Tag: SSSF

In this peer review article for Scandinavian Sport Studies Forum, Petter Gottschalk asks the question of what might work best in sport management when the focus is on preventing, detecting, and correcting individual deviance, which is a negative phenomenon in sport as it refers to behaviors that go against and violate expectations, norms, values, as well as rules, regulations, and laws. While ethical and democratic leadership styles are normally recommended, sometimes dictatorial and narcissistic leadership styles are needed to fight deviance.

In this peer review article, Arto Kuuluvainen examines how sports spectatorship contributes to national identity in the Nordic countries, with a particular focus on the culturally exceptional position of ice hockey in Finland. Using two survey datasets—a comparative Nordic survey from 2022 and Finnish brand-perception data from 2018—the study analyses national pride and satisfaction related to international sporting success, as well as patterns of sports following through media and live attendance. Finland reports the highest levels of sports-related national pride, and ice hockey is the most followed sport in Finland, whereas football dominates in Sweden and Norway.

Drawing on a precarization framework, this article by Hanna-Mari Ikonen argues that sport sociologists should more explicitly recognize the growing influence of contemporary working life on individuals’ sport and leisure practices. Leisure is an ideal context for diverse physical activities, which are widely recognized as beneficial for health and wellbeing. However, an increasing number of people hold precarious jobs, such as fixed-term or involuntary part-time contracts, or are permanently employed in very low-paid positions. The article shows that precarious employment profoundly affects people’s lives from emotions to material conditions.

This study by Sakari Holopainen, Mihaly Szerovay, Niilo Konttinen and Marja Kokkonen explored the types of leadership characteristics found in a men’s national football team. The research question was: What leadership characteristics describe a men’s national football team? Our data comprised 182 pages of transcripts of interviews with five coaches and two players from a men’s national team. The team’s leadership structure was characterized  by the coaching staff and players having clear roles while leaving space for informal leaders to emerge as needed.

Systems thinking and complexity science have expanded in recent years within sport policy research, particularly in the examination of physical activity policies. This trend is based on a growing recognition of the complex nature of sport and sport policies, which calls for new theories and methods of analysis. To provide an overall picture of the current state of the research, Tuomas Häkli and colleagues conducted a scoping review guided by the following research question: What type of research has been conducted using systems approach in sport policy?

Within the male-dominated realm of long-distance swimming during the 1930s and 1940s, Sally Bauer’s accomplishments disrupted entrenched stereotypes of women as fragile and passive. She broke barriers and redefined societal perceptions of female athletes and their capabilities. However, despite her extraordinary achievements, Bauer was never fully acknowledged as a national icon or Swedish heroine. Societal biases of the time overshadowed her groundbreaking contributions, denying her the recognition she rightly deserved.

This peer review article by Jannicke Stålstrøm, Zack P. Pedersen & Marina Iskhakova examines the influence of Olympism in a cross-cultural context within the Youth Olympic Games educational program. A mixed methods approach was used to analyse both quantitative and qualitative data from former Singaporean and Norwegian Youth Olympic Games athletes. The findings indicate that when comparing Singaporean and Norwegian athletes, Singaporean athletes appear to be more receptive towards the Youth Olympic Games educational program and its impact.

There is a paucity of studies that have used qualitative methods to examine organizational capacity in relation to membership growth. Against that background, Eva Berthelsen Schmidt & Karsten Elmose-Østerlund set out to identify critical capacities for membership growth in voluntary sports clubs. Data was collected through telephone interviews. The study identified critical capacities for membership growth that other studies have found to be important for goal achievement, but the authors also identified differences in the role of some capacities.

Research that investigates the impact of heteronormativity on physical education (PE) is extensive. In this peer review article, Kristin Vindhol Evensen, Håkan Larsson and Elisa Strømman expand previous knowledge that describes PE as heteronormative, binary, and hierarchical by offering phenomenological analyses of transgender people’s experiences of PE. Where previous research has focused on structural binary arrangements in PE, this article describes the embodied experiences of such arrangements.

This study by Lucas Adler & Alex Krumer is motivated by the scarcity of research on attendance demand in women’s soccer. They aimed to investigate the determinants that shape stadium attendance in Norwegian Toppserien women’s league. From relatively low numbers, attendance has increased significantly over the examined period. Toppserien fans appear to respond positively to the level of game quality and the team’s performance. The results also suggest that the fans of women’s and men’s Norwegian soccer teams have rather distinct consumer profiles, highlighting the need for tailored marketing strategies for women’s teams.