТУ ТА ІНДУСТРІЇ ФІТНЕСУ

The article stipulates that for the physical education, fitness and sports industry, the use of marketing is quite acceptable, but requires verification, synthesis and adaptation of tools to the specifics of the industry. The development of sports marketing in some literary sources is studied through the selection of sports phenomena: social, economic and political, and a vivid example of market synthesis of the aspects outlined above is the fitness market, which began to grow actively in Ukraine, starting in 2005. It is also determined that for this industry the trainer is a system-forming element, since it is the trainers who are in the plane of permanent interaction with the client, and the "trainer-client" tandem, which is crucial for the successful operation of institutions in this industry. It is substantiated that the use of marketing methods in the form of self-marketing is extremely effective and relevant for a coach, while coaching activity requires possession of a set of diverse knowledge and skills, including: marketing and SMM-management, administration, financial service, pricing, economic analysis (at least - determination of the break-even point), at least minimal knowledge of anatomy, physiology, elements of rehabilitation, psychology, quality time management skills. It is determined that the actual phenomenon of today is the digital component, which is effectively implemented in the sports industry with the help of marketing tools and is developing extremely rapidly. An overview of the most relevant trends in the combination of marketing and digitalization of the sports and fitness industry was carried out: OTT (Over the Top) Content; AI (artificial intelligence), VR (Virtual reality), AR (augmented reality) and MR (mixed reality, Wearables, eSports, Dark Social, Sustainability, Women in sports, Children in sports, Seniors in Sport in combination with the Internet, social networks, databases + "fast" Internet, Sales (Place), Product, Product life cycle, Trend=Target audience, Marketing analysis, Socio-ethical marketing, Market segmentation, Target marketing, Maslow's needs. It was determined that the considered digital products and technologies and marketing tools organically combine and effectively strengthen the development of the industry, while the trend towards individualization actualizes the need for indepth research of the marketing object – an individual or a certain group of people.

Modifying rules in women's professional sport: a case study of the Australian Football League Women's league

Rule modifications are common-place in men's professional sport however there is little understanding of why rules are modified in women's professional sport beyond sociological enquiry. This research aims to understand the Australian Football League's (AFL) rationale for, and approach to, modifying match rules for the inaugural Australian Football League Women's league (AFLW). Performance data was collected from 295 players during ten exhibition matches in 2016 and semi-structured interviews were conducted with AFLW managers (n = 2) and coaches (n = 8). A rigorous data-driven approach to modifying rules for the AFLW suggested that the AFL had commercial logics and were not driven by gendered expectations. However, quantitative data indicated that rule modifications made no significant difference to the commercial appeal of match play. Rather, the AFL's commercial priorities in modifying rules were tempered by developmental logics of operational stakeholders which led to the introduction of minimal rule modifications for the AFLW.

Women and Sport Consuming: A Systematic Review

Pitts and Stotlar (2007) state that sports marketing is the process of designing and implementing activities of production, pricing, promotion and distribution of a sports product to meet the needs or desires of consumers and accomplish the company's objectives. For Azevêdo (2009), what was simply a growing adherence of practitioners and fans of some modalities - especially soccer - has become an economic power today. The need to implement new strategies to attract, satisfy and win the loyalty of consumers has become more necessary with the great development of the Sports Industry (Fagundes et al., 2012). As an area of academic research, the search for sports marketing has received more attention in national and international publications (Rocha & Bastos, 2011). In parallel with the growth of the Sports Industry and the need to serve consumers better and better, it is noted that women have had an increasing impact on the global sports economy (Harrison et al., 2016). However, a disparity in access and experiences in sports by women is still verified (Cunningham, 2015) and this is reflected in research, as much of the research regarding sports consumption does not have an analysis of the female audience, as corroborated by Delia (2014). In this sense, the objective of this article is to analyze the academic production that focuses on investigating sports consumption by women. This research is characterized as a Systematic Review according to the concept of Gomes & Caminha (2013). Initially, 250 articles were found and, paying attention to the established criteria, 7 articles were included in this review. We can conclude that the academic production that focuses on investigating the sports consumption by women is still scarce, it is recent, there is no globalization of research and search for specific female cores. We highlight the importance that entities should value women's sports since representation leads to greater consumption and, consequently, to greater financial gain. Understanding different contexts and populations can allow the comprehension of conditions related to consumer understanding, thus increasing generalizability.

How does spectator marketing in women's leagues differ from that in men's leagues

Women's sport has been receiving increasing attention internationally. However, only a few studies have examined the differences in effective marketing strategies for men's versus women's leagues or teams. Most research assumes that women's and men's teams are marketed in the same manner. This study's purpose is two-fold: first, to compare the men's and women's league's spectator demographic variables emphasising the uniqueness of spectators in women's sport; and second, to compare the spectator motivation between gender-based leagues. A series of questionnaire surveys were conducted at the Women's and Men's V. Premium Leagues, Japan's top-level volleyball leagues. This study uses a 2,405 dataset and implies that differentiating spectators by combining spectator and athlete gender will enable sport marketers and researchers to understand a sport's consumer more intimately. Additionally, even though both sports are the same, it is crucial to devise completely different marketing strategies for different leagues.

“Singgappenne”: Women's Sports in Tamil Cinema

AbstractWomen’s sports drama is a new addition to the increasing number of genres in post‐millennial Tamil cinema. This article analyzes the representation of women’s empowerment through sports in two such Tamil films: Bigil (Atlee 2019) and Kanaa (Kamaraj 2018). Bigil is a hero‐centric football movie while Kanaa is a heroine‐centric cricket movie. Qualitative content analysis was used to explore the representation of women athletes in both movies. Both movies show the various challenges women athletes face in pursuing their dreams. However, Kanaa is a more realistic portrayal of women’s sports and gives much more voice to the female protagonist when compared to Bigil. In Bigil, the coach is presented as a savior who helps women athletes excel in football. In Kanaa, the coach plays a realistic role of defending, supporting, and training his players to succeed.

Modifying rules in women's professional sport: a case study of the Australian Football League Women's league

Modifying rules in women's professional sport: a case study of the Australian Football League Women's league

U.S. Women's Sport Consumption and Self-Identified Fandom: An Exploration of Social Structural and Sociocultural Antecedents

In this study, using data from the National Sports and Society Survey (N = 2853), we examine U.S. women’s reports of their sport consumption and self-identified sport fandom. Multiple regression analyses are used to assess associations between social structural and sociocultural antecedents of consumption and women’s frequencies of watching and following sport, frequencies of attending live sport events, and the amount of money that they spend to watch and follow sport. We then investigate the relationships between women’s sport consumption behaviors and their fandom. We find that women are common consumers of sport and their consumption is positively associated with their socioeconomic statuses, number of children, social relationships, sport participation experiences, and sport-related identities. We also find evidence that women’s sport consumption behaviors are only modestly associated with their levels of fandom. We conclude with reflections on what these results mean for better understanding and supporting women’s sport consumption and fandom.

Addressing the Complexity of Violence Against Women in Sport: Using the World Café Method to Inform Organizational Response

In this article, we discuss the process and outcomes arising from a unique collaboration involving researchers and professionals to explore key gaps and challenges in sport organizations’ responses to violence against women. Using the World Café method in a 1-day research forum in Victoria, Australia, we brought together state sport organizations, violence against women organizations, and multidisciplinary researchers to reflect upon the multiple contexts that shape violence against women in community sport. Drawing together insights from feminist research and a socioecological perspective, this article contributes to sport management scholarship by using an innovative methodology for collaborative knowledge sharing and creation to explore the challenges and opportunities for organizational action to address violence against women. We advance a gendered lens for understanding how power relations shape sport management practice contexts as well as future research into organizational thinking, research, and responses to violence against women.

Information Technology in Sports Clothing

The purpose of this study, to meet the needs of Muslim women to carry out exercise activities so that Muslim women do not struggle to find clothes that fit their style in everyday life, using Social media as a tool for promotion. This study used a descriptive method to describe the efforts of Muslim women's sports clothing through social media as a promotional tool because nowadays many women who already use hijab during exercise. The results obtained from this research added employment opportunities. The reason to be accomplished and get noticed is the clarity of the utilization of social media and see what is being needed by women today. The conclusion of this research is young people especially those who have not opened the business, this business is used as an example or the first step of opening the daily effort to increase income and learn to become a professional entrepreneur

Fit to Breed: Exercise and Sport in Women's Speculative Fiction

Abstract: This essay examines Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Ursula Le Guin's "The Matter of Seggri" as critiques of the segregative gendering of exercise and sport—especially, with regard to their portrayals of the dystopian ramifications of stringent communities where procreative competence is the sole criterion for determining bodily fitness.

Get into the trenches with your coaches, staff

When Lonny Allen, M.Ed., Vice President of Athletics at Tiffin University, brought in the emerging sport of women's wrestling and what he hopes will soon become the emerging sport of stunt, along with other men's and women's sports for a total of six new varsity teams, it meant much more to him than just checking the boxes for Title IX compliance. “This gives me a chance to have a role in giving women in sport more opportunities. We hope that we can hire more female coaches and bring more female student‐athletes to campus,” he said. And as the father of three daughters, he said he has even more reason to be a champion for women's sports.

Re-thinking Women's Sport Research: Looking in the Mirror and Reflecting Forward.

Despite decades of research and advocacy—women's professional sports continue to be considered second class to men's sports. The goal of this paper is to rethink how we state, present, and solve problems in women's sport. To affect true change, the wisdom of a broad stakeholder group was embraced such that varied perspectives could be considered. A three-question survey was developed to examine what key constituents believe is working in women's sports, what they believe the salient challenges are for women's sport, and how they would prioritize the next steps forward in the post-pandemic sport landscape. Results indicated siloed differences of opinion based upon the age and role of the stakeholder in the women's sport ecosystem. We discuss the implications and offer recommendations as to how we as scholars might recalibrate our approach to women's sport scholarship to maximize the impact of our research and affect change.

Sport-Specific Increased Risk of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Following a Concussion in Collegiate Female Lacrosse.

Poor neurocognitive performance has been associated with a greater risk of musculoskeletal injury, and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury prevention protocols include exercises to improve neuromuscular control. Research shows that a concussion elevates the risk for subsequent lower-extremity injury, because concussions lead to lower neurocognitive performance. Studies have been conducted using data within individual male sports, such as football and rugby, or across collegiate sports in aggregate; no study has focused on women's sports. Using 7 years of data collected by athletic training staff at Davidson College, this paper evaluates preconcussive versus postconcussive lower-extremity injury risk across five collegiate women's sports: field hockey, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and lacrosse. Using incidence rate ratios, lacrosse athletes had a five-fold increase in ACL injury risk within 365 d following a concussion. Recognizing that postconcussive ACL tear risk varies across different women's sports is important in informing sport-specific concussion return to play protocols.

THE NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR GENDER EQUALITY: WOMEN, SPORTS AND MILITARY INSTITUTIONS

In Greece, sport as a tool for the promotion of gender integration and social justice has been included in the upcoming National Action Plan for Gender Equality (NAPGE) for 2021-2025 by the General Secretariat for Demography and Family Policy and Gender Equality of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. The social space of sport is also included in the currently in effect NAPGE, formulated for 2016-2020 by the General Secretariat for Gender Equality (GSGE) of the Ministry of the Interior. This article begins with a presentation of the upcoming-updated NAPGE 2021-2025 and subsequently examines NAPGE 2016-2020 which is currently in effect. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the strategic goals of the NAPGE are being implemented in the Hellenic Military Higher Education Institutions and specifically in their academic curricula and programs, focusing on coed sport activities. A strategic goal of the NAPGE 2016-2020, as in the one to follow for 2021-2025, is to promote equality in education, culture, sport, and the media. To eliminate gender inequalities the NAPGE, presently in effect in Greek society, sets six strategic goals, and incorporates the gender dimension in all social, political, educational and sports bodies. Following European Commission guidelines, the NAPGE priority areas focus on promoting health; eliminating gender-based violence; supporting equality in education, training, culture, sport, and the media; promoting social integration and equality. As regards education, the main objectives include eliminating gender stereotypes and all forms of discrimination. Research shows that women's sport participation challenges gender stereotypes. Subsequently, women’s integration and gender equality in the military is discussed, using the curricula and sport programs at the five military schools/academies along with the interview data from our previous study with twelve active-duty female officers, former cadets at these five institutions. Our findings indicate that the gender dimension is taken into account: the NAPGE is being implemented, to a certain extent. Our results show that coed sport activities and team sports cultivate acceptance, cohesion, teamwork, and collaborations, leading to women’s integration and inclusion, in addition to a healthier and more productive military environment and culture. 
 
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