The process of talent development in sports requires an environment that encourages early identification of inherent sporting potentials in youngsters and provides the necessary support to grow such potentials into refined talents. Across cultures, athletic development is achieved through a synergy between athletes, their coaches, family, school, the community as well as other significant persons and social institutions. Judging by Nigeria's rankings in global competitive sports, the country is yet to evolve an effective template for successful athletic development process. This study adopted a qualitative approach to examine the process of athletes' development in Nigeria. Seven elite Nigerian coaches were interviewed. Inductive analysis of the data indicated certain contextual impediments to athletes' development in Nigeria including organizational and culture specific barriers to talent development, and two drivers of successful development were equally revealed. It was suggested that stakeholders in sport development should collaborate to evolve a template for successful athletes' development where the entire development environment provides the necessary support for athletic development. Keywords: Athletes' development, talent identification, culture specific barriers, drivers of success.
Corporate sponsorship is a common phenomenon in major soccer leagues worldwide. Studies in the area of sports sponsorship decision-making have been done from a global context but lack focus on a particular sport or a major soccer league. Little empirical evidence has emerged in the area of sport sponsorship decision-making factors. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors considered by corporate organizations in availing sponsorship to clubs in the Kenya Premier League. The study determined the influence of team-based, country-based and environmental-based characteristics on corporate organizations’ decisions to sponsor, the first of its kind to be done on the Kenya Premier League. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from six corporate sponsors of community-based, privately-owned and military-based clubs in the Kenya Premier League 2018/2019 season, as well as club chairmen and treasurers. Interviews were also conducted on the managers and assistants of marketing/sales departments of the corporate sponsors. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics to rank the sponsorship factors in their order of importance. Regressions were done to test the hypotheses. The data obtained through interviews were sorted out according to the objectives and presented in a narrative form. The study revealed that team-based factors had the highest significant effect on sponsorship decisions, followed by country-based then environmental-based factors. Key words: Determinants, corporate sponsorship, soccer, premier league clubs, Kenya Premier League, Kenya.
Described in this article is how sport management curricula can offer unique, real-world learning experiences and corresponding student learning gains, when grounded in community based learning (CBL). To achieve these ends, this study was designed to explore how to best execute CBL in sport management, informed, in part, by analyzing the lived experiences of students who were required to develop their understanding of community needs and resources, as well as devise and execute plans to meet these needs, in order to successfully complete the course. Students’ structured reflections of their discipline-specific CBL course and changes-in-self were assessed using rigorous qualitative analysis to detect emergent themes. Results indicated students’ self-reported professional, interpersonal, and intrapersonal gains in relation to how the course was taught/specific pedagogical practices. Competencies subsumed within these categories included learning how to effectively fund raise, learning to negotiate the challenges of group work and team dynamics, cultivating critical thinking and leadership skills, and cultivating self-as-professional. These data inform how to derive the unique impacts of service learning in sport, including the opportunities it presents for students to cultivate professional skills often reported to be under cultivated among recent graduates. Thus, results of this study fill a gap in the literature regarding how to foster student preparedness for “real world” experiences, and serve as model of how faculty and administrators can successfully integrate CBL in experiential sport management coursework. Key words: Community-based learning (CBL), sport management, high-impact practices, fundraising, cultivating pre- professional skills in CBL coursework.
Body image perception has become a public health issue globally. Positive or negative feelings about one self can be influenced by individual and environmental factors. Research has shown that dissatisfaction with body image can have an impact on an individual’s quality of life including an individual’s self-esteem, interpersonal confidence, eating and exercise behaviours. This study investigated the relationship between body image, self-esteem and health behaviour and explored factors affecting body image among senior high school students in the Offinso Municipality of the Ashanti Region. A cross-sectional design with multistage sampling techniques was used to select 561 students for the study. Basic descriptive statistics such as percentage counts, frequencies, Pearson Correlation and regression analysis were used to analyse the data. Findings showed a significant relationship between body image and self-esteem (r=.587), no significant relationship between body image and health behaviour (r = -.002), and also between self-esteem and health behaviour (r = .057). Family influence (β =.361, p =.000) was the strongest predictor of body image. There were gender differences in body image (t (553) = -5.124, p = .000, eta = .43), self-esteem (t (553) = -5.530, p = .000, eta = .47) and health behaviour (t (553) = -2.083, p = .038, eta = .18) among students. Students who have body image concerns are more likely to have low self-esteem, whiles family could be important in helping students develop positive body image. Key words: Body image, self-esteem, health behaviour, students, Ghana.
Local sports administrators are faced with a challenge of upholding fairness and protecting the health of their players due to the difficulties they face to determine the right age categories of athletes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the practices of how age estimation is performed in the sports fraternity in Uganda. The study was qualitative and it involved 19 participants who were purposively selected based on their position in sport administration. Data was collected using key informant interviews and analyzed using thematic content analysis. The findings revealed that age estimation in sports mainly relied on non-forensic methods such as documents, interviews and birth certificates. Forensic age estimation using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was found expensive to be widely used. The challenges associated with wrong age estimation ranged from conflicts, to stifled progression in talent development and potential injuries. The study recommends that a national database that registers people right from birth is put in place and that a standardized national method of age estimation using dental development patterns be relied upon to determine age of athletes especially in sports where age categorization is a requirement. Key words: Age estimation, sports, non-forensic, dental development patterns.
Physical activity specifically in relation to Physical Education (PE) forms a crucial part of total education of primary and secondary school learners. The aim of this paper is to explore various challenges in promoting PE and sport activities in Zimbabwean primary and secondary schools. This paper reviewed and content examined curriculum documents for the determination and identification of the challenges of teaching PE in Zimbabwean primary and secondary schools as well as possible solutions for the identified challenges. Content breakdown identified main thematic areas which can clarify the challenges educators face in teaching PE in various Zimbabwean schools. There is need to be an increase in the knowledge of the teachers and the learners, and to see the important benefits of PE. Key words: Physical learning, primary and secondary schools, sport activities.
The most preliminary factor of an outdoor recreation is nature. In a state where natural resources are depleted, it is not viable to mention an outdoor recreation; hence during recreation activities it is of utmost importance to conserve and attentively consume natural resources. The aim of this study is to analyze the environmental-ethics awareness levels of recreation leaders who play a salient role in outdoor recreation. Participants of the study were 31 individuals employed as recreation leaders in different regions of Turkey. In the research, a personal information form with seven questions and the “Environmental-ethics Awareness Inventory” was used. For analyzing the data SPSS program and qualitative interview technique which is a data collection method was used. As findings of the research are examined it can be suggested that outdoor recreation leaders possess a high level of environmental-ethics awareness in general and those who received a leadership training are more informed on the aim of environmental ethics compared to the participants not having received a leadership training. Key words: Outdoor recreation, outdoor leader, outdoor ethics.
Obesity and health problems have been observed to reduce productivity and increase absenteeism. Although the relationship between health and productivity is strong, few studies have examined whether the level of obesity and physical activity affect the absence from work and how the health-related habits are affected. The aim of this study was to examine the relations between Body Mass Index (BMI), physical activity, health-related habits and absenteeism, among 103 employees of the Greek General Secretariat of Sports. Significant differences observed in the absence days between normal weight (NW) individuals (3.07±1.7), overweight (8.56±3.08) and obese (12.62±10.1). Significant correlations were observed between BMI and days absent from work (R= 0.673), between BMI and activity level (R= -0.497) and between days of absence and physical activity (R= -0.368). NW employees showed significantly higher physical activity score (35.87±15.79) than overweight (24.31±12.8) and obese (14.62±5.9377). In addition, NW employees consume significantly less fast food meals (2.26 ± 1.76) a week compared to overweight (3.72±1.91) and obese (3.54±1.61). This study provides evidence that obesity and lack of physical activity affect the absent days from work. Higher BMI is also associated with unhealthy attitudes and health problems. Key words: Body mass index, health behaviours, absenteeism, physical activity.
The main purpose of this study was to assess the major technical problems in teaching basketball practical session of Grade 11 in Alamura Preparatory School. To undertake this study, descriptive survey design with mixed method was employed. The sources of the data were 63 Grade 11 students, health and physical education (HPE) teachers, 3 principals, and 1 department head. Stratified random sampling technique was employed to select students from Grade 11 natural and social science students by considering sexes. Health and physical education teachers, principals and department head were selected by using availability sampling technique. Moreover, classroom monitors were selected by using purposive sampling technique. Even though questionnaires were the main data gathering instruments, focus-group-discussion, observation and document analysis were also used to enrich the data gathered through questionnaires. The data gathered by using these tools were analyzed by using both descriptive statistics like percentages, rank order, average mean and grand mean. The finding of the study revealed that the cooperation and commitment of school principals and the quantity and quality of technical equipment for basketball practical session were found not to be encouraging. Even though there were student's textbooks in the school understudy, there were no syllabus, reference books and teacher's guide in the school at all. The findings of the study also illustrated that though health and physical teachers' basic skills (shooting, ball handling, passing, pivoting, receiving, boxing, etc.) in basketball technical practical session were encouraging, they have weak pedagogical skills to relate the theoretical aspect of the syllabus with its practical aspect in the basketball field to promote individual practice and they were not technically competent enough to teach basketball practical session in light of individual and team practice due to lack of attention on how to utilize the rules of basketball. The finding of the study also shows that even though students nearly accept and implement comments given by their teachers, they have low speed in playing basketball and they were practicing common personal and technical fouls and violations while playing basketball during practical session and week peer assessment experiences were recognized in the school under study. Key words: Basketball technical practical session, basic skills, pedagogical skills, technical equipment.
The purpose of this study was to examine the pictorial content of entertainment and sports programming networks (ESPN) The Magazine’s Body Issue to determine the type of coverage sportswomen received in the annual special edition. The Body Issue was intended to celebrate the physical characteristics of athletes through visual representation that honored diverse human elements such as body shape, height, and weight. A total of 276 photos were examined. Although it was hypothesized that female sport competitors would be overrepresented on the Body Issue pages, male athletes garnered more photographic coverage than female athletes. Though it was not a significant difference (χ2=3.365, p=0.162), female athletes were photographed more in non-athletic poses than their male counterparts. Gender did not play a role in photo prominence, as a Chi Square test revealed no statistical difference (χ2=14.176, p=0.077). Female athletes who competed in individual sports received more pictorial coverage than female athletes in team sports (χ2=36.010, p < 0.000). Though it appears the special issue’s mission was upheld and the study found some advances made in how female athletes were represented in comparison to their male counterparts, much work is still needed before we can truly celebrate progress. Key words: Consumer behavior, sport media, gender, sport management.
Establishing a strong fan base within the inaugural year of a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Program presents many challenges. Tracking consumers and their behavior becomes imperative as sport marketers seek to better understand the first fan adopters of a new program. With new NCAA football programs being established every year, sport marketers of a new program are challenged to not only find a loyal fan-base who will continue to support the program despite win or lose, but find new and innovative ways to grow their fan base. The purpose of this study was to examine attendance demographics and consumer behavior for the inaugural football season at a NCAA Division 1 program. Data were collected (n = 914) from a relatively equal distribution of fan groups (students- 34.8%, alumni- 32.9%, and other- 32.3%) via an in-person survey completed on a tablet interface. Results demonstrate that the level of fandom (temporary, devoted, or fanatic) impacts certain consumer behaviors, including; overall support of the program, media consumption, and game day behaviors. Key words: First fan adopters, Division I football, consumer behavior.
The objectives of this study is to identify the motivational factors which make judo athletes train for years until they finally become world and/or Olympic champion in judo. The work employed closed-ended rating values questionnaires Three Brazilian Olympic judo team members, (men and women) 41 in total were evaluated. Three professional experts of renowned and proven experience in judo competitions validated the questionnaires. The results showed a list of several indicators which have been classified and prioritized as: outcome motivation, coping with adversity, peak under pressure, setting goals/mental preparation, concentration, no worries and eager to be trained. All these values were prevalent in the closed-ended questionnaire obtained in this ranking. In conclusion, different factors exist which motivate judo athletes to continue to practice judo without considering the present but the future rewards. On the other hand, their resilience reduces over a long period of time. Key words: Judo, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, extracurricular physical activity, physical education.
The aim of this study is to determine the quality of evidence obtainable from published clinical trials on motor interventions, and assess whether the quality, in terms of methods and results, is sufficient to enable the development of evidence-based recommendations for clinical practice on children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD).Here, a systematic review was conducted, with the addition of randomized controlled trials and quasi-randomized studies, with no language or time restrictions.Pre-school and school-aged children of both sexes, with DCD were considered for inclusion.As the primary outcome, the motor skills of the children were evaluated.Searches were conducted in the following databases: MEDLINE/PubMed, LILACS, SCOPUS, CENTRAL, CINAHL and PSYCINFO.Results revealed that 1002 studies were encountered.After screening, 21 studies were initially considered eligible.Finally, after analysing the full articles, 9 studies involving 339 children were selected, comprising 6 randomized controlled trials and three quasi-randomized studies.The quality of evidence of most of the included trials was sufficient to recommend motor interventions for clinical practice on children with DCD.Finally, more clinical trials would be needed so as to define the best intervention, since different interventions presented positive effects.
Insufficient attention has been given to the relationship between sport video games and sport consumer behaviors even though sports and sport video games are popular, multi-billion dollar industries. The purpose of this study is two-fold. First, examine the effects of sport video gamer identification on sport consumption behaviors. Second, investigate the extent which sport fan identification moderates the relationship between identifying as a sport video gamer and sport consumption behaviors. A structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was employed to test the hypothesized relationships. The results indicated that sport video gamer identification had a positive impact on sport consumption behaviors, but sport fan identification did not moderate the relationship between sport video gamer identification and sport consumption behaviors. Though the results were mixed, connecting sport organizations with sport video gamers does appear worthwhile because playing sport video games and identifying as a sport video gamer may lead to sport consumption behaviors. Key words: Sport video gaming, sport consumption behaviors, sport fan identification.
Reduced cardiovascular fitness (CVF) is a risk factor for obesity and cardiovascular disease. It has previously shown that a school-based fitness curriculum can improve CVF, and other health indicators in middle school aged children. Whether an afterschool program improves CVF and other health markers in elementary-school children is unresolved. The objective of this study was therefore to determine whether an on-site afterschool-based fitness program improves body composition, cardiovascular fitness level, in elementary school children. 80 elementary school children were evaluated in a "fitness-oriented" afterschool program managed by the local YMCA. Children underwent evaluation of cardiovascular fitness by maximal VO2 treadmill testing and body composition by dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), at baseline (prior to the school-year) and again at end of the school year. Findings revealed that, at baseline, children had a mean age of 8.8 years, BMI of 18.7± 3, with a maximal VO2 of 40.03 ± 7.6 ml/kg/min, and percent body fat of 28.7 ± 7%. After a 9-month intervention, children maximal VO2 increased to 44.8 ± 7.5 ml/kg/min (p=0.04) and percent body fat decreased to 25.8 ± 6.2% (p=0.033). The study concluded that on-site afterschool programming focusing on fitness improved body composition and cardiovascular fitness, in elementary school children. Combined with prior studies, these data demonstrate that afterschool-based fitness curricula can benefit both obese and non-obese children. It was therefore recommended that, partnerships with schools to promote fitness even outside of school time should be a part of a school approach to improving children's health.
