The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail: myths of scientific racism and the pursuit of excellence in sport†

Despite the continuing publication of research that suggests there is no scientific basis to ‘race’ as a biological category, theories of racial difference continue to be invoked within sport to explain the perceived dominance of black athletes. In the case of John Entine’s controversial ‘Taboo: why black athletes dominate sports and why we are afraid to talk about it’ or undergraduate textbooks that suggest ‘racial differences’ in physique may significantly affect athletic performance, scientific racism is normalised in sport. In this article, the relationship between scientific racism and sport will be examined. Qualitative research with current sport scientists is used to investigate the socio‐ethical tensions within the subject field of sport science between professionalism, scientism and the demand from external interests to produce results that help people in sport win medals. It will be shown that these tensions, combined with the history of race as a category in sport science, combine to create the discourse of scientific knowledge that reflects, rather than challenges, folk genetics of black athletic physicality.     

Enacting Masculinities in a Contemporary Subcultural Sporting Event: A Gendered Critique

Sport participation and alcohol consumption have been widely examined in analyses of masculinity and implicated in perpetuating hegemonic masculinity in Western cultures. This article addresses a variant of the “Beer Mile,” a ritualistic event that has emerged as an ancillary to major triathlons in Australia. In this context, the Beer Mile is an unsanctioned event simultaneously fusing sport participation and alcohol consumption, intended as a jocular celebration of athletic achievement. This research utilises a case study research design employing multiple qualitative methods to critique gender-based discursive practices and online discourse surrounding the Beer Mile. Analysis revealed the Beer Mile as a masculine-dominated space reinforcing normative assumptions on gender binaries and hierarchies. Numerous constraints to women's participation and implicit endorsement of the sport-alcohol nexus were identified, which may undermine broader efforts in promoting the sport of triathlon through notions of egalitarianism, inclusiveness, and healthy lifestyles.     

The comparative analysis of Hong Kong as an international conference destination in Southeast Asia

The purpose of this study was to analyze the competitiveness of Hong Kong as an international conference destination in Southeast Asia. Survey questionnaires were sent to the conference end-users, organizers, and venues in Hong Kong and Singapore to study the limitation of holding a large conference in Hong Kong, and the importance and satisfaction of site selection criteria for holding conferences in Hong Kong and Singapore. The pair mean t test was used to compare satisfaction differences on the selection criteria in Hong Kong and Singapore. The ANOVA analysis was conducted to identify the selection criteria perceived differently by end-users, organizers and venues. The finding showed that Hong Kong was perceived as less competitive than Singapore as an international conference destination. The study suggested that Hong Kong must overcome its weaknesses and develop competitive advantages to maintain itself as an ideal international conference destination in Southeast Asia.     

体育旅游境外研究进展与展望

研究运用逻辑分析法、文献综述法,对境外体育旅游研究进行整理,围绕体育旅游的定义、分类、研究领域、研究方法、研究理论展开梳理与分析,并提出对未来体育旅游研究的展望。研究表明：（1）在体育旅游定义相关研究中,境外学者对体育旅游的定义并未统一。体育旅游的“属概念”和“种差概念”存在分歧,是造成其定义差异的主要原因;（2）在体育旅游分类相关研究中,境外学者根据不同分类标准得出不同结果,目前学者主要以活动类型、消费者需求、消费者目的和意愿为分类标准,仍存在较大局限性;（3）在体育旅游研究热门领域可以分为体育、赛事、发展进程、空间、影响、利益相关者六大维度,新兴领域主要为“中国”和“可持续发展”。在未来体育旅游研究中,学者们需要进一步开展问题导向下的跨学科交叉研究,进一步拓展和深化体育旅游的研究领域,学习和借鉴境外体育旅游发展研究的成功经验。     

Errata

Abstract

Using large‐scale and nationally representative surveys of the American public conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, the authors examined recent differences in the sport and fitness activities of men and women aged 18 or older. It was found that participation in sport and fitness activity declined by 12% between 1985 and 1990. Contrary to expectations, such declines were greater among women than men, thus increasing the gender gap in sport and fitness. Young women showed greater rates of decline than did older women, and the largest declines, amounting to more than 30 occasions of sport and fitness participation per year, were found among the youngest group of women in the sample. Such differences continued to be pronounced even when the influence of a variety of variables pertaining to biological, social, economic, and lifestyle statuses were controlled. A model for the analysis of such variables in relation to sport and fitness activity is presented.     

Modeling a Demonstration Effect: The Case of Spectators' Experiences at 2015 Pan Am Games' Track Cycling Competitions

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to identify cognitive and affective mechanisms by which the experience of live sport spectating might inspire new sport participation. A conceptual model of demonstration effects that explored relationships among cognitive dimensions of spectators' consumptive experiences (i.e., fantasy, flow, evaluation, aesthetics and physical attractiveness), an affective state of inspiration, and intention to try a sport on display was tested. Data were collected from spectators attending 2015 Pan Am Games track cycling competitions through a written questionnaire. Cognitive dimensions were all positively related to feelings of being inspired while watching the event. Feelings of being inspired while watching the event, in turn, had a positive effect on intention to try the sport of track cycling. An affective state of inspiration also mediated relationships between each cognitive dimension of sport event performance consumption and intention. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Research note sport tourism versus event tourism: Considerations on a necessary distinction and integration

Abstract

Interest in sport-related tourism increased perceptibly around the millennium, however, a comprehensive conceptual framework for a classification of sport (event) tourism is still missing. The predominant focus of sport tourism encompasses event-related touristic endeavors, such as mega sport events; however, an holistic approach to sport tourism suggests the need for further integration of other sub-areas such as nonevent-related components. This research note, therefore, provides a sport tourism perspective and a methodological approach to establishing the sport tourism cube as a necessary tool for the further distinction and integration of sport and event tourism. The research aim is, therefore, to build a foundation for further scientific research in sport tourism.     

Elite sport culture and policy interrelationships: the case of Sprint Canoe in Australia

In recent years, elite sport policy has received considerable research attention. However, to date the emphasis of such studies has been the examination of policies as stand-alone entities and the ways each policy may impact athlete performance rather than how policies influence each other. This study explores the elite sport policy interrelationships of Sprint Canoe in order to explain the dynamic links between policies and how they may affect performance. To explore these links in depth, interviews with coaches, high performance managers and athletes from Sprint Canoe in Australia were conducted. The findings of this study offer a contribution to the existing literature on elite sport policy and go beyond the mere exploration of sport and country-specific policy contexts. They showcase the role of a sport’s culture on shaping policy linkages and interrelationships. The practical implications of recognising where sport policies require attention and how to achieve improvements are discussed.     

Sport,heritage, and tourism

The relationship between sport, heritage, and tourism is strong, and the breadth and depth of research that explores this relationship is significant. This collection adds to the heritage sport tourism literature by considering several new perspectives. In particular, authors have examined sport heritage as a vehicle for understanding and memorializing conflict, as a tool for both celebrating achievement and marginalizing people, as a field of dissonance that often does not conform to tourism promotion and marketing, as a topic that generates, commends, commodifies, and (sometimes) discards “living” heritage, and as a means for discovering, or imagining, genealogical roots. Ultimately, sport heritage illuminates many of the issues, challenges, and debates in heritage and heritage tourism more broadly, while also demonstrating that, through its constant making remaking, sport heritage rarely fossilizes.     

A Canterbury tale: imaginative genealogies and existential heritage tourism at the St. Lawrence Ground

At its most innate, heritage is biological, and perceptions of our own origins can drive many heritage journeys. However, like many heritage excursions, genealogical travel can also fuse objective fact with imagination in the search for meaning and identity. This paper explores a genealogical journey to a cricket ground in Kent, where the search for a family member's past seamlessly merged with broader heritage constructions. Through this journey, it was found that heritage could be seen as a series of dualities; a mixture of collective and individual, objective and imaginative, and tangible and existential. Furthermore, it considers that heritage sport tourism – a topic broadly concerned with extrinsic, tangible heritage such as sports sites, sports museums, and sporting artifacts, can also be viewed through a more existential lens.     

The Essential Role of Sense of Community in a Youth Sport Program

This multiphased study identifies the salient benefits that parents seek for their families from a youth sport program. Phase 1, a preseason focus group study of parents of swimmers in three clubs (N = 15), indicated parents seek a sense of community for their children and themselves, and sense of community is linked to their desire for children to learn sport and life skills. Phase 2, a postseason survey of parents in the same three clubs (N = 129), tested the relationships among coaching quality, friendships, organizational communication, sport and life skills, sense of community, parents' satisfaction, and their repeat purchase intention. Using path analysis, sense of community was identified as the key driver of satisfaction and repeat purchase intention, with swimming improvement also having a significant effect on satisfaction. These findings highlight the central role sense of community plays for participants and their families in youth sport contexts.     

Children’s stories about team selection: a discourse analysis

The aim of our study was to identify and problematise messages and value principles visible in children’s stories about team selection in sport. To achieve this, we adopted a discourse analysis approach. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 24 children aged 10–11 years who participated in four team sports in 12 different Swedish sports clubs. Based on the children’s stories, the findings reveal two discourses of team selection: one participation/inclusion-oriented and one performance/exclusion-oriented discourse in which four different forms of team selection work. The participation/inclusion-oriented discourse constructs sport as a fun game that involves all participating children. The performance/exclusion-oriented discourse shows that coaches select the best children in the team to obtain the best chance of winning games. Some of the coaches have given conflicting messages that align with both discourses, which are revealed by both the girls’ and the boys’ voices in varying degrees. The findings also demonstrate that children’s reasons for playing sport are in harmony with the participation/inclusive-oriented discourse. This discourse represents a child’s perspective, promoting every child’s right to participate under the same conditions. However, the selection procedure in both discourses exhibits strong classification, since coaches are the ones who possess the power to select.     

Assessing the contribution of a major cycle race to host communities in South Australia

The development of major sport events in rural areas offers opportunities for local communities to engage in leisure, sport and tourism activity. While current studies investigate the impact of sport events on residents individually, little research has taken a community perspective. The purpose of this research was to explore the process of event development and the impact upon social interactions in seven rural communities in the 2012 Tour Down Under cycling race in Australia. Using grounded theory to explore community activities, interviews and focus groups with over 100 participants resulted in the development of a core category of collaboration; and five subcategories to examine the role of the event in stimulating community interaction and social capital. A model of sport event development explains the impact of the event development process on community relations in this rural context. Implications are discussed for managing the relationships between communities and event management organisations.     

Applying event leveraging using OGI data: a case study of Vancouver 2010

Although the topic of strategically leveraging the hosting of sport mega-events to achieve socioeconomic outcomes has received some academic attention, research has not systematically applied the theoretical model of event leveraging. The challenge of this paper is to review some of the assumptions of the current theoretical model while using secondary data from the Olympic Games Impact (OGI) study that has been conducted on the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. These data illustrate that, from the perspective of the host, the costs associated with leveraging far exceed the costs associated with hosting the Olympic Games. However, event leverage proves to be a complex process, in which it is nearly impossible to differentiate between impacts and outcomes, even when only government investments into infrastructure are illuminated. Therefore, a conceptual framework that links the sport mega-event with the context of the host is proposed and it is aimed at inviting and guiding future research by clearly assigning the responsibility of leveraging to host governments, with the involvement of other event stakeholders throughout the process.     

Exploring the efficacy of youth sport camps to build customer relationships

Professional sport teams strive to cultivate a large, loyal fan base. Relationship marketing is well suited for developing loyal customers. Professional sport teams provide youth sport camps mostly for added revenue streams and marketing extensions. However, research neglects to investigate which relationship factors may help build or reignite long-term fan development. This exploratory study examined the efficacy of these camps on factors theorised for developing long-term customer loyalty. Parents of camp participants were evaluated because they may appeal to teams interested in short- and long-term results. Using repeated measures MANOVA, matched pre- and post-camp data were collected from 70 parents of participants from four different NBA teams’ youth sport camps around the United States. Data analysis revealed the camps were effective in enhancing team identification, attitudes toward the team, and team satisfaction. Results suggest that youth sport camps assist in building customer relationships with parents. Further, the benefits of relationship marketing efforts may extend beyond primary participants via the familial socialisation process. The three aforementioned precursors to fan loyalty showed significant increases after parents’ experience with the teams’ youth sport camp. These findings highlight a possible marketing platform that can serve both short- and long-term objectives for professional basketball teams.     

会展场馆选择标准研究述评——基于会议策划者视角

文章的主要目的在于对与国外会议策划者选址过程相关的实证性研究文献进行回顾,以期引起对该领域的关注,并推进我国会展业策划实践。文章通过对关键词的搜索,从外文数据库中选取1977～2012年的27篇与会议策划者选址相关的公开出版文献,对这些文献进行述评并梳理每篇文献中会议策划者的选址标准。研究结果发现,目的地及目的地酒店及会展场馆设备设施的质量和性能、成本、安全和人力资源是会议策划者最重要的选址标准。最后,针对现有研究不足提出了未来可能的研究方向,结合我国国情和文化特色从跨文化研究和利益相关者合作角度提出建议。     

Inherent complexity: Disability,accessible tourism and accommodation information preferences

Studies have identified constraints with the way that accessible accommodation information is documented and marketed. Yet, no research has investigated the criteria that people with disabilities determine as ‘important’ to selecting accommodation and their preference for presenting this information. This paper presents the results of a survey (n = 566) to determine the relative importance of room selection criteria through the development of a 55-item Hotel Accessibility Scale. Four information formats were then presented to ascertain the preferences of the respondents. The results suggest that while sociodemographic variables offered some insight into criteria selection, the most significant explanation for criteria selection and information preferences were the dimensions of disability and level of support needs. The preferred format of accessible accommodation information provision was based on a combination of textual, floorplan and digital photography. The management implications suggest that detailed information provision using this format has benefits for accommodation stock yield and social sustainability.     

Internal migration,sport and the Scottish diaspora in England

Sport has been argued to play an important role for members of diasporic groups of various origins and in various locations. However, little attention has been paid to the role sport plays for ‘internal migrants’ who migrate to contrasting locations within a nation-state, despite the potential for significant contrasts in the prevailing sporting cultures found in different regions of the same nation-state. This article therefore aims to make a contribution towards understanding this relationship by reflecting upon the role sport plays for members of the Scottish diaspora living in England, drawing upon interviews and personal reflections from a number of Scottish ‘internal migrants’ located within the United Kingdom. In particular, discussion attempts to draw attention to the central role sport plays for these individuals in order to maintain a cultural attachment with their Scottish birthplace, given the relative lack of other cultural practices or associations which could be used to achieve this goal. Comparisons are also drawn with studies of the Scottish diaspora in more distant geographic contexts, as well as similar diasporic groups in the English context such as the Irish diaspora. These comparisons allow for a consideration of the impact of geographic proximity and cultural proximity on the relative importance of sport and other cultural practices for Scots living in England, identifying a number of important issues for those studying the role played by sport in the maintenance of a cultural attachment with ‘home’ for various diasporic groups.     

Revisiting the notion of cohesion in community sport: a qualitative study on the lived experiences of participants

Research has focused on the question if and how leisure can create social cohesion and can alleviate cultural segregation in divided community contexts. Community sport in particular is believed to create socio-cultural cohesiveness, as it aims at a sense of community, a task in which regular sports often seem to fail. However, the experiences of participants in relation to socio-cultural cohesiveness in community sport remain absent in the existing body of research. This article provides insights into those experiences, by drawing on a qualitative study in Flanders, Belgium. Based on the findings, we challenge the one-sided focus on socio-cultural cohesiveness to obtain a sense of community, as the perspectives of participants reveal that also political and economic dimensions of cohesion are relevant, next to socio-cultural dimensions. We argue that community cannot be reduced to socio-cultural cohesion, but should be understood from the intersection between cultural, economic and political dimensions of cohesion. Implications for practice, both in relation to community sport and the broader leisure field and further research are given.