Sports Studies and Sports Psychology – Page 33

The Importance of New Forms of Technology in the Dissemination of Humanistic Ideas

Dr. T.J. Rosandich, United States Sports Academy vice president

### Introduction

Human play, as embodied in sports, is one of the most important expressions of human culture. It can be said that the games people play in a society are a reflection of the society as a whole. It can also be said that communication is the one dominant attribute that distinguishes human beings from every other species on the planet. Thus the intersection of communication and sports in the human experience is an important one.

The Olympic movement is considered to be one of the largest social movements in human history. Nowhere else do the countries of the world gather in one place as they do during the Summer Olympic Games. While the peaceful gathering of the world’s youth for sports competition is the embodiment of that intersection of sport and communication, this fact underscores the importance of the media in conveying Olympic values and ideals. In many respects, it is a relationship between the Olympic community and the media that allows the Games to be conducted on the scale that they are.

This presentation will briefly examine the evolution of this relationship from the founding of the Olympic movement at the height of the Industrial Revolution to the dawning of the Information Age. The discussion of the early days will necessarily be brief as the primary focus of this presentation is on the ways that technology, and more specifically the Internet, is driving the communications process and with it the dissemination of the human ideals. There will be a discussion of some of this new media and the presentation will conclude with some of the challenges before us as we look to the future being wrought through technological change.

### Evolution of Media

As has already been noted, the Olympic movement was founded at the height of the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century. The founder of the Olympic movement, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, authored many articles arguing for the establishment of a modern Olympic Games. An example of this effort was the publication of an essay in the “Review de Paris” in June, 1894 on the very eve of the first Olympic Congress setting out his vision for the establishment of a modern Olympic Games (4).

Writing in the 19th century was a lengthy process, meaning that 19th century writers faced a much longer period than happens today, between researching, writing, and receiving payment for their work. Only the best educated individuals, usually from privileged backgrounds had the time, expertise, talent, inclination, and financial backing to undertake this effort (2). Illustrated news weeklies or monthlies were among the primary means of communication and dissemination of the news in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This medium was also one that was particularly well suited to the audience that de Coubertin was trying to reach. The founders of the Olympic movement were well educated and well-to-do. Therefore, the message to this audience leant itself well to the tenets of the early games that they should only be open to amateurs; those who participated in sport as an avocation as opposed to a vocation (4).

However, the on-going Industrial Revolution was bringing about important society-wide changes that allowed sports to flourish. This included a population migration from rural to urban centers, increases in disposable income accompanying a rise in the middle-class and eventually, more leisure time that allowed more recreational activities, among them participation in and the viewing of sports events.

Concurrent with the rise in the middle class was a wider distribution of newspapers, many of which began to include sports coverage. Sports coverage did, in fact, become one of the ways that newspapers in larger metropolitan areas competed with each other. As interest in sports generally, and local teams particularly, began to appear in newspapers, the amount of space given over to this content expanded over time. As there were in these early days, no broadcast media, the newspaper sports coverage of the day was largely descriptive play-by-play recaps of the sports events.

Eventually, however, broadcast media was introduced to the communications mix and began to usurp the role historically played by the newspapers. First radio, and later television, allowed the audience to experience the sport events as they occurred with their play-by-play broadcasts. Thus, the role of the newspapers and weekly or monthly sport themed news magazines began to evolve from reporting the play-by-play, now done by the broadcast media, to more reporting of “behind the scenes” activities or analysis of the athletes, teams and events. There are two lessons to be learned from this experience. First is that as technology evolved and new forms of communication emerged, message content carried in the channels of distribution changed as well. So too is this the case today; as technology evolves so does the nature of the message content being distributed.

The second lesson concerns the role of “gatekeepers” such as editors or producers in the public communications process. During this early period there were comparatively few media outlets. In Europe, countries might have one or two “national” newspapers plus those in the metropolitan areas. In the United States, there was no general national newspaper until the advent of “USA Today” in 1982. While larger metropolitan areas may have as many as five news dailies, most of the country were smaller markets that could support no more than one or two. In terms of electronic broadcasting, the available air time for sports was typically limited as most outlets aired a variety of content and in the early days of television in the United States there were only three major television networks. Because of the limited availability of channels of distribution, editors in the newsroom or producers of over-the-air broadcasting wielded enormous power in determining what their audience would read or hear. The selection process for media was typically driven by market concerns; but in any case was decidedly autocratic.

### The Information Age and Rise of the Internet

Human civilization has moved from the Age of Industry to the Information Age. While the general consensus is that the dawn of the Information Age is the 1970’s, the changes wrought to society through technological change really accelerated with the creation of the World-Wide- Web (the web). As changes in technology changes channels of communication and message content, a brief discussion of the underlying technology is in order.

The early 1960s saw experimentation with computer technology that established the protocols for what became known as the Internet in 1969. This feat was followed by the development of Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML) in 1989 that became the basis for the development of the web though it was not until 1993, that the web was introduced to the public-at-large.

Most early websites were a series of static web pages connected by hyperlinks that could be internal, which provided structure to a website or external leading to other websites based on whatever criteria the webmaster decided. The underlying computer technology such as processors, memory, and connectivity limited the content of these early web pages. Most hosts, or the site where the web content was posted, were initially personal computers (PCs) adapted for this purpose, although eventually specialized computer devices called “web servers” evolved. Over the years, the capability of these website servers has changed dramatically as has the role of the webmaster. Today, virtually all commercial or professionally developed websites are dynamic with the web content contained in a relational database called “the backend”. Most websites also have a variety of plug-in applications, such as secure financial transaction software for ecommerce, called “middleware”, and the front facing graphic interface that people see when they arrive at a website. Webmasters have evolved into web developers and the skills required for maintaining a website can vary significantly between those working the backend and those designing the frontend.

On the recipient’s end were similar technological limitations. PC’s that had their processor capability expressed in numbers such as the 286, 386, 486 and Pentiums. In terms of connectivity, bandwidth has increased exponentially with a succession of changes from dial-up modems to ISDN and now broadband. Thus, early on the limitations of technology necessarily limited the content; e.g. the message.

Over the past 30 years, society has experienced a fundamental change in the way information is created and disseminated. From its rudimentary early beginning, the interface between computer technology and users has evolved to a point where virtually anyone can create “media content” and post it to the web where it can be accessed and read by anyone in the world with access to the computer resources to do so. This has led to another fundamental and extraordinarily significant change: a process of democratization. No longer can gatekeepers such as the editors or publishers of the old media exert autocratic or monopolistic control over the flow of information into the public sphere. There are, however, both positives and negatives to this state of affairs as we shall see in our ensuing discussion of the evolution of the web.

### Web 1.0 – The Inaugural Web

During the formative days of the web, strategies for the dissemination of information could be broadly classified as “push” versus “pull”. Push refers to the proactively sending out or distributing messages across the Internet most commonly by email from one user’s account to another. One of the ways in which email was used as a precursor to today’s Web 2.0 applications, such as blogs and social networking sites, was the listserv. A listserv was a group of individuals typically bound together by a common interest who signed onto an email list to receive messages on a topic of mutual interest. When an email was sent in bulk to the list, anyone in the group could respond to the sent message which subsequently went to everyone else in the group. In so doing, an online discussion and sharing of ideas would ensue.

Unfortunately, the widespread abuse of email has gradually restricted its utility as a medium of communication exchange beyond personal messages. Both marketers and criminals seized upon email as a means to try and sell their wares or dupe people into giving up money which gave rise to the spam phenomenon. Unfortunately, spam is still a plague on the Internet with an estimated 48.5 billion messages sent everyday largely through networks of compromised computers called botnets. In March, 2011, one of the largest of these, the Rustock Botnet that was sending as many 13.82 billion spam emails each day, was finally taken down by the authorities (8). Partially as a consequence of this abuse, more and more people are seeking out alternative channels for the sharing of electronic communications such as through the messaging capabilities of Facebook or Twitter.

The other concept is that of “pull” in which individuals actively seek out web content utilizing web browsers and devices such as search engines. The key to this strategy is to insure that this web content is properly optimized and has appropriate tags so it becomes more visible on the web and easier to find.

Education is the most powerful vehicle for the transmission of human ideals. It is in the realm of education that the Internet has had a profound impact. The advent of the Internet and the worldwide web has fundamentally changed the paradigm of education; a paradigm that had essentially been unchanged since the 16th century. Early on, the Academy embraced this change and developed a distance education program that can be defined as asynchronous, transformational, and computer mediated. This means that the Academy’s students can pursue their studies across the Internet using computer resources at any time and from any place without the faculty and student needing to present on-line at the same time. While removing impediments to learning created by time and space, the institution has transformed the traditional educational experience of the lecturer in the classroom to learning activities distributed through the web in which learning outcomes and course objectives are satisfied.

There has been a lot of skepticism with respect to the efficacy of online education. The validity of the model has been validated by the Academy’s own research among which has been the comparison of comprehensive examination results between resident and online students. The institution’s accrediting agency, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, reviewed and approved the Academy’s distance education program in 1996, and currently more than 85% of the Academy’s students report that they have learned as much or more through online education as they did in resident study. The Academy is also pleased that more than 96% of its students would recommend the Academy’s online education programs to friends or colleagues.

Illustrative of this approach to education is the Olympic Values Education Program (OVEP) that was prepared for distance learning delivery by the Academy under a grant from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2008. Through the web, the OVEP program is available to anyone in the world who has access to the Internet, and further utilizing emerging technology, such as the Google Universal Translator, albeit with some inherent limitations, it can be accessed in any one of 52 different languages. The online OVEP course can be reached at [students.ussa.edu/olympic_values](students.ussa.edu/olympic_values). I should also note that the Academy recently completed another such cross-cultural academic offering with the preparation of a bachelor’s degree course entitled the “Shaolin Philosophy of Kung Fu.” The basis for the course is a 1,500-year-old manuscript that was translated from the ancient to the modern version of Chinese and then into English. The Academy’s Department of Instructional Design then refined the English and placed it into an online course environment. In so doing, East meets West, the ancient meets the new and we come full circle insofar as the modern English course can be translated back into Chinese with the universal translator function built into the Academy’s Course Management System (CMS).

Very important in the supporting of student education and the dissemination of human values is access to libraries and research resources. In 1997, the Academy was among the first organizations to put online a peer-reviewed research Journal, [The Sport Journal](http://www.thesportjournal.org). This Journal is provided subscription-free to the public and is accessed on average about 15,000 times per week. As a matter of interest, all of the papers from last year’s International Olympic Academy (IOA) were posted to The Sport Journal site in a special Olympic edition of the Journal. From the comfort of their own homes, the Academy’s students can use the Internet to access more than 57,000 libraries in 112 countries that have over 70 million holdings and 270,000 unique journals through the institution’s library portal on its’ website. However, access to educational resources, such as libraries, are not restricted to students in universities. Very early in the development of the web, the Encyclopedia Britannica posted its entire body of work online and made it available on a subscription basis. Today, there are a myriad of libraries to which the public has access free-of-charge, such as the Alabama Public Online Library. Organizations such as Google are digitizing the holdings of entire research libraries with the ultimate intent of placing these online for ease of access; though inevitably at a price.

### Web 2.0 – The Social Web

The rise of participatory information sharing through the Internet has truly revolutionized the dissemination of information using web 2.0 techniques. With the advent of the social web, the creation of content has evolved from the efforts of a comparative few in the media professions to a model that maximizes the contributions of the multitudes. With about 400 social media platforms available and an untold number of blogs being authored, the proliferation of communication channels, both public and professional, and private and amateur, allow for the contribution of millions of people sharing a public conversation unprecedented in the human experience. One of the most important consequences of the proliferation of these platforms available to virtually anyone with access to the Internet, is the democratization of media content. What people can see and hear has been taken out of the hands of the gatekeepers and placed into the hands of society at large.

It is not possible within the constraints of this presentation to cover all aspects of the social web, so the author has selected five representative examples beginning with a discussion of Wikipedia. If the Encyclopedia Britannica, long acknowledged as a definitive compendium of human knowledge, represents Web 1.0 technology in which content is simply posted and accessed by people through subscription, Wikipedia represents a web 2.0 application because of its collaborative nature insofar as anyone can submit articles for inclusion.

Ironically enough, I have turned to Wikipedia for a definition of itself though I should note that at the Academy there is a prominent notice posted on the library portal that Wikipedia is not considered an appropriate source of citations for research papers for reasons that will be explained. By its own definition, Wikipedia is a free, web based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wiki Media Foundation. Its 18 million articles (over 3.6 million in English) have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world, and almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site. Wikipedia was launched in 2001, and has become the largest and most popular general reference on the Internet ranking seventh among all websites on Alexa.com (a web statistics reporting site) and 365 million readers. (9)

The reason that Wikipedia has not been widely accepted in academic research has its roots in its early days. The articles submitted at that time frequently were not carefully researched, often inaccurate, and sometimes posted with malicious intent. It is significant to note that many of these issues have been addressed through the use of anonymous reviewers who examine submissions from the general public for both accuracy and appropriateness. Nonetheless, it still remains a very important resource insofar as researchers, especially the youngest, still access Wikipedia as a point of departure in their research to give them ideas on where to go for additional information.

For those of you who have entries in Wikipedia, it is worth your time to periodically check the content to ensure that someone has not submitted inaccurate or even malicious information. Further, and especially given the reach of Wikipedia, it affords organizations the opportunity to promulgate their missions and activities. For example, in the entry on Olympia, the article posted there cites its role in the ancient Olympic Games and presents a chronology of the site by era to the present day. It does not, however, mention the IOA so a submission could be authored for consideration and inclusion how Olympia serves as the site of the IOA together with a description of its mission and function.

One of the true phenomena of the last few years in Web 2.0 technology is the rise of Facebook as suggested by Internet usage statistics posted on Alexa.com. In April, 2011 more than 40% of all global Internet users visited Facebook on a daily basis, a rate of usage that has remained consistent over the past three months.

Facebook represents the power of social media as individuals sharing common experiences are provided a platform through which these experiences or interests can be shared. As friends beget friends, the media content on Facebook expands in ever increasing circles. This content is not limited to posts or messaging, but also includes YouTube video clips, decidedly unscientific opinion polls, and games. Additionally, the messaging function built into Facebook has, in many circles, replaced email as the preferred means of interpersonal electronic communication.

Facebook can be a two edged sword as the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time found out much to his chagrin. This individual, who won a record eight gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, suffered the consequences of the posting of a photograph to Facebook of him consuming illegal recreational drugs. This incident sullied his image and reputation and cost him millions of dollars in endorsement revenue. The irony is that the picture posted was not posted on his personal Facebook page, but on that of another individual who happened to be at the same party. In this instance the interconnectivity of the medium produced dire consequences for a sports hero and role model. This incident also underscores the need to be circumspect with what one posts to social media sites and a good guideline is not to post anything you would not want to see in a newspaper. It is not uncommon for prospective employers, among others, to search out Facebook pages in an effort to gain insights on a given individual.

Another extraordinarily popular site, and one already mentioned, is YouTube. Founded in February, 2005, viewership on YouTube exceeded two billion views per day in May, 2010. YouTube allows viewers to watch and share originally created videos and provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small (10). Alexa.com reported in April, 2011 that YouTube is the third most visited global website receiving just over 26% of daily website visits over the past three months.

YouTube, whose web interface is available in 42 languages, can be accessed by anyone although those individuals who want to post content on the site must be registered. For regular users, the time limit for any one post is 15 minutes. Posting video content there can be accomplished from a wide range of devices from computers to mobile phones. YouTube video posts spread across the entire Internet by appearing as links in emails, posts on other social media platforms, such as Facebook and in blogs. Periodically, a video on YouTube will “go viral”, which simply refers to a phenomenon in which the content captures the public’s imagination and is promulgated through a vast array of distribution channels.

However, sites such as YouTube pose a recognized threat to the business model of many sports organizations. The blogging and social media rules of the IOC specifically proscribe the posting of “moving images” or sound. While these guidelines can be enforced on accredited individuals to the Games, such as national delegations or the media, it is much harder to do with spectators seated in the stadium. Modern 3G or 4G phones can easily capture video of sporting events from the stadium seat, and the video can be uploaded to YouTube through a user’s account. While such activity violates the terms of service for registered account holders, the process for removing the content and terminating a user’s account can sometimes be a lengthy one. In the meantime, to the extent to which the video has been accessed and distributed through posts on other social media web sites or platforms, it can never be removed from the web in its entirety. Obviously, this is a major issue for media companies that may pay as much as billions of dollars for exclusive media rights to the event.

Another social media phenomenon is Twitter and, in fact, the Winter Games in Vancouver were cited as the first “Twitter Olympics” (5). The Twitter posts, called tweets, of the athletes provide insights to their physical and mental preparation for competition, their reactions to being in the Olympic Games and other aspects of the Olympic experience that simply were not possible in the past through traditional media outlets. Twitter allows for the sharing of the human experience with an unparalleled immediacy and intimacy with potentially vast audiences that is not tempered with the interference of a gatekeeper. Many tweets generated by Olympians at the Vancouver Winter Games can be found on the web by simply “Googling” Olympic athlete tweets.

However, as was the case with Facebook, Twitter can also be a two edged sword. There have been instances where athletes have posted comments denigrating their competition, the officials, and even their teammates or coaches. These actions can create dissension on teams and when comments go viral, they can take on a life of their own and stir considerable controversy and unfavorable comment in the press. This has occurred frequently enough that some teams ban their athletes from using Twitter, while other teams such as that of the Australian Olympic Team provide their athletes with training on the appropriate use of the medium.

Lastly, I would like to touch on “blogging” as a medium for the dissemination of the human experience. A blog can be thought of as an online diary, open to the public, and onto which an author can write on any topic they choose and to which anyone who reads the post can, in turn, reply. These blogs typically focus on a particular topic such as politics or sports and there are blogs on virtually every topic imaginable. Taken altogether, these blogs are referred to as the “blogosphere.”

With all of the attention that this form of human endeavor engenders and the emotion that it evokes, sports are a common topic in the blogosphere. As one might expect, the blogging commentary related to sports can be both positive and negative. Frequently the authors of blogs do not have the professional or academic preparation to speak knowingly about which they write. The unfortunate thing about blog posts that are inaccurate is that they often carry more weight than they deserve. Illustrious of this situation is the phrase, “it must be true, I read it on the Internet”. The Academy is seeking to address this situation in some small measure through its decision to change one of our online publications, The Sport Digest, into a blog. Through this effort, Academy faculty and other well regarded individuals in the profession generate articles on a host of issues surrounding the sport profession. These posts have a basis in fact or are otherwise well-reasoned and as is the case with other blogs, afford the readers an opportunity to respond to the issues.

### Web 3.0 – The Semantic Web

While the term Web 2.0 has entered the lexicon, Web 3.0 will be the next step in the evolution of the Internet. A common, agreed upon definition for Web 3.0 has yet to emerge but a consensus is building that it will be a combination of technology through which the entire web is turned into a database combined with the marshaling of human resources. New computer languages such as HTML5 will allow computers to read online content and so will facilitate the identification and indexing of the web, a process that will make content more accessible.

Beyond the changes in technology, renowned web futurist Clay Shirky argues that for the first time in history the web has provided the tools to harness society’s “cognitive surplus.” Essentially, the cognitive surplus is derived from the trillions of hours of free time that the residents of the developed world enjoy and that has steadily increased since World War II. Increases in gross domestic product, education and life span have provided riches of free time but that prior to the Internet was squandered in non-productive pursuits. The Internet democratized the tools of production and distribution and the Internet made the benefits scalable: value comes from the combined cognitive surplus of millions of individuals connected to a network that allows collaboration. (1)

Shirky is an example of this dynamic at work. In the course of researching this paper, the author continuously came across references to Shirky and his theories of cognitive surplus. As more authors agreed with the concept than those that did not, it suggests that these theories are gaining traction and apparently have some merit. Through this process of review and debate, concepts and theory are continually refined adding to the body of knowledge through which the human condition can be enriched.

### Challenges

With all of its potential to elevate human discourse and to assist in the dissemination of human ideals, many challenges remain. This can fall into three broad areas as follows:

The first is economic. There exists in a very real sense a digital divide in which a vast proportion of the worlds’ population remains without access to computers or the Internet. In many respects, the Internet still remains a world of the “haves and have nots.” In some respects we have almost come full circle to the human condition of when Olympic movement first began in the late 19th century in which access to information was the domain of the privileged few. This fact has been recognized and there are efforts to address this imbalance through the production of low cost machines to allow the underserved populations without the necessary economic resources to gain access to the Internet.

A looming issue is a social one. Governments all over the world took note at the “Jasmine Revolution” in Tunisia and the events in Tahrir Square in Egypt and the role that Web 2.0 applications played in mobilizing the population to overthrow the political establishment. In the most populous country of the world, the two most globally accessed websites everyday cannot be reached at all. So in a very real sense, we could be headed to a world of two Internets; one in which the flow of information is free and unfettered, and another where access to information resources are tightly controlled or restricted to what the government believes to be “politically acceptable.” (7) In the West, the Internet has played a role in self-censorship resulting in societal fragmentation and polarization insofar as people have a tendency to seek out and read only that information that reinforces their points of view. If the ability to share information is deemed to be strength, impediments to the free flow of information can only be deemed to be a detriment in a future of shared human values.

The last issue is technical. Computers as we know them, those bulky desktop machines and even portable laptops, are going away. What is going to occur in the future, will be a proliferation of smaller devices such as tablet computers, IPhones, and Androids that provide access to the Internet, but where the information that they generate is stored on the Internet itself (also called the cloud). However, all of these devices require wireless connectivity and the amount of electromagnetic spectrum through which these connections are made is a finite resource. In June 2009, the U.S. Government took back that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum through which analog television signals were broadcast. This spectrum was subsequently auctioned off to telecommunication providers and others such as Google; but the fact remains that in the not-too-distant future this bandwidth will also be exhausted. All of this is setting the stage for a time in which data consumption will be metered as is any other utility and subject to the laws of supply and demand (3). Thus, if the digital divide was created by economic conditions, the situation can be exacerbated by “metered Internet access.”

The solution will be found both in the technical, such as content providers better streamlining their services, or through the creation of better means by which access is gained such as twisting the wireless signals.

### Conclusion

Information technology has unquestionably changed human society in ways that can scarcely be imagined. From early experiments in the 1960’s to today, the Internet, as embodied in the web, has over 171 million web hosts. Assuming an average 100 pages on a given website (the Academy website has more than 800 pages) would yield an estimated 17.1 billion pages of web content, the vast majority of which can be accessed by anyone. Research shows that the Internet, excluding the deep web, is growing by more than 10 million new static pages every day. (6) Thus, the Internet spans virtually the entire gamut of the human existence and can be a powerful medium for the conveying of humanistic ideas. It has provided a vehicle that can educate and entertain us and can serve to make society more cohesive. In so doing, it has created an environment for public discussion unequaled in human history but at the same time, it can also serve to isolate us from each other. People can immerse themselves in an environment where the virtual becomes reality and normal communication with others slowly becomes lost. In any case, the evolution of the Internet has brought about a democratization of media content and has created an environment in which all can participate. It is, as the title a popular novel suggests, “A Brave New World.”

### References

1. Davis, P. (2010). Here Comes Everything: A Review of Clay Shirky’s Cognitive Surplus. Shareable: Work and Enterprise. <http://shareable.net/blog/here-comes-everything-a-review-of-clay-shirky%E2%80%99s-cognitive-surplus>. (13 July, 2010).

2. Harper, A. (2007). 19th Century Magazine – An Amazing Source of Public Domain Information. Ezinearticles. <http://ezinearticles.com/?19th-Century-Magazines—An-Amazing-Source-of-Public-Domain-Information&id=762208>. (3 October, 2007).

3. Gruman, G. and Kaneshige, T. (2008) Is Our Internet Future in Trouble? InfoWorld. <http://www.infoworld.com/d/networking/our-Internet-future-in-danger-715>. (11 November, 2008).

4. Guttmann, A. (1992). The Olympics; A History of the Modern Games. (2nd. Ed.). Champaign-Urbana: The University of Illinois Press. 13

5. Mann, B. (2010). Olympians On Course Using Twitter. MarketWatch Blogs. <http://blogs.marketwatch.com/vancouverolympics/2010/02/10/olympians-on-course-using-twitter/> (10 February, 2010).

6. Metamend. (2011). How Big is the Internet? Metamend. <http://www.metamend.com/Internet-growth.html>. (14 April. 2011)

7. McMahon, R.; Bennett, I. (2011). U.S. Internet Providers and the Great Firewall of China. Council on Foreign Relations. <http://www.cfr.org/china/us-Internet-providers-great-firewall-china/p9856>. (23 February, 2011)

8. Slashdot. (2011). Spam Drops 1/3 After Rustock Botnet Gets Crushed. Slashdot IT Blog. <http://it.slashdot.org/story/11/03/29/1516241/Spam-Drops-13-After-Rustock-Botnet-Gets-Crushed>. (29 March, 2011).

9. Wikipedia (2011). Wikipedia. Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia>. (24 March, 2011).

10. YouTube (2011). About YouTube. YouTube. <http://www.youtube.com/t/about_youtube>. (23 March, 2011).

U.S. Sports Academy2016-04-01T09:34:50-05:00June 30th, 2011|Contemporary Sports Issues, Sports Management, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

Medicine and the Olympic Games of Antiquity

Dr. Spyros Retsas

Mr President of the International Olympic Academies, Distinguished Directors, Ladies and Gentlemen; it is a distinct honor and a great pleasure indeed to return to the magic of Ancient Olympia on the occasion of the 11th International Session for Directors of the National Olympic Academies.

I am grateful to President Kouvelos for the invitation to speak on “Medicine and the Olympic Games of Antiquity.”

I shall discuss today athleticism and the profound influence sport exerted on the evolution of the healing arts of classical Greece.

I shall also argue that the unique ethical, philosophical and clinical profile of ancient Hellenic Medicine is not a random event in the history of civilisation but the direct consequence of a culture that indulges in nature, excels in competitive sport, cultivates reason and respects the individual.

Imagine now that you are visitor to the city of Athens in the year 380 B.C. the year of the 100th Olympiad about to take place on the very grounds that we stand today; the year when Xenophon of Aigai – of the Royal city of Macedon – will be crowned with the olive wreath for his victory in the pankration.

Imagine for a moment that on a crisp spring morning you are standing on the Acropolis. In the distance you can see Plato’s Academy, the famous gymnasium of Athens, where the youth of the day have begun their training in preparation for the forthcoming Olympic Games. You turn south and in the distance you see the glittering Aegean Sea, the witness of the battle of Salamis, when democracy triumphed over despotism; and a few streets away an orator is putting the final touches to his speech to be delivered shortly at Olympia. This is what he writes:

> _“…now the founders of our great festivals are justly praised for handing down to us a custom by which, having proclaimed a truce and resolved our pending quarrels, we come together in one place, where, as we make our prayers and sacrifices in common, we are reminded of the kinship which exists among us and are made to feel more kindly towards each other for the future, reviving our old friendships and establishing new ties…”_ – Isocrates (in Panegyricos)

Written in 380 B.C., the ideals of Isocrates’ (436-338 B.C.) speech are still reverberating at the opening ceremonies of contemporary Olympiads and are as appealing and elusive to humanity today, as they were two millennia ago, to the Hellenes congregating at Elis for the greatest celebration of their world. Isocrates’ _Panegyricos_, although in praise of Athens, captures also the political dimension of the Olympiad as a Pan-Hellenic institution in the conscience of Hellas.

Aware of the repercussions of an Olympic victory, Philip of Macedon competes in the equestrian events and erects the _Φιλίππειον_ to commemorate his victory; a valuable instrument of his political and dynastic ambitions for hegemony over the rest of Greece. The ruins of this building can still be seen by the modern visitor of ancient Olympia.

### The Sporting Ethos

Perhaps no other passage of Greek literature reflects the ethos of sportsmanship and the values of Ancient Greece than Homer’s account of Odysseus’ involvement in the Phaeacian games.

> “…One can see you are no sportsman, your mind is on profit…”

This is how Prince Euryalus talks to Odysseus who, exhausted from his sea voyage, declines the invitation to join the athletic games of the Phaeacians. Insulted, Odysseus leaps to his feet, picks up the biggest discus of all, a huge weight, and throws it overshooting all other marks. It is this spirit of sportsmanship and an aversion to profit – pecuniary or otherwise – that is the core of the Olympic ideal and so central to the culture of ancient Greece. Homer, of course, has good reasons to describe this episode in these colors; he is the Educator of Hellas.

A natural environment that permits outdoor activities throughout the year facilitates sportsmanship that becomes an essential element in the life of the Ancient Greek.

A society developing – in the words of Hippocrates – _in privileged climatic conditions_, learns to respect the individual, becomes increasingly detached from theosophy and superstition and cultivates reason; this passionately naturalist culture, enjoys a liberal religion of gods with human weaknesses and humor and cares largely for excellence on earth and little for afterlife.

Excellence develops with the athletic and intellectual pursuits of the youth in the gymnasia of the _polis_ and is ultimately glorified in Pan-Hellenic festivals, the most celebrated of which was held at Olympia. Medicine emerges in parallel and in the service of these activities.

### Philosophy and Sport

Originally the gymnasia were places where the young men would exercise in athletics naked (_γσμνοί_). This, in fact, is the derivation of the word for the modern gymnast exercising on bars. Gradually, as the symmetrical and harmonious training of body and mind became the educational concern of the state, the gymnasia became places of learning and intellectual pursuit.

The _Academy_ and _Lyceum_ in Athens where **Plato** (427-347 BC) and **Aristotle** (384-322 BC) taught were the two most famous gymnasia that influenced in a profound way the whole of the Greek civilisation.

**Aristotle** is known in our universities as a philosopher and naturalist, not as a doctor. He is however familiar with medicine through his father **Nicomachos**, the Royal Physician to **Philip of Macedon** and he is interested in the anatomy and function of living organisms in broad biological terms.

From Aristotle and the lesser known _Hippias of Elis_ we have the early catalogues of the names of Olympic victors. **Koroibos of Elis** was the first man to win the stadion race at the first Olympiad in 776 BC. His name has been associated with the beginning of the Olympic Games.

### Function of the Officials

Aristotle tells us about the tasks of _gymnastai_ and _paidotribai_, the officials in the gymnasia, who were responsible for the training of athletes.

Other officials, the _ἀλείπται_ or _anointers_, were responsible for anointing with oil the athletes who were about to exercise. This initially simple task developed gradually into methodical massaging and eventually into a speciality that was concerned with many aspects of hygiene and athletic routine.

Thus the _ἀλείπται_ gradually became known as _ἰατραλείπται_ (healer-anointers), or doctors of hygiene _ὑγιεινοί ἰατροί_. These interesting paramedics – we shall call them _athliatroi_ – greatly promoted dietetics and the art of caring for orthopaedic injuries and other commonplace traumata in the gymnasia.

Among the best known _athliatroi_ are **Herodicos of Selybria** and **Ikkos of Taras**, men of broad education otherwise known as sophists, who were particularly concerned with athletic hygiene. Ikkos himself may have won the pentathlon in 444 BC at Olympia. Professional rivalries between _athliatroi_ and the more orthodox therapists of the Hippocratic and Galenic tradition were inevitable.

### Hippocrates

The Hippocratic corpus consists of 72 treatises; there are copious references within the Corpus to the words _gymnastics_, _exercise_, _diets_, _athletes_ etc. However no references were found to _Olympia_, _Olympiad_ or _Olympionices_ (Olympic victor).

**Hippocrates** (460 BC) distinguishes between gymnastics and medicine in the treatise, _On the places of man_ (ΠΔΡΙ ΣΟΠΩΝ ΣΩΝ ΚΑΣΑ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΝ) (***Γσμναζηική δὲ καὶ ἱηηρική ὑπενανηία πέθσκεν…***); “Gymnastics and medicine,” we read, “are by their nature opposite, for gymnastics have no need to cause changes [in the human body] but medicine has. For changes are not needed in the state of a healthy individual, but this is necessary in the patient.”

In the treatise _On joints_ (ΠΔΡΙ ΑΡΘΡΩΝ), Hippocrates makes a clear distinction between properly trained doctors, “iatroi”, and those “lesser experts,” as he puts it, who frequent the wrestling rings (***ηὸ ηοιοῦηο δὲ ποιῆζαι μεηρίως ἐπιηήδειος ἄν ηις εἴη ηῶν ἀμθί παλαίζηρῃ εἰθηζμένων***). Elsewhere in the same treatise he advises on a method of reducing a shoulder dislocation, “a method simple and useful in the palaistra” (***Αὗηαι δὲ αἱ ἐμβολαί πᾶζαι καηά παλαίζηρην εὔτρηζηοί εἰζιν.***)

### Special Diets

There are stories about Olympic athletes who achieved high performances and ultimately their victories on special diets. One athlete is known to have had a diet of dried figs and another gave up cheese for large quantities of meat. We do not know the reasons for this choice. In the treatise _On Ancient Medicine_ (ΠΔΡΙ ΑΡΥΑΙΗ ΙΗΣΡΙΚΗ) Hippocrates discusses extensively the impact of various foods on well being and we find an elaborate reference to the intolerance of cheese which can be “a wicked food” (***πονηρόν βρῶμα***) for some people, whereas others tolerate it well and for them can be an excellent nutrient.

### Galen

Some six centuries later, the celebrated Physician **Galen of Pergamum** (129 – 200 AD) and a scholiast of Hippocrates, is concerned with similar issues. The Olympic Games continued uninterrupted to his time and gymnastics, hygiene and athletics were still very much part of everyday life of the Hellenic and Roman world.

In a treatise with the title, “Is health a matter of medicine or gymnastics?” (ΓΑΛΗΝΟΤ ΠΡΟ ΘΡΑ ΤΒΟΤΛΟΝ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΝ, ΠΟΣΔΡΟΝ ΙΑΣΡΙΚΗ Η ΓΤΜΝΑ ΣΙΚΗ Δ ΣΙ ΣΟ ΤΓΙΔΙΝΟΝ) addressed to his friend Thrasyboulos, Galen cannot hide his distaste towards the athletes’ trainers. “The most unfortunate of the athletes,” he writes, “who never won a victory, suddenly decide to call themselves gymnastai. Even worse some of them attempt to write and argue about massage and wellbeing or health or exercises”. In another treatise, _Protrepticos_, an “Exhortation on the art,” (ΓΑΛΗΝΟΤ ΠΡΟΣΡΕΠΣΙΚΟ ΛΟΓΟ ΕΠΙ ΣΑ ΣΕΧΝΑ) he addresses the question, does the athlete’s life benefit himself or the state? He makes a case against the athletes and quotes **Euripides** who, in his usual tragic mood, calls the athletes “The worst evil of Greece”. In the same work Galen derides **Milon of Kroton**, a celebrated Olympic victor who allegedly won the olive wreath seven times.

This extraordinary athlete had an extraordinary end. He tried to cut open with his hands a tree trunk. The tree closed up and trapped his hands. He could not free himself and in the evening he was torn to pieces by wild beasts. “A silly man,” says Galen. “but what else can one expect from an athlete?” (Ἐδήλωζε δὲ καὶ ἡ ηελεσηή ηἀνδρός, ὅπως ἦν ἀνόηηος)

Galen is not an impartial witness. He is attacking the athletes probably because he despises their trainers, who interfere in medical matters. He is also unfair to Milon who, apart from his astonishing athletic achievements, was an educated man and a disciple of Pythagoras.

Galen refers to the Olympiad in his book on “Periods.” “Some early physicians,” he writes, “mention that paroxysms of certain diseases happen periodically, but they do not explain what the name period means.” He goes on to give a definition of the Olympic period relevant to medicine in chronological terms.

In another treatise, “On the composition of medicines” (ΠΔΡΙ ΤΝΘΔ ΔΩ ΦΑΡΜΑΚΩΝ ΣΩΝ ΚΑΣΑ ΣΟΠΟΤ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΝ Γ), he refers to “the brown medicament of the Olympionice, (Φαιὸν τὸ τοῦ Ὀλσμπιονίκοσ ἐπιγραφόμενον) that promptly relieves great pains and chemoses.” The prescription is obviously not his, because he eagerly states his modification by two additions to the previously described components. It was possible to resurrect Galen’s ointment at the Chelsea School of Pharmacy with the kind help of Dr Jolliffe and Mr Burt. The ointment contains cadmium? (***Καδμείας κεκασμένης καὶ πεπλσμένης δρατμὰς ή***), opium, antimony, zinc oxide, frankincense, aloe indica, saffron, myrrh and a raw egg.

Galen’s medicament had to be really good if it were to be of any use, for injuries in the Olympic Games, particularly in the body contact events, were serious. There were no silver or bronze medallists in those days. Only one of the contestants in each event could win, the rest were losers. The competition for the olive wreath among the athletes was fierce, and casualties frequent and occasionally fatal.

### Deaths and Injuries

We know of at least two boxers who were responsible for the death of their opponents-**Diognetos of Crete**, and **Cleomedes of Astypalaia** who subsequently went mad. The judges denied the latter his victory, not because he killed his opponent but because he broke the rules of the contest. Fatalities were recognised risks in sporting competitions and athletes who accidentally caused the death of their opponent during an Olympic contest were normally immune from prosecution.

Boxers tried to protect themselves during training by wearing ear-protectors called ἀμφωτίδες or ἐπωτίδες. However, these circular pieces of thick leather or metal, fastened around the head and jaw, were not allowed during the actual contest when the most punishing injuries were taking place. Fractured noses, cut eyes and torn ears were common. Derisory epithets of boxers such as “Cauliflower Ears” (Ωτοθλαδίας) have survived in the literature.

Yet, all was not ugly in boxing in those days. We hear of a certain **Melankomas** who was “as healthy and unmarked as a runner” because of his unique style and tactics. His biographer **Dio Chrysostomon** tells us that Melankomas, a favourite of the crowds, used to exhaust his opponents by continually changing position without ever receiving or striking a blow. His movements were simple, light and graceful. He won numerous competitions in various Pan-Hellenic festivals and may have won an Olympic victory during the 206th Olympiad (45 AD).

### The Pankration

Athletes suffered even more devastating injuries during the Pankration, an event combining wrestling and boxing. **Plato** comments on it “as a contest combining imperfect wrestling with imperfect boxing”. The only things that were forbidden during this contest were “biting and gouging”. We hear of **Arrichion of Phigaeleia**, a Pankatiast (the word means all-powerful), who won his victory posthumously. He was captured by his opponent in a terrible hold that was strangling him. In a desperate attempt to free himself, Arrichion seized the foot of his opponent and crashed it, dislocating the ankle. The other man, unable to bear the pain, raised his hand in the signal of a withdrawal, while Arrichion breathed his last at the same moment; he won the victory not because he died, but because his opponent gave up.

Injuries from spectacular falls during the popular horse and chariot races must have added to medical emergencies.

The soil of Olympia may have claimed several victims with tetanus. This disease was well recognised at the time of Hippocrates and is thoroughly described in the Corpus, but we have no written accounts of tetanus episodes relating to Olympic athletes.

Another possible cause of injuries may have been accidents from the throwing of javelins and the discus. Tradition has it that **Oxylos**, the founder of Elis, the Greek province where Olympia is, left his country because he accidentally killed his brother **Thermios** while throwing the discus.

### Sanitation and Medical Services During the Games

Heat, dust, a limited supply of water, rudimentary sanitation and those Mediterranean insects that are determined to spoil the enjoyment of ancient and modern visitors to Olympia, must have added to morbidity among the thousands of participants in the games. The overwhelming majority of visitors slept in the open air or in tents, and for food and drink depended on itinerant caterers.

**Pausanias**, a traveller and writer of the second century AD, gives us an idea of the problem with insects. “They say,” he writes, “that when Heracles was sacrificing at Olympia he was badly pestered by flies, so he invented or was taught by someone the sacrifice to Ζεύς Απομύιος [Zeus the averter of flies]. The Eleans are said to sacrifice to Zeus Apomyios in the same way to drive away the flies from Olympia.”

Zeus cannot have been very effective, however willing to help. The gastrointestinal nuisances, that even in our days can turn the vacations of the most sophisticated of travellers into a disaster, must have been common among the spectators and on occasions may have stolen the Olympic crown from the better man. Nevertheless we have no information about any major epidemics.

We know that among the officials at Olympia a doctor was included during the games. It is unlikely, however, that comprehensive medical services were available to cope with all emergencies; the place must have been a paradise for wandering quacks and healers who were prepared to offer their skills to a massive clientele, returning every four years for the most popular spectacle of the ancient Hellenic world. Under the punishing sun of Olympia the most common medical emergency was probably sunstroke. Philostratos wrote that athletes had to be strong enough “to endure and to be burnt”, implying that they should be able to withstand the great heat at Olympia.

**Thales of Miletos**, one of the wise men of ancient Greece, is believed to have died at Olympia from sunstroke.

### An Honorable End

Intense emotion and heat must have contributed to the death of the famous boxer **Diagoras of Rhodes**. There is a moving story of how this popular athlete, three times Olympic victor, met his end.

He watched his two sons win the Boxing and Pankration events during the 83rd Olympiad. His victorious sons received their crowns and in a magnanimous gesture approached their father, placed the olive wreaths on his head, and carried him triumphantly on their shoulders around the stadium. No mortal could stand the overwhelming emotion of such glory and pride. Diagoras bent his head and died happily on the shoulders of his Olympian sons. This was in 448 BC.

By 261 AD, the last official record of the Olympic Games, times were different.

Soon there would be no place for athletics in the new ethos and social order that an austere monotheism was about to establish. An earthquake destroyed most of the buildings of ancient Olympia around 300 AD, and several decades later the edict of Emperor Theodosios banned all pagan cults and effectively put an end to the festivals at Elis.

The salvationist spirit of the new order was now marching on and the beautiful statues of Olympic gods and victors were soon to be replaced by the ascetic icons of Byzantium. The Olympic Games, and with them medicine, went into a long period of hibernation from which they were revived only in recent times.

### References and Further Reading

ΓΑΛΗΝΟΤ ΑΠΑΝΣΑ: Gottlob Carolus K, ed. Ιn KUHN MEDICI. Lipsiae, 1821-1829 All Volumes as cited in text.

Green RB, A translation of Galen’s Hygiene (De Sanite Tuenda). Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas, 1951

Finley MI, Pleket HW. The Olympic games – the first thousand years. Book Club Associates. London. 1976.

The Olympic games through the ages. Ekdotike Athenon SA Athens. 1976.

Sarton G. Galen of Pergamon. University of Kansas Press, 1954.

Gardiner EN. Athletics of the ancient world. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1955.

ΙΠΠΟΚΡΑΣΗ΢ ΑΠΑΝΤΑ ΤΑ ΕΡΓΑ. Ποσρναρόποσλος Γ.Κ. Εκδ. Μαρηίνος Α. ΑΘΗΝΑΙ 1971. Με αναθορές ζηο κείμενο.

Ι΢ΣΟΡΙΑ ΣΟΤ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟΤ ΕΘΝΟΤ. Κλαζζικός Ελληνιζμός Σόμοι Γ1 & Γ2 ΕΚΔΟΣΙΚΗ ΑΘΗΝΩΝ. ΑΘΗΝΑΙ 1972.

Homer The Odyssey Translated by E.V. Rieu

### Acknowledgements

I am grateful to Ekdotike Athenon SA for permission to quote passages from their book “The Olympic games through the ages,” particularly the translation of Isocrates’ _Panegyricos_. Also to Chatto and Windus Ltd for quotations from “The Olympic games – the first thousand years,” by M.I. Finley and H. W. Pleket.

My special thanks are due to the Department of Medical Illustration at Westminster Hospital for the preparation of the slides for this presentation and pictures from exhibits at the British Museum, included in earlier publications of this article.

Dr. Jolliffe and Mr. Burt of the Chelsea School of Pharmacy offered valuable help in resurrecting Galen’s “ointment of the Olympic victor.”

There have been several earlier versions of this article which was first published in the journal, _History of Medicine_, Vol. 9, No. 1, 1981 and subsequently in _The Greek Review_ (copyright 1982 – world rights reserved). Also in the Journal, UPDATE, June 1, 1983.

“Medicine and the Olympic Games of Antiquity” was the keynote address at the Opening Ceremony of the _1st International Medical Olympiad_ held in 1996 at the Asclepieion of Kos under the High Patronage of the President of The Hellenic Republic. This Olympiad was organized by Professor Spyros Marketos Editor of the Proceedings.

A version of this lecture was delivered at the Annual General Meeting of the Hunterian Society in London in 1997. The text is included in the Hunterian Society Transactions, Session 1996-1997; Volume LV: 117-125.

U.S. Sports Academy2018-01-24T07:56:00-06:00June 28th, 2011|Sports Coaching, Sports Exercise Science, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

Do static-sport athletes and dynamic-sport athletes differ in their visual focused attention?

Dr. Thomas Heinen

### Abstract

The goal of this study was to evaluate current attention tests in sport psychology for their practical use in applied sport psychology. Current findings from the literature suggest that measures of visual focused attention may show different performances depending on sport type and test conditions (33). We predicted differences between static- and dynamic-sport athletes (17) when visual focused attention is tested with random (unstructured) versus fixed (structured) visual search in two experimental conditions (quiet environment versus auditory distraction). We analyzed 130 nationally competing athletes from different sports using two measures of visual focused attention: the structured d2 test and the unstructured concentration grid task. Compared to static-sport athletes, dynamic-sport athletes had better visual search scores in the concentration grid task in the condition with auditory distraction. These findings suggest that the results of attention tests should be differentially interpreted if different sport types and different test conditions are considered.

**Key words:** d2 test, concentration grid task, auditory distraction

### Introduction

The study reported here was motivated by recent calls within the applied field of sport psychology for a broad diagnostic framework in the domain of talent selection (7,35) as well as the ongoing evaluation for professional standards of the techniques that are used by practicing sport psychologists (14).

An increasing number of researchers have argued that psychological variables remain often unnoticed within talent identification models (1). However, among a range of other physical and technical variables, psychological variables have been identified as a significant predictor of success (18,27,34). For instance, during athletic performance attention is seen as one of the most important psychological skills underlying success because of the ability to exert mental effort effectively is vital for optimal athletic performance (12,22,27).

In cognitive psychology, attention is seen as a multidimensional construct. According to different taxonomies of attention, at least three distinct dimensions of attention have been identified (21,28,39). The first is _selectivity_. It includes selective attention as well as divided attention. The second dimension of attention refers to the aspect of _intensity_, which can include alertness and sustained attention. The third dimension is _capacity_ and refers to the fact that controlled processing is limited to the amount of information that can be processed at one time.

Individuals’ attentional performance in one or more of the aforementioned dimensions can be assessed in several ways (3, for an overview see 39). The selectivity aspect can, for instance, be approached with tasks involving either focused or divided attention. In focused attention tasks there are usually irrelevant stimuli, which must be ignored. In divided attention tasks, all stimuli are relevant, but may come from different sources and require different responses (39). Intensity requirements can be approached with tasks involving different degrees of difficulty, or with tasks that have to be carried out over longer periods of time. Finally, dual-task procedures, memory span tests, or other processing tasks are used to approach the capacity aspect (26). Practicing sport psychologists most often use standardized tests, which are easily administered in a paper-pencil form and therefore are easy to use in the field.

However, several authors (38) as well as diagnosticians in youth talent diagnostic centers in Germany have expressed a number of subjective impressions concerning the performance of athletes on attention tests (e.g., influence of sport type, test context, or expertise level) that are insufficiently indicated by the existing test norms. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to examine the influence of two essential factors (sport type and environmental context) on athlete’s performance in two different attention tests.

Boutcher’s multilevel approach (3) integrates relevant aspects of research and theory on attention from different perspectives. In his framework, internal as well as external factors, like enduring dispositions, demands of the task, and environmental factors, interact with attentional processes during performance. These factors are thought to initially influence the level of physiological arousal of the individual, which in turn influences controlled and automatic processing. When performing a task, the individual either uses controlled processing, automatic processing, or both, depending on the nature and the demands of the task. An optimal attentional state can be achieved by reaching or attaining the exact balance between automatic and controlled processing, essential for a particular task (3).

A sudden external distraction (e.g., auditory noise) is expected to hamper performance because it may disrupt the current attentional state by causing the individual to reach a level of arousal such that an imbalance in controlled and automatic processing occurs. However, individual differences may exist regarding the effect of internal or external distractions on attentional state. For instance, a gymnast normally performs his or her routine in a quiet environment in competition whereas during a basketball game the player is confronted with auditory noise. Unexpected auditory distractions may disrupt the attentional state of the gymnast but not the state of the basketball player because he is used to it.

There has been extensive research on different aspects of attentional performance in athletes. For instance, researchers examined attentional differences between athletes and non-athletes (5,20,23), between athletes on different expertise levels (8), as well as with regard to other factors, such as athlete type, sport type and gender (17,19,24,33) by using a variety of attentional tasks. Athletes are able to distribute their attention more effectively over multiple locations and better able switch their attention rapidly among locations than non-athletes (25). Furthermore, attentional performance seems to vary with the kind and amount of training provided by a sports environment so that athletes trained in more visually dynamic sports show better attentional control than athletes trained in less visually dynamic sports (24).

When using specific tests to assess attention performance, one should expect differences in test performance between athletes that vary in one or more of the aforementioned factors. In this context, Lum et al. highlight the need to examine athlete’s visual attention by using a variety of visual attention tasks (17, see also 20). Furthermore, existing test norms should account for the aforementioned differences to provide athletes with a reliable feedback on their individual attention performance.

For instance, to evaluate the visual focused attention performance of athletes, two common tests are used in the field of applied sport psychology, the d2 test and the concentration grid test (3, 4). Visual focused attention is usually operationalized as visual search so that target stimuli have to be found in a field of distractor stimuli (39). For instance, in the d2 test, participants need to select “d” letters with two dashes above them in an array of “d” and “p” letters with zero, one, or two dashes over or under each letter. The structure of reading letters from left to right provides an environment in which relevant stimuli need to be selected and irrelevant stimuli need to be ignored. The gaze searches throughout the visual array not in a random way but rather in a structured fashion. In contrast, in the concentration grid task, participants see a block of randomly distributed numbers, in which they need to search for numbers in sequence, such as number 01, then 02, 03, and so on. The concentration grid task is often administered as a training exercise in the field of applied sport psychology, and it has been proposed, that it works by developing the athlete’s ability to scan a visual array for relevant information, and to ignore irrelevant stimuli (11).

Given the different demands of these two tasks and the empirical evidence so far, one may speculate that athletes who have experience performing visual searches for relevant cues and making decisions in dynamic environments (which is typical for team sport athletes), will do better on the concentration grid test than on the d2 test (29). Athletes from individual sports who are exposed to a mostly static environment with one or a small number of stimuli should do better on the d2 test than on the concentration grid test.

Maxeiner compared, for instance, 30 gymnasts and 30 tennis players in their performance on the d2 test and on a reaction time task in which they were asked to press a pedal with their foot as soon as a square appeared on a computer monitor (19). Participants were tested under either a single-task condition, such that only the d2 test or the reaction time task had to be performed, or a multiple-task condition, in which both the d2 test and the reaction time task had to be carried out simultaneously. Reaction times showed a significantly stronger increase under the multiple-task condition for the gymnasts (about 28%) whereas no differences between gymnasts and tennis players were found for single-task conditions. The author concluded from this result, that tennis players have a better distributive ability of attention than gymnasts. However, the total number of items worked on the d2 test as well as the error rates did not differ between gymnasts and tennis players in either the single-task or multiple-task condition.

Tenenbaum, Benedick, and Bar-Eli conducted a similar study and found opposing results (33). The authors compared 252 young athletes from different sports disciplines in their d2-test performance. All athletes performed the d2 test in a quiet classroom with no distractions. Results indicate that the number of d’s the subjects have crossed (quantitative capacity) differed significantly by type of sport in females. High quantitative capacity scores in the d2 test were found for female athletes from sports such as tennis or volleyball, but not for female athletes from gymnastics. A similar pattern of results was found in male athletes, although only showing a tendency for rejecting the null hypothesis (p = .06). The authors found an additional effect for type of sport on error-rate. The largest error-rates were found in tennis and volleyball players whereas the smallest error-rates were found in track and field athletes. The authors concluded that concentration is individual and sport-type dependent and state that “Concentration should be further investigated with relation to motor performance” (p. 311).

Maxeiner and Tenenbaum et al. found opposing results in athletes from different sport domains in the d2 test (19,33). First, the authors assessed different parameters of the d2 test. Maxeiner quantified the total number of items worked on the d2 test, whereas Tenenbaum et al. quantified the number of d’s the subjects have crossed. The number of items worked on the d2 test is a reliable criterion for working speed (4), whereas the number of crossed d’s is related to both working speed and working accuracy. Assessing different parameters in the d2 test could lead to different results, therefore masking possible differences between participants from different sport domains. Following the suggestions of Brickenkamp, the practitioner should assess the concentration-performance score (number of marked d’s minus the number of signs incorrectly marked) in the first instance, because this value is resistant to tampering, such that neither the skipping of test parts nor the random marking of items increases the value (4).

Furthermore, Tenenbaum et al. had participants from tennis, fencing, volleyball, team-handball, track and field, and gymnastics indicating an unequal distribution of participants with regard to other criteria like kind of training provided by a sports environment (33). As mentioned above, attentional performance seems to vary with the kind and amount of training provided by a sports environment (24); the question arises whether athletes should be classified according to kind of training provided by a sports environment, rather than sport discipline per se when assessing their attentional performance.

Greenlees, Thelwell, and Holder examined the performance of 28 male collegiate soccer players in the concentration grid exercise (13,15). The players were assigned to either a 9-week concentration grid training or a control condition. During three test sessions the athletes were asked to complete a battery of concentration tasks, including the aforementioned concentration grid test. The results showed a significant main effect for training condition but not for test session, indicating that the concentration training group was superior to the control group but did not exhibit any improvement during the 9-week training interval. However, Greenless et al. assessed only soccer players with a playing experience of 10.45  2.31 years, which indicates that they already possess substantial experience in performing visual searches for relevant cues in dynamic environments (13). This could at least in part explain why the participants of the concentration training group did not improve their performance on the concentration grid task as compared to the participants of the control group. Additionally, the two groups were not homogeneous in their concentration grid performance at the study onset, which may in part explain the main effect for training condition. The findings of Greenless et al. highlight the need for further research on the concentration grid test, especially examining the extent to which the task reflects sport-specific concentration skills and therefore support the need for ongoing evaluation of this technique in diagnostics and intervention.

Taken together, we can identify two main factors that need to be considered when assessing athletes’ visual focused attention. First, a broad application of attention tests that are sensitive to the athlete’s experience in different types of sports should be made. This means, in particular, recognizing that different sport environments (static vs. dynamic), encouraging different visual search and decision strategies (fixed or structured vs. random or unstructured), and realizing that the same tests do not necessarily capture both types of strategies. Second, the environmental context (with or without distraction) can increase or decrease performance, respectively.

We adapted the dichotomy of Lum et al. and hypothesized that static-sport athletes and dynamic sport-athletes would not differ in d2 scores but would differ in concentration grid scores due to their different perceptual experiences (17). This finding would not only help to clarify previous results (19,33) but would extend them to different concentration tasks (d2 test vs. concentration grid) following the conclusions of Greenlees et al. as well as Tenenbaum et al. (13,33). We furthermore hypothesized that auditory distraction would have a detrimental effect on performance in both the d2 test and the concentration grid test because it may disrupt the current attentional state (3). We therefore compared performances in the d2 test and the concentration grid test with and without auditory distraction.

### Method

#### Participants

A sample of 130 athletes (students of Sport Science, German Sport University) were recruited to participate in the study (n = 44 women, mean age = 22 years and n = 86 men, mean age = 22 years). Ages ranged from 19 to 33 years, with a mean age of 22 years (SD = 2.4 years). Of these, 66 students (n = 15 women and n = 51 men) competed in 6 different sports with a dynamic visual environment (i.e., soccer, volleyball) and 64 (n = 29 women and n = 35 men) competed in another 6 different sports with mostly static visual environment (i.e., track and field athletics, gymnastics). All students had been performing their sport for at least 7 years with 19.2% (n = 25) of them reporting national experience (German championships or national league) and 11.5% (n = 15) also reporting international experience. All participants were informed about the purpose and the procedures of the study and gave their written consent prior to the experiment. Participants reported to have no prior experience with either the d2 test or the concentration grid test.

We recruited an additional sample of n = 25 students of sport science in order to evaluate the reliability of the d2 test and the concentration grid test and to estimate the validity of the concentration grid test. This was necessary because, first, we applied modified versions of the original tests and second, there were no reliability or validity statistics available in the current literature for the concentration grid test.

#### Tasks and Apparatus

##### d2 Test of Visual Focused Attention.

The d2 test was used to assess visual focused attention (4,39). It is seen as a reliable and valid instrument, most commonly being used in the fields of cognitive, clinical, and sport psychology. In the standardized version of this task, 14 lines consisting of 47 letters each are presented to the participant. The letters can be a “p” or a “d” with zero, one, or two small dashes above or below it. The task is to process all items (letters) of a line in a sequential order and to mark every “d” with two dashes above or below. All other letters are to be left unmarked.

The visual search pattern in the d2 test is guided by the structure of the stimulus field (fixed visual search). To avoid ceiling effects, there is a temporal restriction of 15 seconds to process each line. After 15 seconds there is a verbal instruction to proceed to the next line. Norms are available for age groups between 9 and 60 years. Reliability coefficients of the test range from r = .84 to r = .98 (4).

In the present study, 7 lines of the d2 test had to be dealt with under each experimental condition with each line consisting of 47 letters. This test reduction was applied for practical reasons, particularly to match the working time of the concentration grid task. Prior to the study, we analyzed d2-test results of 7 lines (Version A) and 14 lines (Version B) in a test–retest design with a temporal delay of 1 week. The results indicate a significant product–moment correlation between the two versions of the test in a sample of 25 students of sport science (r = .80; p < .05). Therefore, we believed that the use of 7 instead of 14 lines should be adequate for the purposes of this study. From the performance of each participant in the d2 test, two parameters were obtained: a concentration-performance score and the error rate. The concentration-performance score is the number of d letters the subject marked minus the number of signs (dashes) incorrectly marked. The error rate is the number of signs incorrectly marked plus the number of correct signs missed.

##### Concentration Grid Task

Two versions of the concentration grid test were used as a second measure of visual focused attention, and in particular, visual search (15,21). They were modified from the concentration grid exercise, which can be found in Harris and Harris (1984). The first version (CG1) used in this study consisted of 7 horizontal and 7 vertical squares arranged in a grid of 49 squares altogether. A unique two digit-number (from 00 to 49) was placed randomly in the center of each square. The second version (CG2) of the concentration grid was identical to the first except for a different placement of the numbers. To ensure comparability, the relative distance from each number to the following number was the same in the two grids. We also examined the reliability of the concentration grid task. In a test–retest design with a temporal delay of a 1-week interval, a significant product-moment correlation of r = .79 (p < .05) was found in a sample of 25 students of sport science.

In the concentration grid task the participants were instructed to mark as many consecutive numbers (starting from 00) as possible within a 1-min period under each experimental condition. The resultant number of correctly processed items was used for further data analysis. In comparison to the d2 test, the participants’ visual search pattern in the concentration grid is not entirely guided by the structure of the stimulus field; instead, the participant is advised to scan the grid (random visual search). We calculated the product-moment correlation between the concentration grid scores and the d2 test results in the aforementioned sample of 25 students of sport science to estimate the construct validity of the concentration grid. The analysis revealed a non-significant product-moment correlation of r = .10 (p = .62), indicating that the concentration grid test captures a different aspect of visual focused attention than the d2 test.

#### Procedures

A trained research assistant introduced the experimental tasks to each individually tested participant. The participant was given a practice trial of 20 seconds for the concentration grid exercise (altered version of the original CG1) and a practice trial of two lines for the d2 test to become familiarized with the two experimental tasks. The participant had to perform each of the two tasks under two different experimental conditions, that is, in different environmental contexts (for a total of four experimental phases: d2 test and concentration grid task under normal and auditory distraction conditions, respectively). In one condition no sensory distractions were present. The participant completed the tasks in the quiet laboratory environment. In the other condition an auditory distraction was present. The participant wore headphones that enclosed the whole ear. A mixture of distracting, sport-specific environmental sounds was played back at 90 dB. We used ambient sound recordings of the audience and the players from the last 3 minutes of two first division basketball matches in which both teams played head to head until the end of the match. We compiled the sound recordings to fit the two 1-min periods for the auditory distraction condition (d2 test and concentration grid task) in such a way that the played back sound recording comprised the audience’s and the player’s sounds of three offense and three defense situations. In all tasks the participant sat at a worktable with a head–table distance of 40 cm. The test order was counterbalanced for the participants and the experimental tasks required approximately 20 minutes to complete.

### Results

A significance criterion of α = .05was established for all results reported (9). Prior to testing the main hypothesis, moderating effects of age, sex, and experimental sequence were assessed. We conducted separate analyses of variance on the dependent variables, first, with sex as categorical factor (male versus female), second, with age as continuous predictor, and third, with experimental sequence as categorical predictor (auditory distraction following no distraction versus no distraction following auditory distraction). There were no significant effects of sex, age, or experimental sequence on any of the dependent variables (p < .05).

A correlation analysis indicated that there was no significant product–moment correlation between the concentration-performance score of the d2 test and the number of correctly processed items in the concentration grid task (r = -.01; p = .68), nor between the concentration-performance score and the error rate in the d2 test (r = -.02; p = .47). To assess differences in the dependent variables, we conducted 2 × 2 (Environmental Context × Sport Type) univariate analyses of variance (ANOVAs) with condition being the repeated measure. Post hoc analyses were carried out using the Tukey HSD post hoc test. Cohen’s f was calculated as an effect size for all analyzed F values higher than 1 (6). Additionally, we conducted single sample t-tests to compare our study sample to the age matched normative sample. This was done for each participant’s d2 test performance (concentration-performance score and error rates) but not for the concentration grid task, because norms were available only for the d2 test. Cohen’s d was calculated as an effect size for all analyzed t values higher than 1.

#### d2 Test of Visual Focused Attention

Descriptive statistics for the concentration-performance scores and the error rate of the d2 test are shown in Table 1. First, we assumed that d2 scores would not differ between the two groups reflecting static-sport athletes and dynamic-sport athletes. A 2 × 2 (Sport Type × Environmental Context) ANOVA with repeated measures on the second factor was conducted, taking the concentration-performance score as the dependent variable. The results showed that the two groups did not differ in their concentration-performance scores, F(1, 128) = .004, p = .94, achieved power = .94. Our second assumption was that auditory distraction would have a detrimental effect on concentration performance. To our surprise, the ANOVA revealed a significant main effect for environmental context, F(1, 128) = 66.02, p < .05, Cohen’s f = 0.72, reflecting higher concentration-performance scores for the auditory distraction condition for both dynamic-sport and static-sport athletes (see Table 1). The effect size indicates a large effect (6). Furthermore there was no significant interaction effect for Sport Type × Environmental Context, F(1, 128) = .01, p = .76, achieved power = .98.

To determine if participants from our study sample differed from the general population in concentration performance, we calculated single sample t-tests. The results show that in the normal condition, neither static-sport athletes, t(63) = 1.56, p = .12, Cohen’s d = 0.19, nor dynamic-sport athletes, t(65) = 1.81, p = .07, Cohen’s d = 0.22, differed in their concentration performance from the normative sample’s mean. However, in the auditory distraction condition both groups differed significantly from the normative sample’s mean (static-sport athletes, t(63) = 3.17, p = .002, Cohen’s d = 0.39; dynamic-sport athletes, t(65) = 3.37, p = .001, Cohen’s d = 0.42).

Second, a 2 × 2 (Sport Type × Environmental Context) ANOVA with repeated measures on the first factor was conducted, taking the error rate in the d2 test as the dependent variable. There were no significant main effects, neither for sport type, F(1, 128) = 3.71, p = .06, Cohen’s f = 0.17, achieved power = .61, nor for environmental context, F(1, 128) = 1.50, p = .22, Cohen’s f = 0.11, achieved power = .75. In addition, the interaction effect Sport Type × Environmental Context showed no statistical significance, F(1, 128) = 2.02, p = .16, Cohen’s f = 0.13, achieved power = .95. Dynamic-sport athletes did not make more mistakes on the d2 test in comparison to static-sport athletes, neither in the normal nor in the auditory distraction condition.

To determine if participants from our study sample differed from the general population in error rate, we calculated single sample t-tests. The results show that in the normal condition, dynamic-sport athletes, t(65) = -2.88, p = .005, Cohen’s d = 0.35, but not static-sport athletes, t(63) = -1.41, p = .16, Cohen’s d = 0.17, made on average fewer mistakes than the participants from the normative sample. The same pattern of results was found for participant’s error rates in the auditory distraction condition (static-sport athletes, t(63) = 0.36, p = .71, Cohen’s d = 0.05; dynamic-sport athletes, t(65) = -3.17, p = .002, Cohen’s d = 0.39).

#### Concentration Grid Task

We assumed that concentration grid scores would differ between the two groups reflecting static-sport athletes and dynamic-sport athletes. The second assumption was that auditory distraction would have a detrimental effect on concentration performance. A 2 × 2 (Sport Type × Environmental Context) ANOVA with repeated measures on the second factor was conducted, taking the concentration grid score as the dependent variable. The ANOVA revealed no significant main effects for either sport type, F(1, 128) = 1.40, p = .24, Cohen’s f = 0.11, or environmental context, F(1, 128) = 0.27, p = .60. We assume that we can rely on the two findings because of a test power greater than .90. To our surprise the interaction effect Environmental Context × Sport Type showed statistical significance, F(1, 128) = 4.54, p = .04, Cohen’s f = 0.19. Post hoc analysis revealed that participants in the dynamic-sport group scored higher in the concentration grid task under the auditory distraction condition, whereas participants in the individual-sport group scored lower under the auditory distraction condition, compared to the normal condition (see Figure 1).

### Discussion

The goal of this study was to evaluate two attention tests in sport psychology in terms of their application in athletes who are trained in more visually dynamic sports compared to athletes trained in visually less dynamic sports with regard to different environmental contexts. Visual focused attention was examined with random (concentration grid task) versus fixed (d2 test) visual search in a quiet environment and under auditory distraction (4,15).

The results extend current findings on attention performance of athletes with regard to sport type, environmental context, and task dependency. Dynamic-sport athletes did not differ in their concentration performance from static-sport athletes, neither in the d2 test nor in the concentration grid task under quiet laboratory environmental conditions. This result confirms our first hypothesis with regard to the d2 test and supports the findings of Maxeiner (19). We assume that the different perceptual experience of dynamic-sport athletes does not account for their visual search performance in the d2 test. On the one hand, this implies a fairly stable underlying ability to focus attention in simple tasks when a fixed (structured) visual search is a constraint of the task. On the other hand, it can be speculated that attention abilities manifest themselves in a sport-specific way on a more strategic level when integrating basic (attention) abilities in different skills that are not assessed by the d2 test.

Our second hypothesis was that auditory distraction would have a detrimental effect on attention performance in both the d2 test and the concentration grid task. To our surprise the results of the d2 test indicate higher concentration performance scores for the auditory distraction condition for dynamic-sport athletes as well as static-sport athletes. The scores were not only higher when compared between both experimental conditions but also when compared with the corresponding normative sample of the d2 test. This finding supports the assumptions of Tenenbaum et al. and Wilson, Peper, and Schmid, that visual search performance in unstructured contexts is task dependent, especially under auditory distraction conditions (33,38).

From the viewpoint of Boutcher’s multilevel approach to attention, it seems possible that in the auditory distraction condition the participants’ attentional states were optimized (3). This optimization helped the participants achieve higher scores in the relatively simple d2 test, regardless of their sport type. However, whether the supposed optimization was due to changes in arousal level, changes in controlled or automatic processing, or both, cannot be concluded from our results. In addition, the results of the concentration grid task (where an unstructured visual search is an inherit component of the task) show that participants in the dynamic-sport group scored higher in the auditory distraction condition in comparison to the participants in the static-sport group. Changes in arousal level and therefore in attentional state are known to influence visual control (16,32). It is reasonable that an increased amount and/or increased amplitude of saccades, when scanning the concentration grid, can lead to ignoring the actual target or finding it later than under normal conditions. This could explain the decrease in performance in the concentration grid task for static-sport athletes, because they are normally not trained to deal with such a situation in their sport. To further examine the gaze behavior in performing different attention test, eye-tracking methodology should be integrated into the experimental design.

The increase of the concentration grid scores of the dynamic-sport athletes in the auditory distraction condition could also be explained by differences in information processing. Dynamic-sport athletes seem to be able to allocate their attention capacity to more crucial aspects of the task (37). When scanning the concentration grid they could, for instance, pre-cue remaining numbers in specific areas of the grid in advance, in order to find these numbers faster at a later point in time. However, this aspect is open for further investigation. We assume that dynamic-sport athletes benefit from their sport-specific perceptual experience especially in the concentration grid task under auditory distraction conditions.

We are aware of some critical issues in our design that need to be taken into account in further experiments, and want to highlight three specific aspects. First, the differentiation of dynamic- versus static-sport athletes could be more closely specified. This could be done by examining athletes from different sport disciplines that have different sport-specific structures (e.g., coactive vs. interactive sports). One can, for instance, hypothesize that athletes in coactive sports such as bowling or rowing may differ in their attention ability from athletes of interactive sports such as basketball or soccer due to different task demands. Subsequent analyses could also focus on different team positions, especially in interactive sports. For instance, it is likely that a goalkeeper differs in concentration ability from a playmaker (30,31).

Second, the type of distraction could be more differentiated. Athletes have to deal with different distractions in competition such as comments from the coach and other athletes, or different forms of either expected or unexpected noise. These distractions could have different effects on attention performance. One could, for example, examine the impact on attention performance of different distractions with different structures, such as visual versus auditory distraction with a sport-specific structure versus no structure. One can hypothesize that structured distractions of a sport-specific nature would have no impact on concentration performance at all, because athletes are normally habituated to such distractions. In our study we speculated that the impact of the auditory distraction on the attentional state of the athletes would be to enhance their performance in the d2 test. To control this aspect, measurements of arousal level (e.g., heart rate or galvanic skin response) should be integrated into further studies.

Third, we adopted the concentration grid test as a measure for visual focused attention, because visual focused attention is usually operationalized as visual search (39). Research suggests a close link between working memory capacities and the selectivity dimension of attention (10). We acknowledge that when performing the concentration grid test, a participant could potentially optimize his or her visual search by selectively memorizing the position of stimuli that have to be found after preceding stimuli have been marked. However, participants were not instructed to memorize the position of the stimuli but rather to actively scan the grid and mark as many consecutive numbers (starting from 00) as possible within a 1-min period. Subsequent studies could compare participant’s performance in working memory tests (10), as well as in other tests of visual attention (39), with their concentration grid test scores to evaluate if the concentration grid is more a measure of visual focused attention or working memory.

### Conclusions

The findings of the current study suggest that the results of attention tests should be differentially interpreted if different sport types and different test conditions are considered in the field of applied sport psychology or applied sport science. Their predictive power for sport-specific attention skills, however, may only be seen with regard to different factors such as sport type, environmental context, and task.

### Applications in Sport

There are some practical consequences and implications of this study. First, non-specific concentration tests only seem to be able to differentiate between athletes from more visually dynamic sports and athletes from more visually static sports when they mimic a sport-specific environmental context together with sport-specific demands of the task. Therefore, one may need more specific tests for specific sports to diagnose not only fundamental aspects of attention, but attention abilities on a more strategic level (2). These tests should then be integrated in a systematic talent diagnosis with test norms for specific sports (7). In a talent diagnostic, however, psychological variables remain often unnoticed (1), even if they have been identified as significant predictors of success (27). They could serve as an intrapersonal catalyst in the developmental process of talented youngsters (35). However, their impact on performance may change throughout the development process of the individual. When administering attention tests, this development needs to be taken into account. It is, for instance, questionable whether young gymnasts can be compared to young soccer players in their ability to focus attention, because of different attentional demands in both sports. Second, it would be very useful to conduct longitudinal or to combine analysis of performance in tests with analysis of performance criteria (33). A final issue that should be addressed is the impact of specific interventions on attention performance, especially if attention training is used that is similar to the structure of the concentration test itself (13, 38).

### Acknowledgments

The author thanks Mr. Konstantinos Velentzas and for assistance with data collection and Mrs. Lisa Gartz for her critical and helpful comments on the manuscript.

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### Tables and Figures

#### Table 1
Means (M) and standard deviations (SD) for the concentration-performance scores and the error rate of the d2 test with regard to environmental context and sport type (n=130). The terms of static and dynamic refer to the visual environment in which the athletes from different types of sport usually perform.

	Environmental context
	Normal		Auditory distraction
	M	SD	M	SD
Concentration-performance score
Static sports	137.28^*	69.26	153.05^*⁺	73.93
Dynamic sports	138.59^*	66.34	153.23^*⁺	71.05
Error rate
Static sports	11.21	8.79	13.26	10.72
Dynamic sports	9.52⁺	9.16	9.36⁺	8.72

^* p < .05 (according to Tukey HSD post hoc test).
⁺ p < .05 (according to single sample t-test between the study sample and the corresponding normative sample, cf., 4).

#### Figure 1
![Mean concentration grid performance as a function of sport type and environmental context](/files/volume-14/415/figure1.jpg)
Mean concentration grid performance as a function of sport type and environmental context (error bars represent the standard error of the mean; * = significant difference at p < .05 between experimental and control group according to Tukey HSD post hoc analysis).

### Corresponding Author

Dr. Thomas Heinen
German Sport University Cologne
Institute of Psychology
Am Sportpark Müngersdorf 6
50933 Cologne
GERMANY
Tel. +49 221 4982 – 5710
Fax. +49 221 4982 – 8320
Email: <t.heinen@dshs-koeln.de>

### Author’s Affiliation and Position
German Sport University Cologne, Institute of Psychology

U.S. Sports Academy2013-11-25T16:23:44-06:00June 3rd, 2011|Contemporary Sports Issues, Sports Coaching, Sports Management, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

A Study on the Self-Efficacy of Elite Coaches Working at the Turkish Coca-Cola Academy League

R. Timucin Gencer

### Abstract

As defined by Bandura, self-efficacy is an individual’s belief about her/his ability to perform well in a given situation. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of self-efficacy amongst elite professional Turkish soccer coaches. One-hundred twenty-three coaches from 41 professional soccer clubs in four different regions of Turkey, training U14 and U15 age groups voluntarily participated in this study. This study used the Coaching Efficacy Scale (CES) comprising four specific efficacies (motivation (ME), game strategy (GSE), teaching technique (TTE) and character building (CBE). According to the total coaching efficacy scale, results suggested that participating coaches’ self-belief in efficacy was at highest levels (M=8.26, SD=.49). Coaches’ self-belief in the sub-scale of character development efficacy was at highest (M=8.60, SD=.54), whereas self-belief in game strategy was at lowest levels (M=8.03, SD=.61). One of the most important findings of the study was that coaches’ self belief in the sub-scale of motivation efficacy differed according to the category in which they work (t=2.049, p<.05). Game strategy efficacy differed significantly according to marital status (t=2.417, p<.05); and type of coaching certificate (t= 2.186, p<.05). A higher degree of self-belief regarding motivation efficacy amongst coaches training young teams compared to professional-level coaches was due to the athletes they worked with. In many cases, it is easier to motivate young players rather than professionals. Coaches’ self-improvement in motivation will definitely have a decisive impact on their success in professional sports.

**Key words:** coaching efficacy, elite coaches, professional sport, soccer

### Introduction

Extensive research about the behavior exhibited by individuals throughout their lives suggests the existence of many factors influencing human behavior. One of these factors is self-efficacy (4,5). The social cognitive theory focuses on how the individual learns new information and behaviors by observing, imitating an individual or by taking the individual as a model (1). This theory suggests that one of the most important roles in the individual expression of personal behavior is the individual’s level of self-efficacy.

First mentioned by Bandura (4), the concept of self-efficacy is defined as one’s belief in his or her own ability to perform a certain type of task. Self-efficacy is specific to a certain task and is dynamic (10,14). In other words, it is open to change over time with new information, experience and learning (14). The individual makes a comparison between expected performance and his or her own capacity (12). In the scope of the concept of self-efficacy, the need for a high degree of self-belief to be successful in a specific behavior stands out as one of the most important factors in exhibiting that behavior.

Sometimes knowledge and skill might not be adequate for successful behavior. On most occasions people may know the correct course of action, yet be unable to act accordingly. Self-efficacy stands out as an important bridge between knowledge and behavior. Personal level of self-efficacy influences an individual’s perspective and behavior toward the action. Positive or negative feedback received by the individual in response to his or her abilities and competence results in the strengthening or weakening of the individual’s own belief in his or her self-efficacy (18). Studies suggest that individuals with high self-efficacy tend to be more resilient in the face of obstacles to accessing sports activities (6). They also have heightened levels of social skills (2) and are more eager to take bigger risks (16,17).

Performance build-up in soccer requires long periods of time. What constitutes the fundamental elements required by soccer training throughout this long process is a topic of enduring discussion (3). The most important issues in this context are accurate organizational structures; correct training models; adequate club facilities; environmental conditions and, maybe more than anything, coaching efficacy. It is stated that the athlete’s learning process becomes much more rapid, efficient and thorough, if the format of competitions and training participated in by children are developed with consideration to their mental, psychological and motor abilities (24). At this point, while it is fundamental for a coach to believe in his or her self-efficacy in the context of building up athlete performance (20), this characteristic demands constant enhancement (19).

Based on the notion that coaches can be perceived as teachers, the Coaching Efficacy Scale (CES), developed by Feltz, Chase, Moritz & Sullivan (8), is the only published scale to date that is used frequently in studies on coaching efficacy (11,16,17). D.L. Feltz, et al., (8) define coaching efficacy as coaches’ self-belief in their capacity to influence an athlete’s level of performance and learning. Consisting of 24 items and four sub-scales, the psychometric characteristics of the scale are supported by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (8).

The majority of studies on the topic have been conducted on individuals in the United States. Others include Tsorbatzoudis, Daroglou, Zahariadis & Grouios’s study (22) on professional team coaches in Greece and Gencer, Kiremitci & Boyacioglu’s study (9) on Turkish coaches in the disciplines of basketball, soccer, tennis and handball. This latter concludes validity and reliability findings coherent with Feltz et al.’s study (8). The present study addresses significance in terms of CES examining the self-efficacy levels of Turkish elite professional soccer coaches.

### Method
#### Participants

The study group consisted of 123 coaches working for the U14 and U15 age groups within the Turkish Coca-Cola Academy Leagues, founded in the 2008-2009 soccer season. Coaches actively work for 41 professional soccer clubs distributed amongst five regions established for this league; all participated voluntarily in the study. The sample group participating in the study consisted of males only, with ages varying between 22 and 60 (M=38.6, SD=7.9).

#### Coaching Efficacy Scale (CES)

Data for the study was collected using the Coaching Efficacy Scale (CES) developed by Feltz et.al. (8). Total Coaching Efficacy (TCE) consists of 24 items within four sub-scales including: (a) Motivation Efficacy (ME – 7 items), (b) Game Strategy Efficacy (GSE – 7 items), (c) Teaching Technique Efficacy (TTE – 6 items), and (d) Character Building Efficacy (CBE – 4 items). Items were scored on a 10-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all confident) to 9 (extremely confident), and each item was preceded with a prefix, “How confident are you in your ability to …” The scale contains items such as “How confident are you in your ability to motivate your athletes?” identified by ME; “How confident are you in your ability to understand competitive strategies?” identified by GSE; “How confident are you in your ability to detect skill errors?” identified by TTE; and “How confident are you in your ability to instill an attitude of fair play among your athletes?” identified by CBE.

Scale validity and reliability for the sample of Turkish coaches has been conducted by Gencer et. al. (9). Exactly identical to the original, the Turkish adaptation of the scale, grouped under four sub-scales, reached significantly similar results to the original scale (8) with a variance rate of 59.8%. Although the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for factors creating the scale were relatively coherent (between .80 and .87) with original scale values, the Cronbach’s coefficient for the entire scale was exactly identical. Values (x²=468,21, df=238, normed chi-square (NC, x²/df)=1.97, p<.05; RMSEA=0.069, S-RMR=0.062, GFI=0.84, AGFI=0.80, CFI=0.91, NNFI=0.89) obtained from confirmatory factor analysis of the scale indicate that the model adapts to data at admissible levels.

### Procedure

Using a face-to-face interview method, researchers personally presented coaches with AYÖ, the Turkish version of the Coaching Efficacy Scale and the scale forms containing questions collecting information on coaches. Researchers provided detailed information to participating coaches about the purpose of the study and how the questionnaire should be completed, although this information was delivered in writing on the documents. Researchers distributed questionnaires on the third day of a training seminar and collected them the same day.

### Data Analysis

Obtained data was subject to t-test using the SPSS 15.0 program in order to clarify whether there was a statistically significant difference between the Total Coaching Efficacy (TCE) and its sub-scales: Motivation Efficacy (ME), Game Strategy Efficacy (GSE), Teaching Technique Efficacy (TTE), and Character Building Efficacy (CBE), or differences among it and age groups, marital status, education level, athletic career, coaching certificate, coaching level and years in coaching. Coaches’ ages, sporting backgrounds and coaching backgrounds were divided in to two groups after taking sample group averages.

### Results

Sample group average age was considered for data analysis and samples were gathered under two age groups, age 39 and less, and age 40 and over. Pursuant to this grouping, 78 (63.4%) of participant soccer coaches were age 39 and under and 45 (36.6%) were age 40 and over. A total of 100 (81.3%) soccer coaches were married and 23 (18.7%) were single. An investigation on coaches’ levels of education indicated that the majority of participating coaches were university graduates (n=77, 62.6%). (Table 1)

All coaches participating in the study played soccer as licensed athletes in their past sports careers. While 47 (38.2%) of the coaches played at an amateur level, 76 (61.8%) of them played at a professional level. An investigation on coaching certificates showed that 87 (70.7%) of the coaches hold UEFA B Licenses while 36 (29.3%) hold UEFA A Licenses. A majority of coaches work for the youth teams of professional soccer clubs (n=95, 77.2%).

Coaches participating in the study had been working in this profession between 1 and 23 years (M=7.87, SD=5.88). The sample group’s average years in the career were considered for data analysis and samples were gathered under two groups; eight years and fewer, and nine years and more. According to this grouping 78 coaches (63.4%) with less than eight years experience, and 45 (36.6%) with more than nine years experience, participated in the study (Table 1).

Coaches’ average belief in self-efficacy was determined to be M= 8.26, SD=.49. The level of Character Building, one of the sub-scales rendering beliefs on self-efficacy, was found to be at highest levels (M=8.6, SD=.54). The Character Building sub-scale was respectively followed by Teaching Technique (M= 8.22, SD= .58), Motivation (M= 8.17, SD= .57) and Game Strategy (M= 8.03, SD= .61) (Table 1).

The t-test results obtained from the study reveal that the efficacy and efficacy-related sub-scales of coaches participating in the study did not differ by age group, level of education, athletic career or years in soccer coaching. However, coaches’ belief in efficacy, when related to the strategy sub-scale, revealed significant difference by marital status (t= 2.417, p=.021) and coaching license (t=2.186, p=.032). Similarly, belief in efficacy when related to the motivation sub-scale differed significantly as well by the category coaches worked in (t= 2.049, p=.046) (Table 1).

Table 2 presents the correlations between total coaching efficacy (TCE) and coaching efficacy sub-scales. Correlations among dimensions of coaching efficacy ranged from 0.46 to 0.80, and correlations of TCE with dimensions of coaching efficacy ranged from 0.75 to 0.92 (Table 2). These relationships are coherent with the hierarchical structure suggested by previous studies (8,16).

### Discussion

Studies have shown that there is a positive relation between individuals’ increasing level of education and occupational efficiency, and that an individual’s contribution to the society was directly proportionate to the level of education. Based on population, Turkey ranked 15th in the world for level of education (7). Approximately 62.6% of coaches participating in our study were university graduates, suggesting that the education levels of these coaches were considerably above the national average.

Besides the high level of education among coaches participating in the study, the fact that most of them (61.8%) had previously played soccer at a professional level, along with the fact that 70.7% held a UEFA B License and 29.3% held a UEFA A License, was perceived as the reason for a considerably high degree of self-efficacy (M=8.26, SD=.49). In 2008, the Turkish Soccer Federation started an initiative to update certificates in accordance with UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) criteria and with this objective gave priority to developing the competence of coaches joining the Turkish Coca-Cola Academy League. Being informed on latest updates and receiving relevant training has contributed positively to the self-efficacy of coaches comprising our study group, and, in comparison with other studies (8,15,23), they presented a higher level of self-efficacy.

When compared to other sub-scales that constitute coaches’ belief in self-efficacy, Character Building was found to be at the highest levels (M=8.6, SD=.54). This finding is supportive of findings from other studies (8, 11, 15, 16, 23) conducted on coaching efficacy. One of the fundamental purposes of establishing the Coca-Cola League was exemplified by the slogan “Good Individual, Good Citizen, Good Athlete.” Bearing this slogan in mind, and considering the group coaches work for, highest levels of perceived self-efficacy in this sub-scale was highly significant. As a matter of fact, Lidor (13) underlined the necessity for ensuring the execution of plans and procedures directed at character-building within sports activities. Considered from a social perspective, character-building is undoubtedly very significant.

The Character Building sub-scale was respectively followed by Teaching Technique (M=8.22, SD=.58), Motivation (M=8.17, SD= .57), and Game Strategy (M=8.03, SD=.61). Mean values determined for these three sub-scales were calculated to be higher than those given in other related studies (8, 11, 15, 16, 23). The positive values, classified under these four sub-scales as the positive values which successful coaches are expected to have, were valuable in terms of their contribution to athletes. Game Strategy-related self-efficacy perception of coaches was identified to be lower than other sub-scales, which is important in regard to game strategy, being a decisive factor in game results.

Obtained t-test results revealed that the efficacy and efficacy-related sub-scales of coaches participating in the study did not differ by age group, level of education, sports career or years in soccer coaching. These findings are unsupportive of Tsorbatzoudis et al.’s finding (22) that, unlike inexperienced coaches, experienced coaches perceive themselves to be technically more competent in terms of coaching experience. However, this condition could be explained by the fact that coaches participating in our study had a higher level of experience. Teams joining the Turkish Coca-Cola League are some of the most elite clubs in Turkey, and these clubs are rigorous in choosing coaches. These two factors were considered to be the reason for such a result.

Coaches’ belief in efficacy related to the GSE revealed significant differences by marital status (t=2.417, p=.021) and coaching certificate ownership (t=2.186, p=.032) (Table 1). Familial responsibilities of married coaches might lead them to believe that they are more competent than do single coaches in the strategy sub-scale. In fact, strategy is very closely related to experience. That coaches with UEFA A License have further experience in the game of soccer than UEFA B License holders might help explain the difference emerging once again in the strategy development sub-scale.

It is interesting to note that belief in efficacy related to the motivation sub-scale differed significantly by the category coaches worked in (t=2.049, p=.046) (Table 1). Youth team coaches having more self-efficacy than professional team coaches in the motivation sub-scale is completely relative to experiences coaches have with soccer players. It is perhaps easier to motivate youth team players aspiring to become professionals for upcoming games than it is to motivate those who have already reached the professional level. Concepts of fame and money that engage in professional sports, after a while, cause a gradual sense of fulfillment, and this presents itself as coaches having difficulty in motivating players. More so, compared with youth team coaches, professional team coaches face further difficulties due to various other responsibilities and diversifying interests of older players. Therefore, considering experiences, it appears logical that youth team coaches perceive themselves to be more competent in terms of motivation than do professional team coaches.

### Conclusion

Besides being well educated, elite soccer coaches participating in the study also had good careers as athletes and coaches, explaining the high degree of self-efficacy among them. It was interesting to see that the degree of GSE, the capacity of directing the team during a game, was higher amongst married coaches than those who were single. It was logical to see a higher degree of GSE in coaches holding a UEFA A certificate compared to UEFA B certificate holders. The most interesting result from the study was the varying degree of motivation among coaches depending on their position. This suggests coaches’ need for knowledge and experience about the concept of motivation increased parallel to the significance of the league they worked for.

### Applications in Sport

Self-efficacy is an effective structure demanding improvement for efficiency from the coach. The fact that this effective structure transforms over time in light of newly acquired information and experiences demonstrates the need for meticulously organized coach training programs and even coach appointments. Respective federations and/or organizations have a great deal of responsibility in this matter.

### Acknowledgments

The author wishes to express his sincere thanks to Assistant Professor Dr. Melih Balyan for his support and cooperation in this study.

### References

1. Arıcı, R. (2005). Gelisim Öğrenme. Ankara: Nobel Yayıncılık

2. Balyan, M. (2009). The comparison of primary school 2nd level and elementary school students’ attitudes towards physical education, social skills and self efficiency levels. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Ege, İzmir.

3. Balyan, M., Vural, F., Arıkan, N., Tunçer, Y. (2009, January). Analysis of some technical and tactical data of the U13 – U14 matches which are played in different field sizes. Poster Session Presented At The Third Soccer and Science National Congress, Antalya.

4. Bandura A. (1977). Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84 (2), 191-215.

5. Bandura A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. NJ: Prentice Hall.

6. Barnett, F. & Spinks, W.L. (2007). Exercise self-efficacy of postmenopausal women resident in the tropics. Maturitas, 58, 1-6.

7. Eres, F. (2005). Eğitimin sosyal faydalari: Türkiye – AB karşılaştırması. Milli Eğitim Dergisi, 167. Retrieved from <http://yayim.meb.gov.tr/dergiler/167/index3-eres.htm>.

8. Feltz, D.L., Chase, M.A., Moritz, S.E. & Sullivan, P.J. (1999). A conceptual model of coaching efficacy: preliminary investigation and instrument development. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91 (4), 765-776.

9. Gencer, R.T., Kiremitci, O. & Boyacioglu, H. (2009). Psychometric properties of coaching efficacy scale (CES): a study on Turkish coaches. E-Journal of New World Sciences Academy, Sport Sciences, 4 (2), 143-153.

10. Haverback, H.R. & Parault, S.J. (2008). Pre-service reading teacher efficacy and tutoring: a review. Educational Psychology Review. 20, 237-255.

11. Kent, A. & Sullivan, P.J. (2003). Coaching efficacy as a predictor of university coaches’ commitment. International Sports Journal, 7(1), 78-88.

12. Korkmaz, İ. (2002). Sosyal öğrenme kuramı. In B. Yeşilyaprak (Ed.), Gelişim ve öğrenme psikolojisi (pp 197-220).Ankara: Pegem Yayıncılık.

13. Lidor, R. (1998). Development of character through sport activities. International Journal of Physical Education, 35 (3), 91-99.

14. Luthans, F. & Peterson, J.J. (2001). Employee engagement and manager self-efficacy-Implications for managerial effectiveness and development. Journal of Management Development. 21, (5), 376-387.

15. Marback, T.C., Short, S.E., Short, M.W. & Sullivan, P.J. (2005). Coaching confidence: an exploratory investigation of sources and gender differences. Journal of Sport Behavior. 28 (1), 18-34.

16. Myers, N.D., Vargas-Tonsing, T.M. & Feltz, D.L. (2005). Coaching efficacy in ıntercollegiate coaches: sources, coaching behavior, and team variables. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 6, 129-143.

17. Myers, N.D., Wolfe, E.W. & Feltz D.L. (2005). An evaluation of the psychometric properties of the coaching efficacy scale for coaches from the United States of America. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 9 (3), 135-160.

18. Ors, E., Koruç Z. & Kocaekşi S. (2006). Takım Sporlarında Öz-Yeterlik ve Kaygının Cinsiyet İle İlişkisinin Belirlenmesi. Proceeding of The International Sport Science Congress, Turkey, 944-949.

19. Popper, M. & Lipshitz, R. (1992). Coaching on leadership. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 13(7), 15-18.

20. Tams, S. (2008). Constructing Self-efficacy at work: a person-centered perspective. Personnel Review, 37 (2), 165-183.

21. Toker, H. & Helvacıoğlu, E. (2000). Futbolun sırrı. Bilim ve Ütopya 72, 14-30.

22. Tsorbatzoudis, H., Daroglou, G., Zahariadis, P. & Grouios, G. (2003). Examination of coaches’ self efficacy: preliminary analysis of the coaching efficacy scale. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 97, 1297-1306.

23. Vargas-Tonsing, T.M., Warners, A.L. & Feltz, D.L. (2003). The predictability of coaching efficacy on team efficacy and player efficacy in volleyball. Journal of Sport Behavior. 26 (4), 396-407.

24. Wein, H. (2001). Developing youth soccer, Champaign IL: Human Kinetics.

### Tables

#### Table 1. Descriptive statistics of coaches and t-test results related to the Coaching Efficacy Scale

			Motivation Efficacy		Game Strategy Efficacy		Teaching Technique Efficacy		Character Building Efficacy		Total Coaching Efficacy
	n	%	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD
Age
39 & less	78	63.4	8.19	.58	8.01	.62	8.28	.60	8.57	.54	8.26	.50
40 & over	45	36.6	8.15	.56	8.06	.60	8.13	.53	8.64	.54	8.24	.48
t-value			.420		-.480		1.439		-.763		.171
Marital Status
Married	100	81.3	8.21	.56	8.1	.6	8.26	.54	8.61	.55	8.29	.48
Single	23	18.7	8.03	.61	7.76	.6	8.08	.72	8.52	.51	8.1	.53
t-value			1.264		2.417^*		1.121		.759		1.627
Education Level
High school & lower	46	37.4	8.17	.57	8.1	.58	8.23	.56	8.63	.54	8.28	.49
University & higher	77	62.6	8.17	.57	8	.62	8.22	.59	8.58	.54	8.24	.49
Sporting Background
Amateur	47	38.2	8.17	.56	7.98	.58	8.18	.62	8.63	.49	8.24	.47
Professional	76	61.8	8.18	.58	8.07	.63	8.25	.55	8.58	.57	8.27	.50
t-value			-.062		-.777		-.593		.537		-.295
Coaching Certificate
UEFA B	87	70.7	8.15	.59	7.96	.62	8.19	.61	8.57	.55	8.21	.50
UEFA A	36	29.3	8.23	53	8.21	.55	8.31	.48	8.66	.50	8.35	.45
t-value			-.731		2.186^*		-1.171		-.883		-1.451
Coaching Level
Youth	95	77.2	8.23	.57	8.03	.61	8.26	.57	8.64	.51	8.29	.48
Professional	28	22.8	7.98	.55	8.04	.61	8.1	.60	8.45	.60	8.14	.50
t-value			2.049^*		-.009		1.258		1.540		1.389
Coaching Background
8 years & less	78	63.4	8.18	.57	8	.62	8.24	.60	8.57	.57	8.25	.50
9 years & more	45	36.6	8.17	.58	8.1	.58	8.19	.54	8.64	.49	8.28	.47
t-value			.087		-.944		.484		-.796		-.337
Total	123	100	8.17	.57	8.03	.61	8.22	.58	8.6	.54	8.26	.49

^* p < .05

#### Table 2. Pearson correlations between dimensions of coaching efficacy and total coaching efficacy

	Game Strategy Efficacy	Teaching Technique Efficacy	Character Building Efficacy	Total Coaching Efficacy
Motivation Efficacy	0.80	0.74	0.60	0.92
Game Strategy Efficacy		0.71	0.46	0.88
Teaching Technique Efficacy				0.75
Character Building Efficacy				0.75
Total Coaching Efficacy				–

p < .001

### Corresponding Author

**R.Timucin Gencer, PhD**
University of Ege
School of Physical Education and Sports
Bornova, Izmir, Turkey, 35100
<timucin.gencer@ege.edu.tr>
+90 232 3425714 (office)
+90 532 3030610 (mobile)

### Author Bio

R.Timucin Gencer, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Sport Management at the University of Ege. He played basketball as a professional from 1990-1997. He was also the assistant coach of the Turkish National Basketball Team U-16 men who won the European Championship Title in 2005.

U.S. Sports Academy2013-11-25T16:26:52-06:00May 25th, 2011|Sports Coaching, Sports Facilities, Sports Management, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

Raising Awareness of the Severity of Concussions

Lindsey Neumann

### Abstract

Concussions have always been a part of physical contact sports, but with athletes becoming bigger and stronger, something has to be done to raise awareness of the severity of concussions and what can happen later down the road if athletes are not given the adequate amount of time to recover. The National Football League has already put regulations on how long a player has to stay out after receiving a concussion and has started fining athletes that deliberately use helmet-to-helmet contact on an opposing player; the National Collegiate Athletic Association has started neurological testing to track a concussed athlete’s progress and have revised the guidelines on not letting athletes return to play the same day and having mandatory check-ups; but high schools have very few regulations to follow. A concussion is the same whether it happens to a pro player or a high school player, so why do the professional players take precedence over high school athletes? Changes need to be made so all athletes are cared for.

**Key Words:** concussions, helmet-to-helmet contact, National Football League, National Collegiate Athletic Association, neurological testing

### Introduction

Owen Thomas, junior lineman for University of Pennsylvania, Andre Waters, former Philadelphia Eagles safety, Chris Henry, the Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver and Chris Beniot, a pro wrestler; these men have been successful athletes, but that all changed after receiving countless blows to the head. They, as well as many others, have been diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which according to the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes and others, with a history of repetitive concussions. The brain degeneration is associated with memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, paranoia, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and, eventually, progressive dementia (2). After death, these four athletes had tissue from their brain examined, where each had evidence of CTE.

Helmet-to-helmet hits are becoming more aggressive, take for example the hit that Kevin Everett experienced in 2007, or the hit that Josh Cribbs received from James Harrison, and the memorable hit of Eric LeGrand that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Because of this the National Football League (NFL) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) have recently implemented rules to protect players from injuries that occur through these hits, but what about the high school athletes? The University Interscholastic League (UIL), which is the governing body of high school athletics in Texas, has started to take steps in changing the policies and guidelines that are currently being followed, but that isn’t enough.

#### National Football League

The new guidelines for the NFL provide more specificity in making return-to-play decisions. The new statements advise that a player who suffers a concussion should not return to play or practice on the same day if he shows any signs or symptoms of a concussion that are outlined in the return-to-play statement. It continues to say the player shouldn’t return to play until they have had neurological and neuropsychological testing completed and have been cleared by both the team physician and an independent neurological consultant (1). It is also outlines that if an athlete has symptoms of loss of consciousness, confusion, gaps in memory, persistent dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting or dizziness, or any other persistent signs or symptoms of concussions the athlete should be removed from all activities (1).

#### National Collegiate Athletic Association

According to the NCAA a concussion is a brain injury that may be caused by a blow to the head, face, neck, or elsewhere on the body with an “impulsive” force transmitted to the head (9). An athlete doesn’t have to lose consciousness after a concussion occurs, but there are two things that a coach and athlete need to watch for: a forceful blow to the head or body that results in rapid movement of the head, and any changes in the student-athlete’s behavior, thinking or physical functioning. Some of the signs and symptoms that have been observed by both the coaching staff and student athletes consist of the student-athlete appearing dazed and confused, forgetting plays and being confused about assignments, while they have a headache, feel nauseated, confused, and are sensitive to light and noise (9).

After meeting, the NCAA committee that is responsible for recommending rules and policies made revisions on the previous guidelines found in the NCAA Medicine Handbook that all sports followed on concussion management. These revisions emphasize not letting a student-athlete return play the same day after a long duration of significant symptoms, and if the symptoms continue the athlete should not participate until cleared by a physician (3).

The NCAA wants all coaching staff and student-athletes to have full awareness of the severity of concussions, in doing so they have produced fact sheets for both, which recommend that athletes not hide it and that they tell the athletic trainer or coach so they can receive the proper treatment, and take time to recover. Just like every other injury, a concussion needs time to heal, and repeated concussions can cause permanent brain damage, and even death (9).

For Tarleton State University, located in Stephenville, Texas, neuropsychological testing is being done using ImPACT, which measures athlete’s attention span, working memory, sustained and selective attention time, response variability, non-verbal solving, and reaction time. ImPACT also provides computerized neurocognitive assessment tools and services that are used by coaches, athletic trainers, doctors, and other health professionals to assist them in determining if an athlete is able to return to play after suffering a concussion (6). Athletes start out taking the test to set a base line, they are asked demographic information and health history, what their current symptoms are, then take the neuropsychological test, which measures athlete’s attention span, working memory, sustained and selective attention time, response variability, non-verbal solving, and reaction time with six different modules that are labeled as Word Memory, Design Memory, X’s and O’s, Symbol Matching, Color Matching, and Three Letter Memory, they then get the injury report, and the ImPACT test scores (6). ImPACT is being used by the U.S. Army, professional teams, sports medicine centers, neuropsychology clinics, doctors, colleges, high schools, and club teams all across the United States, as well as Canada and Internationally. Tarleton State University has also required full participation of their athletes by informing them of concussions and having them sign an injury acknowledgement form, stating that they will be an active participant in their own healthcare. Tarleton has also stepped up in making the academic department aware of the severity of a concussion by producing information sheets that state the signs and symptoms, how a person recovers, and what a person with a concussion should and shouldn’t do.

#### High School

According to USA Today only Texas, Oregon, and Washington have enacted laws, all since 2007, to meaningfully tackle the issue. Oregon and Texas require athletes to be removed from play the day of the injury, while Washington gives coaches responsibility for removal (12). But still the UIL leaves it open for an athlete to return to play in the same day, if the athlete hasn’t lost consciousness and concussion symptoms are resolved within 15 minutes; and like its heat guidelines, concussion protocol is merely a set of recommendations and isn’t enforced. According to the Dallas News, fifty-three percent of public schools in Texas and about ninety-three percent of private schools don’t have a full-time certified trainer on staff, and thirty-three percent of public school and eighty-seven percent of private schools don’t have weekly access to a certified trainer (4).

### Conclusion

The awareness of concussions has started to make its way to the top, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram the UIL and state education commissioners are currently working on approving that “Texas public high school athletes who get a concussion wouldn’t return to play until the next day, at the earliest, and a licensed healthcare professional would have to approve any return to play (7).”

With the number of athletes in public and private schools in Texas, and all across the United States, why has the issue of concussions not been dealt with before now? For fear of losing playing time there are fewer occurrences reports, but the long-term effects need to be stressed to all student-athletes. Not only athletes, but coaches, athletic trainers and parents need to be informed of the side effects that can happen if a concussion is not reported. Making it mandatory to do testing through concussion-based programs, like ImPACT, could be the first step in raising awareness and helping to give the adequate amount of time to recovery for those athletes who are injured.

### Applications in Sports

Everyone involved in contact sports, including coaches, athletic trainers, athletes, and parents, needs to know the severity of concussions. Many studies have shown what can happen if athletes don’t receive the adequate amount of time to heal after receiving a concussion, but compared to professional athletes there is little that is being done at the high school level to help with these recovery periods. Parents want to make sure their child is being cared for, while coaches have guidelines to follow to make sure their athletes makes a complete recovery, so following the footsteps of professionals and updating concussions guidelines can help in making sure everyone is taking the appropriate steps when a high school athlete has received a concussion.

### Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr. Kayla Peak, the Director of the Graduate Program at Tarleton State University, for assisting in the development of this article.

### References

1. (2010). NFL issues stricter guidelines for returning to play following concussion. E-Journal of The Sports Digest. Retrieved from http://www.thesportdigest.com/

2. Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, About CTE. (n.d.) What is CTE. Retrieved from http://www.bu.edu/cste/

3. Copeland, Jack. (2009). Safeguard committee acts on concussion-management measures. Retrieved from National Collegiate Athletic Association website: http://www.ncaa.org

4. George, Brandon. (2010, August 1). Hidden dangers: concussions in high school sports. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved from http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories

5. George, Brandon. (2010, August 2). Texas’ UIL falls behind on concussion policy. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved from http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories

6. ImPACT-Testing and Computerized Neurocognitive Assessment Tools, About ImPACT. (n.d.) Overview and Features of the ImPACT Test. Retrieved from http://impacttest.com/

7. McCrea, Michael, Hammeke, Thomas, Olsen, Gary, Leo, Peter, & Guskiewicz, Kevin. (2004).Unreported concussions in high school football players. The Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, (14)1, 13-17. Retrieved from http://journals.lwwlcom/cjsportsmed

8. NCAA, Student-Athlete Experience, Student-Athlete Well-being, Concussions. (n.d.). 23 Sports Specific Poster. Retrieved from http://www.ncaa/org

9. NCAA, Student-Athlete Experience, Student-Athlete Well-being, Concussions. (n.d.). Fact Sheet for Coaches. Retrieved from http://www.ncaa.org

10. NCAA. Student-Athlete Experience, Student-Athlete Well-being, Concussions. (n.d.). Fact Sheet for Student-Athletes. Retrieved from http://www.ncaa.org

11. Schwarz, Alan. (2010, September 13). Suicide reveals signs of a disease seen in the N.F.L. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://nytimes.com

12. Tumulty, Brian. (2010, May 20). Study highlights frequency of concussions in high school athletes. Retrieved from http:// www.usatoday.com

### Corresponding Author
Lindsey Neumann
445 Oak Springs Drive
Seguin, Texas 78155

<lindseyneumann@hotmail.com> 830-305-4312

### Author Bio
Lindsey Neumann is a graduate student studying Kinesiology at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.

U.S. Sports Academy2015-11-06T20:22:56-06:00April 19th, 2011|Contemporary Sports Issues, Sports Coaching, Sports Management, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off