The Effect of Gender on Korean Teens’ Athletic Footwear Purchasing

Submitted by Dr. Taeho Yon*1, Mr. Brian Gordon*2, and Mr. Mike Mohr*3.

*1 Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
*2 Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
*3 Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA

Dr. Taeho Yon is an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Education at Southern Illinois University. He received a bachelor’s degree from Hongik University in South Korea, a master’s degree in recreation and sport management from Indiana State University and a Ph.D. in Sport Management from Florida State University.

Brian Gordon is a graduate student in sport management at Southern Illinois University. His area of interest includes legal aspects, sport marketing, and administration of intercollegiate athletics.

Mike Mohr is a graduate student in sport management at Southern Illinois University. His area of interest includes sport marketing (consumer behavior) and issues of people with disabilities in sport.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence Korean teens’ athletic footwear purchase. Four hundred and fifty-six teens participated in the study. Throughout the review of related literature and the conduction of a pilot study, seven characteristics were considered; price, color, style, brand name, comfort, quality, and celebrity endorsement. ANOVA procedures indicated that gender played a significant role in the purchasing behavior of Korean teens. Male teens stated that comfort and quality are the most important factors while female teens revealed that style and color are more important factors than any other factor. Marketers and advertising managers of athletic shoes companies should utilize the findings of this study to communicate with teen consumers more effectively.

Key Words: Korean teens, Consumer behavior, Athletic Footwear,

In recent years, the buying power of the teenage Korean market has significantly increased.  According to Park (2002), in 2003, there were approximately 11.3 million (23.9% of total population) teens in Korea, with an estimated 10 billion dollars in buying power. The Korean Institute for Youth Development projected that teen spending will significantly increase over the next ten years.  Lee (2003) also pointed that due to the one child policy, which limits parents to having only one child to curb overpopulation, teens in Korea assume a greater role as consumers in the household and justify where funds are allocated.  According to a report by Korea Institute for Youth Development (2004), Korean teens exert an influence on more than $36 billion in family purchases. The report also stated that most Korean teens make purchases with money that is provided by their family. Further, they ask their parents to buy a variety of products that are not teen products such as food, furniture, electronics, and other household products.  New trends have developed within the Korean teen subculture. As a result, consumer behavior will change (Kim, 2002; Lee, 2003; Lim 2001).  Lee (2003) stated that unlike previous generations, today’s Korean teens have different consumption behavior. They are very concerned about the conspicuousness of the products. In other words, they are very conscious about how they look from others viewpoints or the image they reflect upon others. As a result, they will place a higher value on aesthetics over quality. Woo (2001) also stated that approximately 50% of teens expressed design as the most important factor when they purchase teen-related products. Design and styles are viewed as more relevant characteristics among female teens in Korea. Consequently, parents consider secondary factors such as design and style over quality and comfort.  Today’s teens are easily influenced by various advertising which presents role models such as sport entertainers (Lee, 2003). Lee (2003) found that 80% of teens are somewhat influenced by advertisements and believe the products advertised by celebrities have better conspicuousness than products that were not endorsed by celebrities.  Korean teens are very sensitive to current fashion trends and have impulsive purchasing behavior (Kwon, 2000; Lim, 2002). Lim (2002) found that almost 50% of Korean teens have purchased products impulsively. They place a greater emphasis on the style and color of a product over the quality aspect (Kim 2000). Korean teens identify with certain brand products that help express their identity and characteristics. This consumer behavior is the most important factor that leads to a purchase (Lee, 2003; Lim 2002). Lee (2003) found that 79% of Korean teens care about product brands and have a strong brand loyalty to a certain brand of athletic shoes. Wearing a certain brand of footwear is very important for a teenager because it is a way of fitting in and gaining acceptance by the peer group (Forney & Forney, 1995; Miller, 1994).  Among the teen products, athletic shoes are one of the highest brand loyalty items among Korean teens (Lee, 2003).

Apart from this, the teenage period is the life stage in which an individual’s consumption leverage increases dramatically in terms of financial resources and decision-making discretion (Shim & Gehrt, 1996). Hence, with the strong marketing impact that teens create, marketers and consumer researchers become increasingly interested in exploring the shopping behavior of teens (Kamaruddin & Mokhlis, 2003). Often such teen shopping behaviors are influenced by their demographic background. Among the different demographic variables, gender has been considered as one of the most influential variables due to the following reasons: (1) gender is easily identifiable, (2) gender segments are accessible (since most media provide this information), and (3) gender segments are large enough to be profitable, gender is still a frequently used variable to implement segmentation strategies. (Stevens, Lathrop, & Bradish, 2005; Belk, 2003; Cleveland, Babin, Laroche, Ward, Bergeron, 2003; Darley & Smith, 1995; Meyers-Levy & Sternthal, 1991).   In the sport product segment, some research investigated gender differences on athletic shoes purchasing (Belk, 2003; Lyons & Jackson, 2001). However, previous research showed inconsistent results. Belk’s (2003) study found a gender difference on athletic shoes purchasing, but Lyons & Jackson (2001) found that African-American teens did not show gender differences on athletic shoe selection.  Moreover, although there is the practical importance of gender differences in the field of consumer behavior and a growing interest in the consumer behavior of teens in Korea, a meager amount of research has been conducted to investigate the gender differences on the factors that influence teens purchasing athletic shoes in Korea.

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence Korean teens purchasing athletics shoes with association of gender.

Method:

Participants

Participants for this study were five hundred twenty-five randomly selected teens from 6 schools in a metropolitan area of Korea.  Self-administered surveys were given to participants. Of the 525 returned survey questionnaires, 456 were usable.  Female teens represented 46% (211) and 54% (245) were represented by male teens.

Instrumentation

A survey was developed through literature reviews and discussions with teenagers in Korea. A pretest was conducted for 37 Korean teens and the survey questions were revised to make them more appropriate for the population tested in this study. The survey consisted of two parts with 18 questions. The first part included demographics of gender and age. The second part of the survey consisted of questions about the factors that influence Korean teens to purchase athletic shoes. From the review of relevant literature, seven most important factors were identified: style, price, brand name (recognition), color, quality, comfort, and celebrity endorsement. For this section, a five-point Likert-type scale (5-Strongly agree 1-strongly disagree) was used to rate the agreement of each factor. The following is a sample statement for each information source:

• Style: When I purchase athletic shoes the style of shoes is very important

• Comfort: When it comes to deciding to buy athletic shoes, comfort is the most important factor.

• Quality: I often purchase athletic shoes which are very durable

• Price: I’m very concerned about the price of shoes

• Brand name: I am very concerned about the brand name of shoes

• Color: When purchase athletic shoes, color of the shoes is one of the major concerns

• Celebrity endorsement: I often purchase same athletic shoes that a celebrity whom I admire wore.

The data collection process was completed in five weeks. Data were entered and statistics calculated by SPSS 12.0 for Windows program. Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were acquired to analyze the data. Analysis of Variance procedures were conducted with factor scores, with independent variable of gender. Alpha values were set at 0.05 to determine significant differences between genders.

Results

Descriptive statistics generated from the questionnaire indicated that for male teens comfort of shoes (M = 4.4, SD = 0.72) is the most important factor. The second most important factor is quality (M = 4.2, SD = 0.83). (See Table 1).

For female teens  style (M = 4.4, SD = 0.67) and color (M=4.3, SD=0.75) are two most important factors. (See Table 2).

ANOVA for gender are represented in Table 3.

ANOVA found that there is a significant difference between genders on style (F=24.913, p = 0.001). Style is the most important factor for female teens (M=4.4) while the third most important factor for male teens (M=3.9).  There is a gender difference on the importance of comfort (F=7.421, p= .007). Comfort is more important factor for male teens (M=4.4) than for females (M=4.1).The importance of brand name differs between genders (F=17.279, p= .001).  Brand name of the shoes is more important factor for female teens (M=3.7) than for males (M=3.2). The data revealed that there is no significant difference between genders on quality, price, and endorsement of athletic shoes.

Discussion and Managerial Implications

The results of this study provide empirical evidence regarding factors that influence Korean teens purchasing athletic footwear in relation to demographics.

The influence of factors differs between genders.  This study found that for male teens, the comfort and quality are the two most important factors while female teens ranked the style and color as the most important factors. There were significant differences between genders on style, comfort, and brand name. Interestingly, female teens showed higher scores for some physical factors of the products, style and brand name, than male teens while male teens consider internal factors such as comfort as a more important consideration.  This finding is consistent with a previous study (Park 2002; Solomon & Schopler, 1982; Taylor & Cosenza, 2002).  Females are more sensible about the appearance of the product such as style, design, and brand name while males tend to consider internal factors such as comfort and quality as more important factors. Belk (2003) also found a gender difference on perception toward athletic shoes, with women being more alert to the symbolic implications of shoes than men. Women strongly feel that their footwear is an expansion and expression of themselves. They also feel that shoes affect their perceptions of others and their perceptions of self. Compared to male consumers, female consumers see shoes as highly significant articles of clothing that are regarded as expressing the wearer’s personality.  Furthermore, for adolescents especially females, shoes are a key signifier of their identity (Belk, 2003; Park, 2002). Male consumers, on the other hand, see shoes as a utilitarian thing.  As a consequence, the style that they identify with most is the critical purchase decision-making factor for Korean female teens while comfort is the most important consideration for male teens in Korea.  Some researchers applied socio-cultural perspective to explain the fact that physical appearance is greater for women than for men (Burton & Netemeyer, 1995; Jackson 1992; Kim, 2002; Lee 2003; Striegel-Moore, Silberstein, & Rodin, 1986).  In Korea, women are generally viewed as having less social power than men (Kim, 2002; Lee, 2003).Lee (2003) stated that in Korea, traditional perceptions of the male role have centered on the man as the worker and financial provider, whereas the traditional female role has been outside of the workforce such as raising children. As a consequence, often the physical attractiveness is used as a more important evaluative cue for women because of the less “objective” criteria available for judging their successful role fulfillment.  This perspective is supported from other research (Burton & Netemeyer, 1995; Jackson 1992; Buss & Barnes 1986).  Buss and Barnes (1986) revealed that women select their spouse on the basis of their social power (as a means of elevating social position), whereas men, as the sex with greater social power, choose their spouse more on the basis of beauty and  physical attractiveness. This perspective implies that women use their appearance as a means to enhance social power (Burton & Netemeyer, 1995).  Thus, the women’s concern about their physical appearance is far greater than that of men. Such a perception and orientation certainly impacts on their purchasing behavior (Brownmiller 1984).

This study provides critical information to marketers and advertising directors of athletic shoe companies which target Korean teens.  This study found that Korean male and female students are affected by different factors when they purchased athletic shoes. Male teens seek comfortable and quality shoes while female teens consider the appearance of the product, such as style, color and brand names, as the more important factor. Therefore, marketers and advertising directors should pay emphasis on the comfort and quality for male athletic shoes advertising. For female teens, they should create more the eye-appealing advertisements. The finding of this study should be interpreted in light of some limitations. First, although the sample size was not small, the samples were drawn from schools in a metropolitan area. Therefore, it is recommended for future studies to have samples from a wider geographical distribution to provide more generalized findings.  Second, demographic characteristics other than gender should be considered in future studies. For example, future studies on this topic should examine demographic characteristics such as age, education, race, and socio-economic status. Different demographic characteristics may have a significant impact on consumption behavior.

References

Belk, R.W. (2003). Shoes and Self. Advances in Consumer Research, 30 (1), 27-34.

Brownmiller, S. (1984). Femininity. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Buss, D. M., & Barnes, M. (1986). Preferences in human mate selection. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 735-747.

Burton, S., Netemeyer, R. G. (1995). Gender differences for appearance-related attitudes and behaviors: Implications for consumer. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 14 (1) 60-76.

Cleveland, M., Babin, B. J., Laroche, M., Ward, P., & Bergeron, J. (2003). Information search patterns for gift purchases: A cross-national examination of gender differences. Journal of Consumer Behavior 3 (1), 20-47.

Darley, W. K., & Smith, R. E. (1995). Gender differences in information processing strategies: An empirical test of the selectivity in advertising response. Journal of Advertising, 24 (1) 41-56.

Forney, J., & Forney, W. (1995). Gangs or fashion: influences on junior high student dress, Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, Vol. 87, pp.26–32.

Jackson, L. A. (1992). Physical Appearance and Gender: Sociobiological and Sociocultural Perspectives. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press

Kamaruddin, R. A., & Mokhlis. S. (2003). Consumer socialization, social structual factors and decision-making styles: a case study of adolescents in Malaysia. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 27(2),145-157.

Kim , B. J. (2000). A Research on Consumption Behavior Among Youths. Unpublished Masters Thesis, Changwon University, Korea.

Kim, S. S. (2002). Korean Adolescents’ Purchasing Behavior for Hip Hop Clothes. Unpublished Masters Thesis, Yonsei University, Korea.

Korea Institute for Youth Development. (2004). Spending Power of Korean teens. Retrieved August 2, 2005 from http://www.youthnet.re.kr/

Kwon, M. H. (2000). Consumption values and rationality of consumption behavior of adolescent consumers. Unpublished Masters Thesis, Seoul National University, Korea.

Lee, J. K. (2003). A Study on the Adolescent Consumer Behavior and Economy Education Special Program. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, DongUi
University, Korea

Lim. H. J. (2002). Study on Adolescent Consumers’ Consumption Consciousness and Consumption Behavior : Focusing on junior high school students in Jeju city. Unpublished Masters Thesis, Jeju University, Korea

Lyons, R., & Jackson, N. (2001). Factors that influence African-American Gen-Xers to purchase Nikes. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 10, 96-101.

Meyers-Levy, J., & Sternthal, B. (1991). Gender differences in the use of message cues and judgments. Journal of Consumer Research, 28, 84-96.

Miller, C. (1994). Phat is where it’s at for today’s teen market. Marketing News, 28, 6–7.

Park, J. M. (2002). A Study on the Variables to Adolescent’s Propensity to Conspicuous consumption. Unpublished Masters Thesis, Ewha University, Korea

Shim, S., & Gehrt, K.C. (1996). Hispanic and Native American adolescents: an exploratory study of their approach to shopping. Journal of Retailing, 72,
307-324

Solomon, M., & Schopler, J. (1982). Self consciousness and clothing. Personality and Social Psychology, 8, 508–514.

Stevens, J., Lathrop, A., & Bradish, C. (2005). Tracking Generation Y: A Contemporary Sport Consumer Profile. Journal of Sport Management,19(3), 254-276.

Striegel-Moore, R. H., Silberstein, L.R., & Rodin, J. (1986). Toward an Understanding of Risk Factors for Bulimia. American Psychologist, 41, 246-63.

Taylor, S. L., & Cosenza R.M. (2002). Profiling later aged female teens: mall shopping behavior and clothing choice. Journal of Consumer Marketing,19 (5), 393-408.

 

Yon Gordon Mohr Table 1

 

Yon Gordon Mohr Table 2

Yon Gordon Mohr Table 3

2015-03-19T13:59:38-05:00January 3rd, 2006|Contemporary Sports Issues, General, Women and Sports|Comments Off on The Effect of Gender on Korean Teens’ Athletic Footwear Purchasing

Efficacy of Relaxation Techniques in Increasing Sport Performance in Women Golfers

Submitted by Dr. Linda LaGrange*1 and Ms. Janet Ortiz*2.

1* New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, NM 87701 USA

2* New Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, NM 87701 USA

Dr. Linda LaGrange is a professor of psychology, concentration in psychopharmacology and physiological psychology at New Mexico Highlands University. Her research interests range from the biological correlates of sensation seeking to the fetoprotective capacity of bioflavonoids, and finally, the association of alcohol consumption with aggressive behavior.

Janet Ortiz received B.A. in Psychology and M.S. in Clinical Psychology from New Mexico Highlands University. She became interested in the game of golf at the age of four when first introduced to the game by her father. She began competitive golf at the age of six and played in the Sun Country (New Mexico and west Texas) and the American Junior Golf Association (national) junior circuits. In high school, Janet received All-District and All-State honors each year and was a five-time varsity letter winner. She was also a member of state championship team in 1996. Finally, Janet was a student-athlete as a member of the University of Wyoming women’s golf team for two years where she was a varsity letter winner both years.

Abstract

Stress and anxiety can adversely affect athletic performance across all levels of athletic ability and types of sports. The researchers wanted to determine if progressive relaxation techniques (PRT) would improve sports performance in a group of female recreational golfers. The study was conducted over a 3-month period during which the experimental group (n=9) regularly engaged in PRT. Both the experimental group and the control group (n=9) played their regular golf game; recording their scores, putts per round, and number of greens hit in regulation. Preintervention measures were recorded and compared with post intervention measures. Both groups recorded significant improvement on all three measures. The amount of improvement observed for the experimental group was more than that observed for the control group. The between-group differences were not, however, significant.

Introduction

One of the most difficult obstacles to overcome among people who strive to improve their sports performance is that of anxiety.  Anxiety becomes even more of an obstacle to attaining optimal performance in the concentration-intense sports such as golf.  Beyond the competition-induced stress and anxiety, the competitors may find themselves dealing with two other general sources of stress: competition-related issues such as coach/team interactions and stress factors that are completely external to competition, such as sleep deprivation.  Anshel, Kim, Kim, Chang, and Eom (2001) further categorized stress into acute and chronic stress.  Most relaxation techniques are designed to deal directly with acute stress, whereas there are few studies of possible relaxation methods that are designed to alleviate both acute and chronic stress.

Two of the most common general types of relaxation techniques are progressive relaxation and imaginal relaxation. Progressive relaxation is characterized by tensing and relaxing the muscle groups and is typically accompanied by deep breathing exercises. Specifically, it entails tensing a particular muscle group, maintaining the tension briefly, and then releasing the tension.  Typically, the individual begins with the lower extremities, gradually progressing up to the neck and shoulders (Nideffer, 1981; Bernstein & Borkavec, 1993). Imaginal relaxation techniques are driven by cognitive processes and do not involve muscular tension and relaxation (Scogin, Richard, Keith, Wilson, & McElreath, 1992).

Nicholls, Holt, and Polman (2005) interviewed a number of golfers to determine what types of coping strategies they employed when they were in the midst of competition.  The most effective strategies included rationalizing, reappraising, blocking, positive self-talk, following a routine, breathing exercises, physical relaxation, and seeking on-course social support.  In a recent qualitative study (Giacobbi, Foore, & Weinberg (2004), semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 golfers in which the golfers were asked to identify the most common sources of stress they encountered when playing golf.  They were then asked to describe their coping responses.  Their various coping strategies included cognitive strategies, relaxation techniques, off-course, efforts, golf course strategies, avoidance coping, and emotion-focused coping.  Of the 11, 6 used some form of relaxation, usually as part of their pre-shot routine.  The golfers found relaxation techniques effective both on and off the golf course.  In a study of 51 male varsity golfers, the efficacy of pre-competition imagery use on competition performance was examined.  The researchers found that motivational general mastery imagery was positively associated with golf performance as was elevated personal self-efficacy.  Interestingly, the higher the degree of personal self-efficacy, the more likely the golfers were to engage in general-mastery imagery (Beauchamp, Bray, & Albinson, 2002).  Finally, in a study in which comparisons were made of two coping interventions, cognitive intervention and progressive relaxation, Haney (2004) found that both strategies reduced trait anxiety and increased self-efficacy among a sample of female athletes.  However, the improvements seemed to be longer lasting for the cognitive intervention group.  It was not clear if the progressive relaxation group participants continued their relaxation program.  It seems likely that if the progressive relaxation program were discontinued, its beneficial effects would dissipate over time.

Giacobbi and Foore (2003) have observed that there has been relatively little research conducted on non-elite golfers.  They assert that the potential for sport psychologists to render services to the millions of avocational golfers in the U.S. could be greatly enhanced if more were known about how these golfers deal with sport-related stress.  Thus the current study recruited participants who were not professional athletes, but whose game would, nevertheless, be negatively influenced by anxiety.  We wanted to determine if regularly listening to a 20-minute standard progressive relaxation recording over a 3-month period would positively affect the participants’ golf game.

Hypotheses

It was  hypothesized that the women in the experimental group who listened to the progressive relaxation tape would improve their golf performance relative to the women in the control group as measured by the following three dependent variables:  1) scores per 9-hole round, 2) number of putts per round, and 3) number of greens hit in regulation.

Methods:

Participants

Before participant recruitment and data collection, the research protocol was reviewed and approved by the New Mexico Highlands University IRB committee.  Study participants were recruited from Women’s Golf Associations throughout New Mexico.  Their ages ranged from 19 to 48 years (mean = 33).  All of the participants had current United States Golf Association (USGA) handicaps between 6 and 12.

Materials

Each participant was given a 20-minute standard relaxation cassette tape.  The tape contents were originally developed by Dr. Kathy B. Parker, who, at the time, was a sport psychologist for the University of Wyoming Athletic Department.  Contained in the recording are the instructions for tensing and relaxing specific muscle groups, beginning with the arms, moving up towards the head, and then moving down the shoulders, back, and legs.

Procedures

Recruitment fliers containing project information were posted at golf courses and country clubs throughout the state of New Mexico. Once recruited, the participants were asked to record the number of putts per round of golf (in this case, 9 holes), their scores for each round, as well as the number of greens hit in regulation, for the next four rounds.  These data provided the baseline for post intervention comparison purposes.  Once the baseline data collection was completed, the 18 participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups:  the experimental group, which received the relaxation tape, and the control group, which did not get a relaxation tape.  The participants assigned to the control group were instructed to continue with their normal practice and playing routines for the next three months.  They were provided with logbooks in which they were to record their scores, putts per round, and greens in regulation for each round of golf they played.  The experimental group participants were also given logbooks and instructed to maintain normal practice and playing routines.  In addition, they were told to listen to the relaxation tape five times a week, at bedtime, for the first 30-day period of the study.  At the end of the first month, the participants from both groups were asked to turn in all of their scores.

During the second month of the study, the participants in the experimental group were instructed to reduce the number of times they listened to the relaxation tape from five to three times per week.  Participants from both groups were instructed to continue with their normal practice and playing routines and to also continue keeping a record of their scores in the logbook.  At the end of the second month, the participants again turned in all of their scores.

In the third and final month, the participants in the experimental group were told to listen to the relaxation tape just once a week.  All other activities for both groups remained the same.  Upon completion of the third month the participants played a final 36 holes.  A final tally of the latest scores per 9-hole round, the number of putts per round, and the number of greens hit in regulation was recorded.

Results

Means and standard deviations were computed for the pre and post conditions for both groups.  Pre group values did not vary significantly between groups for all three dependent variables; scores per 9-hole round, putts per round, and number of greens hit in regulation.

Because the participants were recruited in late winter and early spring, it was expected that participants from both groups would improve on all three dependent variables as a consequence of playing more often as the weather improved.  This indeed was the case (see Table 1).  However, we hypothesized that the participants in the experimental group would improve significantly more than their counterparts in the control group.

Figures 1-3 illustrate the improvement trends for both groups for each of the three dependent variables.  Independent groups t-tests were performed to compare the degree of improvement observed for the cassette group with the improvement observed for the no cassette group on each of the three dependent variables.  All effect sizes are reported using Cohen’s d equation.  For the first, in which the comparison was the improvement in scores per round for the cassette group (M = 0.1986, SD = 0.1254) and the no cassette group (M = 0.1143, SD = 0.1395), the difference was not statistically significant, t(16) = -1.299, p >0.05. The effect size was calculated at 0.64.  The second variable was that of number of putts per round.  The improvement by the experimental group (M = 0.0649, SD = 0.0286), although better than that of the control group (M = 0.097, SD = 0.0278), was not statistically significant, t(16 = -1.141, p >0.05.  The effect size was 0.54.  The final variable to be tested was that of the number of greens hit in regulation.  The experimental group (M = 0.2638, SD = 0.1401) again improved more than the control group (M = 0.1812, SD = 0.0792), however the difference in improvement was not statistically significant t(16) = -1.539, p > 0.05.  The effect size was 0.76.

Discussion

As expected, both groups improved over the three-month course of the study.  The question was, however, would the participants in the experimental group demonstrate significantly greater improvement than their counterparts in the control group.  For each of the three dependent variables, the improvement observed in the experimental group exceeded that of the control group.  However, the group differences were not significant.  Yet, the effect sizes, ranging from .54 – .76, were certainly not negligible, indicating that the lack of significance was, in part, a consequence of the small sample size.  The improvement trends illustrated in Figs. 1-3 seem to grow more robust with time.

It would be of interest to determine if improvement leveled off after a specific length of time.  Additionally, would the level of improvement be maintained even if the participant no longer engaged in progressive relaxation?  This question is at least partially addressed by Haney (2004), who noted that many stress management plans for athletes are constructed to be sport-specific as well as task-specific.  In the case of progressive relaxation, the intervention can address sources of anxiety unrelated to sport performance.  However, in her study, the progressive relaxation group experienced a rebound level of anxiety (after significant improvement) from post-experiment levels to the follow up data collection.  This rebound was attributed, at least in part, to a reduction in the number of participants who continued to practice the relaxation regimen.  If we were to replicate our study, it would be useful to continue the sampling period beyond the 3-month period during which the experimental group was actively practicing the relaxation technique.

An observation made by Giacobbi et al. (2004) was that among non-elite golfers there is a great degree of variability in how individuals cope with stress.  It would be of interest to know whether the exposure to the progressive relaxation tape altered the coping responses of the participants or if it reduced the overall level of stress.  Another observation made by Hassmen, Raglin, and Lundqvist (2004) was that there was a strong correlation between Somatic Anxiety scores and golf performance.  In a future study it would be beneficial to determine if the long term practice of progressive relaxation would alter a participant’s scores on the Somatic Anxiety scale.

According to Nideffer (1976) one of the important issues to be considered when dealing with closed-skill sports, as is golf, is that the skills are automatic and thus do not demand a dynamic form of attention.  This frees up attentional processing capacity, which allows the athlete to attend to other stimuli, some of which could be internal feelings of anxiety.  This concept was studied further by Liao and Masters (2002).  They describe how stress can cause athletes to reallocate information-processing resources from athletic performance to irrelevant stimuli, thus impairing performance.  More of this process could be understood if we could determine if progressive relaxation techniques, by reducing anxiety, prevent the reallocation of information-processing resources.  Or, is it possible that the participants who engaged in the relaxation program simply increased their attentional processing capacity?

In summary, PRT seemed to enhance the improvement in golf performance observed in a group of female recreational golfers.  The dependent variables included scores per 9-hole round, number of putts per round, and number of greens hit in regulation.  The members of the control group also improved their golf game, but not to the degree experienced by the experimental group.  The effect sizes (Cohen’s d) for the differences in improvement were 0.64 for scores per 9-hole round, 0.54 for number of putts per round, and 0.76 for number of greens hit in regulation.

References

  1. Anshel, M.H., Kim, K-W, Kim, B-H, Chang, K-J, & Eon, J-J (2001).  A model for coping with stressful events in sport :  Theory, application, and future directions.  International Journal of Sports Psychology, 32, 43-75.
  2. Beauchamp, M.R., Bray, S.R., & Albinson, J.G. (2002).  Pre-completion imagery, self-efficacy, and performance in collegiate golfers.  Journal of Sports Sciences, 20, 697-699.
  3. Bernstein, D.A., & Borkovec, T.D. (1973).  Progressive relaxation training.  Champaign, IL:  Research Press.
  4. Giacobbi, P.R., & Weinberg, R.S. (2000).  An examination of coping in sport:  Individual trait anxiety differences and situational consistency.  Sport Psychologist, 14, 42-62.
  5. Giacobbi, P., Jr., Foore, B., & Weinberg, R.S. (2004).  Broken clubs and expletives:  The courses of stress and coping responses of skilled and moderately skilled golfers.  Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 16, 166-182.
  6. Haney, C.J. (2004).  Stress-management interventions for female athletes:  Relaxation and cognitive restructuring.  International Journal of Sport Psychology, 35, 109-118.
  7. Hassmen, P., Raglin, J.S., & Lundqvist, C. (2004).  Intra-Individual Variability in State Anxiety and Self-Confidence in Elite Golfers.  Journal of Sports Behavior, 27, 277-291.
  8. Liao, C.M. & Masters, R.SW. (2002). Self-focused attention and performance failure under psychological stress.  Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 24, 289-305.
  9. Nicholls, A.R., Holt, N.L., & Polman, R. (2005).  A phenomenological analysis of coping effectiveness in golf.  Sport Psychologist, 19, 111-130.
  10. Nideffer, R.M. (1976).  The Inner Athlete.  New York:  Thomas Crowell.
  11. Scogin, F., Rickard, H.C., Keith, S., Wilson, J., & McElreath (1992).  Progressive and imaginal relaxation training for elderly persons with subjective anxiety.  Psychology and Aging, 7, 419-424.

Ortiz LaGrange Table 1

Ortiz LaGrange Figure 1 Ortiz LaGrange Figure 2 Ortiz LaGrange Figure 3

2015-03-19T13:45:15-05:00January 2nd, 2006|Contemporary Sports Issues, Women and Sports|Comments Off on Efficacy of Relaxation Techniques in Increasing Sport Performance in Women Golfers

The Impact of Elite Individual Athletic Performance on University Applicants for Admission in NCAA Division I-A Football

Submitted by Chad McEvoy, Ed. D*

1* Illinois State University, Normal,IL 61761

Dr. Chad McEvoy is an assistant professor in the school of kinesiology and recreation at Illinois State University. He holds an Ed. D. in Sport Administration with a minor in statistics and Research Methods from the University of Northern Colorado; a master of science in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a bachelor’s degree in sport management from Iowa State University.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of elite individual athletes in NCAA Division I-A football on undergraduate admissions applicants to their respective institutions, an examination of what the media has labeled as the “Flutie Factor”. Using a pretest-posttest control group design, a statistically significant time-by-group interaction effect was found, with universities realizing a 6.59 percent increase in undergraduate applicants for admission in the year following having a football player finish among the top five vote recipients for the Heisman Trophy. (more…)

2015-03-19T13:50:32-05:00January 1st, 2006|Contemporary Sports Issues, General, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off on The Impact of Elite Individual Athletic Performance on University Applicants for Admission in NCAA Division I-A Football

A Study of Sports Consciousness of Residents in Taiwan

Introduction

Since January 1, 2001, Labor Standards Law (2000) has been taken effect officially in Taiwan. Under the law, there are two-day weekend and the labor hours are reduced to 84 hours for two weeks. As a result, the public is going to enjoy 144 days of vacation per year. The time for leisure and recreation has increased substantially. In addition, GNP in Taiwan reached $12,941 in US dollars (Executive Yuan, 2001). As shown in Table 1, Taiwanese residents have not only the wealth but also the time when the Physical Labor Datum Law took effect.

Table one

Table 1 GNP per resident in Taiwan US dollars

Moreover, Gross National Product has reached a total of $2,883 hundred million (Executive Yuan, 2002a) which rose in rank to the developed country. As far as for the employment structure, the publication of Directorate General of Budget Accounting and Statistics, R. O. C. Taiwan Region Human Resources Statistic Outcome (Executive Yuan, 2002b), reported that service industry occupied 57.28% surpassing the total of industry of agriculture and fishery. A separate statistic, Report on the Survey of Family Income & Expenditure in Taiwan Area of the Republic China (Executive Yuan, 2000b) , pointed out that consumers expanded 13.51% of the income on entertainment, education, and culture service in 2000. All of the above has reflected the living qualities of Taiwanese residents.

In addition, based on a profile of Taiwanese public use of the time, an Investigation of Taiwan Region Social Development Tendency (Executive Yuan, 2000a) the average time to spend on physiology needs (sleep, dining, cleaning, dressing and makeup) was 10 hours and 54 minutes in April and May in 2000. It was 10 minutes higher than in 1994 and 21 minutes higher than 1987. On the other hand, restraint time, such as work, school, commute, housework and shopping, was seven hours and one minute. It was 35 and 27 minutes lower than in 1987 and 1994. However, Taiwanese had an average of 6 hours and five minutes in free time, which was 15 and 17 minutes higher than in 1987 and 1994. This has proved that Taiwanese residents began to pay more attention to promote a better living quality. Comparing to Japan, time for physiology needs was 22 minutes shorter whereas restrain and free time was 17 minutes and 4 minutes higher than Taiwan since Japanese residents has average of one hour less sleep and 22 minutes more in housework. In Australia and Canada, restraint time was 14 and 23 minutes more than in Taiwan; however, these two countries had an average of one hour of working time, but the housework and shopping was one hour 48 minutes and one hour and 25 minutes higher shown in Chart 1

Chart 1 An average living hour of residents of age 15 and above

Time: hour and minute

Physiology need Restrain time FreeTime
Sleep work Housework and shopping
Republic of China ( 2000 ) 10.54 8.42 7.01 4.09 1.47 6.05
Japan ( 1996 ) 10.32 7.44 7.18 4.10 2.09 6.09
Australia ( 1997 ) 10.58 8.36 7.15 2.53 3.35 5.47
Canada ( 1998 ) 10.24 8.06 7.24 3.18 3.12 6.12

Source: An Investigation of Taiwan Region Social Development Tendency, Directorate General of Budget Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, R. O. C (2000a). Taipei: Directorate General of Budget Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, R. O. C

The investigation also indicated 72.2% of Taiwanese residents of age 15 and higher reported participating in physical activities during leisure time which was a little lower than 74.5% in Japan. More, the participation rate for physical activity was 74.2% in male and 70.3% in female. Three common forms of physical activities practiced by 51.7% of Taiwanese residents were jogging, walking, and quick walking. 21.6% exercised everyday and 58.4% reported doing the above activities weekly. The next common physical activities were mountain climbing and hiking about 32.6%. Of which, only 4.4% reported participating daily and 26% weekly. Depending on age, regular exercise and age had an opposite trend in Taiwanese residents. 85.8% and 48.4% of Taiwanese residents age 65 and above reported jogging, walking, and quick walking as well as mountain climbing and hiking. However, the rate dropped to 50% to 20% for age of 50 and under. This has indicated the need to form a habit of regular and sustained physical exercise.

Furthermore, many research and studies related to exercise participation or recreation pointed out that there were only a small number of Taiwanese residents participating in regular exercise. For example, Executive Yuan Physical Education council published a study in May 1999 (Chen & Yan, 1999) indicated there were very few residents participated in regular physical activities even though there were over 90% of the people reported engaging in recreational activities. School education and public policy needed to improve and cultivate the public’s knowledge in utilizing time for physical activities especially Taiwanese society was generally work oriented.

Studies related in desire in physical activities, Liu and Wang (1999) believed residential area, gender, age, occupation, and education were related to types of physical activities, time, and location. The most desired physical activities were badminton, table tennis, bowling, jogging, and cycling whereas the most engaged activities were badminton, swimming, jogging, basketball, mountain climbing, billiards, bowling, quick walking, and folk dancing. Time for participating physical activities was before eight am and after six pm and locations were community park, riverside park, school stadium or sports ground, and at home.

Similar research and studies reflected that behavior, desire, and conscious of Taiwanese resident’s physical activities were limited to facilities and locations, which should be further researched by the department of physical education. Past research pointed out the relations among desire and conscious of physical activities, age, gender, economic status, and recreation skills needed to be studied. How to evaluate and understand the above relations so results can be applied practically is valuable to academic research as well as policy making in the government.

The purpose of the research is to investigate the preferences, routines, conscious and opinion of Taiwanese residents in physical activities related to government policy in developing physical education and recreation activities.

The scope of the research included 25 counties and cities in Taiwan (Jilong city, Taipei county, Taoyuan county, Yilan county, Hsinchu city, Hsinchu county, Taichung city, Taichung county, Mioli county, Zhanghua county, Nantou county, Yunlin county, Jiayi city, Jiayi county, Tainan city, Tainan county, Kaoxiong county, Pintung county, Penghu county, Taidong county, Hualien county, Taipei city, Kaoxiong city, Jinmen county, and Lianjiang county. Subjects are Taiwanese residents age 15 and above with physical capacity. The study also utilized computer-assisted telephone interviewing system to conduct interviews.

Literature Review

Physical Activity Consciousness

French philosopher, mathematician, and physicist, Rene Descartes, said “Cogito Ergo Sum – Thinking Accounts For Being”. Therefore, the meaning of consciousness speaks for itself.

Hobson (1994), a professor at Harvard Medical School, indicated consciousness is the brain becomes aware of certain information. The individual consciousness changes its focus or goes into different levels when the brain pays attention to or experiences different things at the time. There are six levels of consciousness: unconsciousness, subconsciousness, marginal consciousness, focal consciousness, unconsciousness, and pre-conscious (Bernstein, Clarke-Stewart, Roy, Srull & Wickens, 1994).

  • Unconsciousness is how individual not knowingly regards to things in the environments. For example, an individual is unaware of one’s own heartbeat or pulse.
  • Subconsciousness is an individual with experience of consciousness but indistinct of the content of the consciousness.
  • Marginal Consciousness: an individual has experience of consciousness, but don’t have enough clarity about its content.
  • Focal Consciousness is what an individual perceive explicit consciousness when one focuses on something without distraction.
  • Unconsciousness is the emotion, desire, fear or complicated experience underneath an individual’s conscious mind. Even though unconsciousness is controlled by the consciousness, an individual is not aware of it.
  • Pre-Conscious: unconsciousness is a point supported by scholars of psychoanalysis. However, they also believe that between consciousness and unconsciousness lays another level: pre-conscious. The major difference between pre-conscious and unconsciousness is that the overstock experience of the unconsciousness cannot be recall by an individual whereas experiences in pre-subconscious can. Through the process of psychoanalysis, an individual is able to recall an experience from unconsciousness to consciousness, which needs to pass through pre-conscious.

Whether a conscious state exists in an individual depend on three aspects: reaction, recognition, capabilities and character of moral integrity (Darley, Glucksberg & Kinchla, 1990). The nature of consciousness is in motion, a process and exists at present (Edelman, 1989). Consciousness allows unity in experiences (Dennett, 1991). In the capability of controlling consciousness, Jacoby, Lindsay and Toth (1992) pointed out the main function of consciousness process was to allow an individual’s ability to control an environment in order to reach a goal. When expected outside force disturbs behaviors of a preplanned goal, the capability of controlling consciousness was going to emerge noticeably.

For the time being, there is not a clear defined definition and boundary of sport consciousness. Therefore, the research synthesized the above literatures to provide an operative definition as the following:

“An individual regards to sports related activity to make use of mental phenomenon, such as senses, consciousness, reflection, and remembrance to detect one’s intrinsic and extrinsic conditions of body and mind in relation to interests, habits, values as well as opinions on development of physical activity policy.”

Classification of Physical Activities

To classify each everyday activity as sports, recreation, play, physical activity, or sports activity is not a simple task since the participant can decide or plan the mode of physical activity depending on people, affairs, time, and location. Bucher and Krotee (1998) classified the scope of physical activities from play, recreation, community activity, school physical education and sport, sport clubs, amateur and Olympic Sports, intercollegiate sport championships to the professional competition. The above physical activities have many differences among each other. Other classifications of physical activity or sports are open and close, individual and team, as well as professional and amateur. It can also be classified into three categories: recreation, prized and professional. Furthermore, some scholars classify physical activity in absolute sports or whether the activity requires equipment and facility. If to classify physical activity by its goal, it can be categorized into professional, educational and recreational. Moreover, it can be defined by the concepts: broad sense as in competing with another person or narrower sense as in self-striving. In addition, it can be limited to a race or competition to be totally distinguished from physical education or training.

Research Method
Research Structure

The purpose of the research is to understand Taiwanese residents preference, habit, value and view on government policy making regarding to physical activity based on gender, age, education, occupation, family monthly income and location. Therefore, the research focused on demographic statistics and aimed at analyzing among variables. The research structure is shown in Table 2.

Table two

Table 2 Research Structure

Research Process

The process of the research is to decide a research topic before finding out research motivation and research subjects. After deciding the research purpose and scope, literatures related to consciousness, physical activity and physical activity participation are gathered before drafting the research method. The Table 3 is the research process.

Table Three

 

Table 3 Research Process

Research Subjects

To conform to the research requirement and understand indeed the consciousness of the physical activities in Taiwanese people, the research subjects include Taiwanese residents of age 15 and above with physical capability in 25 different counties and cities. The sample size is the population of these 25 different counties and cities in 2001. However, the sample chosen in this research is limited to the sampling method, which could not reach the same accuracy of the random sampling. To minimize the error in the survey and increase the representativeness of the sample group, the samples chosen in the research reach 99% confidence level and 2% error. Based on the above condition, the formula is used to calculate the number of samples needed for this research, which are 4,161 samples. Therefore, the research planned at least 6,000 valid samples as the goal.

Sampling formula : Sampling Formula

Research Tool

The research gathers data through a questionnaire designed and developed by the researcher, the Investigation of the Consciousness of Taiwanese Residents Questionnaire. The questions in the questionnaire cover the subject’s interest, habit and value in participation of the physical activities, opinions on physical activities policy as well as background information.

Based on the research goal and its scope, preliminary questions were initiated. Later, the research team examined each question to make sure the wording was clear and comprehensible as well as whether the language used were able to be comprehend by subjects with various backgrounds. After revising, questions were organized into a first draft questionnaire to be reviewed by seven experts in the field from different universities and colleges in Taiwan to see if the questionnaire conformed to the goal of the research. Moreover, Physical Education Committee in Executive Yuan invited various experts and specialists as well as the research team to again modify and provide specific suggestions on September 16, 2002.

After the above revision, the research team tested the questionnaire using FJS-CATI system on September 24, 2002. The subjects were selected from 25 different counties and cities. There were 188 subjects with 94 males and 94 females and of these 188 subjects, 107 agreed to be retested after five days to ensure the validity of the questionnaire. From the pilot test and pre-samples, the questionnaire did not need further revision. In addition, comparing the first and the second interviews by the same 107 subjects, every question has an identical rate between 80.37% (86 subjects have parallel answers) and 100.00% (107 subjects have parallel answers). Therefore, the process of developing the questionnaire and drafting the questions include not only multiple revisions and examinations of sports experts and professionals as well as investigation by the government, which gathered experts from various backgrounds, but also pilot-testing to ensure the validity and effectiveness of the questionnaire to make certain it indeed matches the purpose of the research. As for the effectiveness of the contents, results from the first and second survey are consistent which also represented the validity of the questionnaire.

Results and Discussion

The purpose of the research is to investigate the preferences, routines, values and opinion of Taiwanese residents in physical activities related to government policy in developing physical education and recreation activities. Subjects are Taiwanese residents age 15 and above with physical capacity. The study also utilizes computer-assisted telephone interviewing system to conduct interviews. There are total of 6,000 subjects in the study; however, within one month, there were 11,688 subjects contacted. Of 11,688 subjects, 4,014 subjects refused the interview and 7,674 accepted the interview. The success rate is 65.66%.

The analysis of the background information of Taiwanese residents

In 7,674 subjects, the number of male and female subjects are 3,755 (48.93%) and 3,919 (51.07%). The age group of “36 – 45” has the most subjects which is 1,739 (22.66%), and next group is “23 -35” which is 1,668 (21.74%). As for the education background, “college and above” has the most subjects, 2,336 (30.44%) and the “high school” comes in second, 2,332 (30.39%). For the category of occupation, “unemployed” has the most subjects, 1,984 (25.85%) and “administrative staff” comes in second, 1,024 (13.34%). The family income of “40,001~50,000” has the most subjects, 1,228 (16.00%) and “50,001~60,000” comes in second, 1,106 (14, 41%). The last category is the location, which “Taichung city” has the most interviewed subjects, 1,230 (16.03%) and “Taipei city” is the second with 1,100 (14.33%).

Catogory Number Percentage Accumulative Number Accumulative Percentage
Gender Male 3,755 48.93% 3,755 50.00%
Female 3,919 51.07% 7,674 100.00%
Ages 15-18 Years Old 617 8.04% 617 8.04%
19-22 Years Old 744 9.70% 1,361 17.74%
23-35 Years Old 1,668 21.74% 3,029 39.47%
36-45 Years Old 1,739 22.66% 4,768 62.13%
46-55 Years Old 1,518 19.78% 6,286 81.91%
56-65 Years Old 921 12.00% 7,207 93.91%
66 and above 467 6.09% 7,674 100.00%
Education Illiterate 293 3.82% 293 3.82%
Elementary 1,075 14.01% 1,368 17.83%
Middle school 1,461 19.04% 2,829 36.86%
High school 2,332 30.39% 5,161 67.25%
College and university 2,336 30.44% 7,497 97.69%
Graduate degree 177 2.31% 7,674 100.00%
Occupation A 133 1.73% 133 1.73%
B 58 0.76% 191 2.49%
C 623 8.12% 814 10.61%
D 825 10.75% 1,639 21.36%
E 1,024 13.34% 2,663 34.70%
F 917 11.95% 3,580 46.65%
G 212 2.76% 3,792 49.41%
H 244 3.18% 4,036 52.59%
I 272 3.54% 4,308 56.14%
J 479 6.24% 4,787 62.38%
K 1,984 25.85% 6,771 88.23%
L 903 11.77% 7,674 100.00%

 

Category Number Percentage Accumulative number Accumulative percentage
Family Income 20,000 元以下 541 7.05% 541 7.05%
20,001~30,000 元 610 7.95% 1,151 15.00%
30,001~40,000 元 737 9.60% 1,888 24.60%
40,001~50,000 元 1,228 16.00% 3,116 40.60%
50,001~60,000 元 1,106 14.41% 4,222 55.02%
60,001~70,000 元 848 11.05% 5,070 66.07%
70,001~80,000 元 771 10.05% 5,841 76.11%
80,001~90,000 元 606 7.90% 6,447 84.01%
90,001~100,000 元 659 8.59% 7,106 92.60%
100,001 元以上 568 7.40% 7,674 100.00%
Location Taipei city 1,100 14.33% 1,100 14.33%
Kaoxiong city 563 7.34% 1,663 21.67%
Jilong city 146 1.90% 1,809 23.57%
Hsinchu county 113 1.47% 1,922 25.05%
Taichung city 344 4.48% 2,266 29.53%
Jiayi city 65 0.86% 2,331 30.38%
Tainan city 312 4.07% 2,643 34.44%
Taipei county 1,230 16.03% 3,873 50.47%
Yilan county 161 2.10% 4,034 52.57%
Taoyuan county 660 8.60% 4,694 61.17%
Hsinchu county 74 0.96% 4,768 62.13%
Mioli county 129 1.68% 4,897 63.81%
Taichung county 457 5.96% 5,354 69.77%
Zhanghua county 390 5.08% 5,744 74.85%
Nantou county 153 1.99% 5,897 76.84%
Yunlin county 234 3.05% 6,131 79.89%
Jiayi county 221 2.88% 6,352 82.77%
Tainan county 372 4.85% 6,724 87.62%
Kaoxiong county 396 5.16% 7,120 92.78%
Pintung county 337 4.39% 7,457 97.17%
Taidong county 88 1.15% 7,545 98.32%
Hualien county 61 0.79% 7,606 99.11%
Penghu county 19 0.25% 7,625 99.36%

Chart 2 Background Information

Annotation: A = Military personnel; B = administrative executives, business owners and managers; C = professionals; D = technician and professional assistant; E = administrative staff; F = service workers and sales; G = agriculture, forestry, fishery workers; H = skilled workers and related; I = mechanics and operators; J = non technical and physical labor; K = unemployed; L = students; M = others; N = non response.

The analysis of Taiwanese interests in physical activity

  • The research result showed there were 7,575 (98.71) subjects participated in physical activity in the past three months and 99 (1.29%) subjects did not.
  • In general, the most participated activities by 7,575 subjects in the past three months were walking (35.75%), jogging (29.21%), basketball (21.91%), hiking (12.82%), excursion (12.57%), and mountain climbing (12.36%).
  • Of the 7,575 subjects, the reasons for participating physical activities were “to create health and strength” (40.79%), “interest and mood switch” (22.96%), “for work or school” (21.82%).
  • On the other hand, 99 subjects reported the top three reasons for not participating physical activities: “too much work in school, housework, or kinds to exercise” (72.73%), “no particular reason” (38.38%), “no opportunity” (32.32%).
  • When asked whether to watch sports programs or competition, 67.68% of 7,674 subjects reported to watch sports programs or competition regularly whereas 32.31% did not.
  • The most enjoyed watched sports programs or competitions by 5,194 subjects were jogging (32.31%), baseball (26.67%), succor (22.66%), basketball (19.60%) and mountain climbing (15.09%).
  • 93.11% reported watching sport programs and competitions, 50.27% reported from television, 36.79% listen from the radio and 19.98% reported researching from the World Wide Web.
  • Last, when asked about the most anticipated physical activities in the past or at the presents, subjects reported walking (35.65%), jogging (29.71%), basketball (21.72%), mountain climbing (13.06%), and hiking (12.71%).

The analysis of physical activity tendency in Taiwanese residents

    • 4,347 out of 7,575 subjects reported having regular physical activity which was 57.39% and 3,228 out of 7,575 reported not having regular physical activity which was 42.61%.
    • When asked about the number of times in physical activity per week, 3,169 out of 7,575 subjects reported “once a week”, 22.77% of the 7,575 reported “twice a week” and 12.25% reported “three times a week.
    • 47.72 % of 7,575 subjects reported exercise one hour or less each time. 30.01% reported one to two hours of exercise each time. 1,108 subjects exercised two to three hours each session and 579 subjects exercised three hours and more each time.
    • When asked about the intensity of the physical activity, out of 7,575 subjects, 2,606 (34.40%) chose “moderate intensity”. 2,480 (32.74%) subjects reported “low intensity” and 1,570 (20.73%) subjects “moderate to high intensity”. 468 (6.18%) subjects reported “intense” and 451 (5.95%) subjects reported “mid-intense”.
    • 2,151 out of 7,575 subjects reported doing physical activity in the “early morning” and 26.83% of 7,575 reported “afternoon” as the time of the day for physical activity. Next, 1,668 subjects reported “morning” and 1,369 subjects reported “during the night”. “Noon time” had 355 subjects.
    • When asked about the partner, “alone or no partner” received 2,654 out of 7,575 subjects. Next was “a family member” with 1,881 subjects, “friends” was next with 1,402 subjects, “classmates” with 750 subjects, “colleague” had 412 subjects, “neighbors” had 343 subjects, and finally “no particular partners” was the last with 133 subjects.
    • The top three locations mentioned by the subjects for physical activities were “park”, “sports field or stadium in school” and “private facility” with 37.28%, 35.08%, and 26.14% of 7.575 subjects.
    • The percentage of subjects in each categories in the time for traveling to locations for physical activities were 63.74% for “10 minutes or less”, 23.52% for “11 to 30 minutes”, 8.17% for “31 to 60 minutes”, and 4.75% for “60 minutes and above”.
    • When asking about the fee related to participating physical activity, 87.27% of 7,575 subjects reported “no” and 12.73% reported “yes”.
    • The channels to receive information related to physical activity or exercise were “televisions” with 62.64%, “newspaper or magazines” 21.78%, “internet” with 8.58%, “radio” with 6.03% and “others” with 0.96%.
    • For the item of “what are some of the information to be obtained?”. 53.52% of 7,575 reported “national and international competitions”, 34.11% reported “exercise guidance or instructions”, 8.71% reported “physical education policy” and the last was “others” with 0.66%.

The analysis of values regarding to physical activity in Taiwanese residents

The first five values regarding to physical activity in 7,674 subjects were “health”, “team cohesion”, “stand by the rules”, “sports spirit” and “enjoyment”. The percentages were as the following: 39.25%, 13.79%, 13.55%, 12.97% and 12.05%.

The content analysis of opinions on government’s developments of physical activity policy

There are four open-ended questions in this category and 7.674 subjects. The questions focused on the opinions related to development of physical activity policy. The researcher summarized the reply of the first three questions “increase sports facility and fields”, “promote the concepts of exercise and health”, “open school sports facility and fields”, “increase professional sports consultants”, “offer free exercise instruction courses” and “offer sports competitions”. There were also answers that weighted less and categorized as “the others”. For the questions four, the content of the reply focused on “increase equipments of the sports field and facility”, “develop specific sports”, “hold international competition”, “future plan for the elite athletes”, “invite outstanding coaches”, and “practical physical education from childhood”. Other single answers were categorized as “the others”.

The analysis of these four questions is as the following.

  • To promote physical activity for the whole people, what kind of services do you think the government should enhance to increase your interest in participation?

After analyzing the content of the answers, the research discovered that to increase the interest in participation of physical activity, the government needed to “increase sports facility and fields”. There were 2,290 similar replies. Also 1,749 subjects believed that “ promote the concepts of exercise and health” was the key to increase interests in participating physical activity. Moreover, 1,611 subjects thought that government needed to “open school facility and fields” to increase interests in physical activity. 807 subjects mentioned that “increase professional exercise consultants”, 609 subjects believed “offer free courses on exercise guidance” and 551 subjects considered that government needed to “offer more sports competitions” to increase people’s interests in physical activity.

In the end, there were 57 subjects mentioned “not clear about government’s policy”, “never thought about it”, “no time for such matters”, “strengthen economy”, “more promotion”, “no interests to understand government policy”, “financial support”, “no opinion”, “more community activities”, “no need to develop policy”, “not important”, “stable life”, “traffic course needs to be clear”, “more teams”, “more trees”, “no ideas”, “plan more one-way street” and etc. All of the above answers were categorized into “the others” and it was 0.74% of 7,674 subjects.

  • What are some of the services need to be provided by the government to increase your frequency of participating physical activity?

After content analysis, the research discovered that on the issue of promoting physical activity for the whole people, “increase exercise facility and field” was the key to increase the frequency of participation. Answers similar to or related to “increase exercise facility and field” received 30.04% of 7,674 subjects. Also, 1,731 subjects believed that the key was in “promote the concepts of exercise and health” and 1,573 subjects mentioned, “open school sports facility and fields”. Moreover, 786 subjects and 613 subjects mentioned, “increase professional exercise consultant” and “more sports competitions”. 603 subjects believed “free courses on exercise instructions” as the keys to promoting frequency of exercise participation.

Last, 63 other replies in this questions were categorized into “the others” with 0.82%: “not clear about government policy”, “no opinion”, “strengthen economy”, “no time to think about this matter”, “more promotion”, “no interests in understanding government policy”, “financial support”, “no need to development this kind of policy”, “never thought about it”, “depends on individual interest”, “plant more trees”, “plan more one-way street”, “employment for all”, “no need for exercise because it is not important”, “don’t understand the question”, “no interests at the present time”, “need a partner”, “not important”, “have not thought about it”, “increase welfare so people will have time”, and etc.

  • What are some of the service need to be done for you to form a regular habit of doing physical activity?

There were 2,351 subjects (30.64%) voiced opinions similar to “increase sports facilities and equipments”. Moreover, 1,753 subjects believed that the government needed to “promote the concept of health and physical activity” for the public to form a regular habit of doing physical activity. “Open school sports facility and fields” received 20.39% in this question. 745 subjects (9.71%) mentioned that “increase professional exercise consultants” was the key to help the public form regular exercise habit. In addition, 528 subjects believed the government needed to “hold more sports competitions”.

Finally, replies such as “not clear about government policy”, “no time for such a question”, “strengthen economy”, “no opinion”, “improve community center”, “enhance promotion”, “training of sports talents”, “no interest in understanding government policy”, “no need to develop policy”, “no interest at present”, “not important”, “Exercise when one feels like it”, “need a partner”, “transform one’s life style”, “depends on the situation”, “initiate physical activity for all”, “depends on one’s desire” and etc are classified into “the others”, which covers 1.04%.

  • What do you think it needs to be done the most to improve the standard of physical education and sports?

To improve the standard of physical education and sports, 2,351 subjects (30.64%) mentioned “future plan for the elite athletes”. Also, 1,684 subjects believed the governments should “increase equipments of the sports field and facility” and 1,598 subjects would like to see “practical physical education from childhood”. Moreover, “develop specific sports” and “hold international competition as well as “invite outstanding coaches” received 9.59%, 8.50%, and 7.74% in this question.

Last, 59 subjects provided replies such as “not clear about the government policy”, “no opinion’, “never thought about it”, “haven’t paid too much attention to it”, “more encouragement to the athletes”, “financial aid from the government”, “value athletes”, “increase the public’s interests”, “change government policy” and etc. The above replies are classified into “the others” which received 0.77% in this question.

Reasons for refusing the interview

There were 4,014 subjects refused the interview in this research. The reasons provided were as the following: “no time” with 78.77%, “not in the mood to do the interview” with 6.43%, “don’t understand the meaning of the questions” with 5.78%, “questions are too long and complicated” with 4.91%, “not interested in this research” with 2.67% and “questions involved personal information with 1.44%.

Discussion

This study interviewed 11.688 subjects, and 4,014 out of 11,688 subjects refused to be interviewed whereas 7,674 subjects accepted it. The success rate is 65.66%. According to Babbie (1998), when adopting questionnaire interview as a tool for collecting data, the success rate has to reach 50% to be applicable. When the success rate reaches 60%, it is considered positive. When the success rate reached above 70%, it is considered very positive. The success rate in this research is between “positive” and “very positive”. Therefore, it is suitable for further data analysis.

The result of the study indicated 90% of the subjects participated in the physical activity in the past three months. This result is similar to and even higher than the researched by Chen and Yang (1999), which Excutive Yuan, PE Committee authorized the investigation. In general, the top six most participated physical activities are: walking, jogging, basketball, hiking, excursion and mountain climbing. Many researchers in Taiwan (Chen and Yang, 1999; Excutive Yuan, 2000a; Executive Yuan, PE Committee, 2000) reached similar outcome. At the same time, Australian researchers Darcy and Veal (1996), American researchers Vries and Bruin (1996), Cordell, McDonald, Lewis, Miles, Martin and Bason (1996) all pointed out “walking” is the most common physical activity of the general public and other physical activities are focus on outdoor recreation.

Moreover, the main reason for physical activity is “to create strength and heath”, which resembles the research result of Clough, Shepherd and Maughan (1989). The reason for the resemblance is probably related to the illness and pressure from the civilization. People are trying to seek mental and physical health and to improve strength through physical activity. Furthermore, the main reason for no physical activities in the past three months is “too busy in school, housework, children bearing so there isn’t any time”. 72.73% indicated the above reason for not having physical activity, which demonstrated time is an influential factor in affecting the participation of physical activity.

There are about 70% of the subjects watched sports competition or related programs. The top five most watched competition and related programs are jogging, baseball, soccer, basketball and mountain climbing. The result of the research also pointed out Taiwanese public is deeply influenced by television, which is the most utilized when enjoying the sports competition and related programs. Jogging is the top watched program could be caused by that jogging is also the most participated activity. From January 2002 to September 2002, Taiwan hosted 22 various activities related to running including many international race and Iron Man Triathlon. Therefore, jogging is the most watched activity. In addition, the fever of 2002 World Cup in Korea and World Baseball Championship hosted in Taiwan resulted highly exposed baseball and soccer. All of the above reinforce the results of the research to a certain degree. Moreover, the top six most wanted to participate activity in the future are also related to the most participated activity. These activities are walking, jogging, basketball, mountain climbing, hiking, and excursion. This indicated that people are more interested in outdoor recreation activities. Also, this also revealed that people’s immobility in the physical activity and the unwillingness to change the engaged activity.

There are only about 60% of subjects have regular habit of doing physical activity. Comparing to the study prepared by Chen and Yang (1999), it has grow substantially. 40% out of the 60% exercised once a week and 50% of the subjects reported one hour or less for each session. The intensity is “moderate” to “low”. Also, the time for physical activity or exercise focuses on “early morning” and “afternoon”, and subjects indicated not having partners. The locations are centered on “park” or “school facility and field” where only require “10 minutes or less” in traveling. The research also revealed that as much as 90% of the subjects pay no regular fee for doing physical activity. All of the resulted are related to the most participated physical activity. In the meanwhile, 60% subjects received most of the physical activity related information from television.

In the analysis of values toward physical activity, subjects revealed the top five values are health, team cohesion, obeying rules, sports spirit, and recreation. This indicated the main concept in physical activity is established on the premise of “health”. Simultaneously, influenced by the engraving impressions of the sports, subjects also pointed out values such as, team cohesion, obeying rules, and sports spirits that are related to sports competitions.

Subjects believed that to increase people’s interest, frequency and participation in physical activity, the government needed to “increase sports field and facility”. Moreover, government needed to provide “future plan for elite athletes” in order to increase standards of physical education. Since the results reveal the demand for sports field and facility and to improve the standards of physical education, providing a foreseeable future is the first step.

Last, 4,014 subjects pronounced “no time” to reject the interview. The rejection rate is around 80%, which could be caused by the time for conducting phone interview from six to 9 in the evening. This period of time is usually for dinner or television. Therefore, in the future research, it is important to broaden the interview time frame.

References

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2015-03-24T11:49:02-05:00September 9th, 2005|Contemporary Sports Issues, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off on A Study of Sports Consciousness of Residents in Taiwan

Race, Gender and Sport in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Abstract

This paper focuses on the issues of race and gender in sport in South Africa since Nelson Mandela became president of the government of national unity on 10 May 1994. It examines the legacy of apartheid on sport in South Africa when white male supremacy denied equal opportunities to Blacks, Coloureds, Indians and Women, by the use of segregationist policies and practices in sport. The ability to participate in sport in South Africa has been intrinsically linked to the political history of the country. An examination of the development of sport shows the way legislation was used by the Nationalist Party to create a policy based on discrimination in which black people were denied basic human rights on the basis of skin colour. There were huge racial imbalances in South African sport that were not due to specific sporting legislation, but to government policy, legislative acts and economic conditions. This paper examines how in spite of the post-apartheid policy of racial equality, race relations in South Africa today are such that individuals still have a differential opportunity to participate in sport. Black people continue to live life and participate in sport within a context of unequal race relations. Finally, this paper also examines issues of gender in South Africa in the post-apartheid era, as the development of sport in South Africa has been male dominated reflecting the present gendered nature of South African sport.

The paper is heavily dependent on material gathered during a three week trip to South Africa in December and January 1997/1998, and 10 days in February 2002. In Johannesburg, staff at the University of Witwatersrand were interviewed, and an accompanied visit to Soweto, a conglomeration of townships to the south-west of Johannesburg, took place; the guide provided valuable insights into the life of its inhabitants, and was able to show me the impoverished sports facilities in the communities and schools. I was also able to observe the sports facilities and interview staff at Parktown Boys High School, an elite and exclusive fee paying school in Johannesburg.

Further travel to Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town enabled me to meet with sports administrators and athletes. The squalid living conditions in Guguletu, a massive township outside Cape Town were observed. Living there is a fight for survival. Children who have access to a ball play soccer on the waste ground beside the main road. Health and housing are a greater priority than sport development that is only appropriate to those who are not living in poverty. Interviews with academics, sports administrators, and coaches at the University of the Western Cape, and teachers from schools in the townships were also conducted. At the University of Stellenbosch, the Afrikaner rugby stronghold that has been so important in the history of South African and Afrikaner rugby, academics and coaches were interviewed. Here it was possible to contrast the relative affluence of the white, middle-class South Africans, with the poverty of those living in the townships.

This paper is also based on material collected from a number of official reports, newspapers and magazines, films, videos, and material from the Internet. Before travelling to South Africa a number of people involved with sport in South Africa had been contacted. Interviews were conducted with a sports administrator from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, who was also an official with the South African team that participated at the World University Games in 1997. E-mail correspondence was exchanged with South African academics from the University of the Western Cape, one of whom was also involved in many gender sports initiatives in South Africa, and with a member of the ministry of sport. Other semi-structured interviews were held with people on the basis of their involvement with sport, or their knowledge of sport in South Africa.

The Development of Sport in the Post-Apartheid Era

The 1995 Rugby World Cup Final between South Africa and New Zealand was a celebration of the lifting of apartheid. It signalled the emergence of a re-united nation. The massive media attention given to the competition gave South Africa the unique opportunity to show the world that for the duration of the game the nation was united. Francois Piennar, the South African captain 1, insisted that the team learn the words to the new national anthem, “Nkosi Sikeleli Afrika” (God Bless Africa), the Zulu theme song which has long been sung by workers to alleviate stress and boredom while working (Booth, 1998; Miller, 1995; Nauright, 1997). Significantly, President Nelson Mandela decided to wear a Springbok rugby shirt and baseball cap at the pre-game ceremony. Hargreaves (1997) felt that Nelson Mandela brilliantly used the Springbok emblem and transformed it from a symbol of white superiority to one of national unity. This was an unprecedented act by the South African president that drew great acclaim from the predominantly white crowd.

The World Cup Final symbolised the emergence of a new era in South African sport; it was a symbol of a nation united through sport; a single community in which collective interest transcended social differences. The Rugby Union World Cup, and other successes in international sport, have given the impression to the outside world that the transformation of sport in post-apartheid South Africa has been one that has encountered few problems. However, as apartheid policies had been entrenched for many years, its abolition did not just signify the replacement of one system with another. Morris and Hindson (1992) summarise the situation as one where “old elements, ideologies and strategies remain, and social forces committed to the previous order still operate, consciously and unconsciously alongside and clashing with new elements” (p. 52).

The post-apartheid era began while South Africa was suffering an economic recession, so much so that the black population was arguably worse off than during the apartheid period. Inflation was high, over 7 million people were unemployed, and 10 million people lived in shanty towns; 42% of deaths resulted from living in poverty (Tyamzashe, 1993). There was uncontrolled rural-urban migration. South Africa’s economy was dependent on cheap black labour. Indeed, the South African Congress of Trade Unions claimed that apartheid and racial discrimination was based on the quest for profit (Jarvie, 1985). In 1996, the average annual income for Whites was 34,400 South African rands compared to 3,600 for Blacks (Editor, 1996). Almost half of the black population of South Africa lived below the subsistence level. In these conditions all people were vulnerable, but African women, and children were most at risk. For this group, sport was an irrelevance as the end of apartheid had worsened their plight (Hargreaves, 1997).

Most of South Africa’s wealth was controlled by the white population. In short, there were two South Africa’s, one White and rich, one Black and poor. Shifting the economic balance in favour of the black population was therefore an essential part of nation-building in the post-apartheid era. Access to sport in South Africa was determined in part by economic conditions, and it was difficult for the majority of black people especially women to gain access to good sports facilities, most of which were in white areas. The legacy of apartheid had deprived townships of a sports infrastructure, and they remained under-resourced in terms of sports facilities (Hendricks, 1996). This lack of facilities was confirmed by a female teacher from a coloured township in Cape Town who described her school sports facilities as almost minimal. She said,

we had a tarmac area on which we played netball and there was some form of cricket pitch the guys played on; that’s about it except for the patch of grass…the maintenance costs for other sports were too costly and we could not afford that. As for apparatus, we would never have sufficient balls to practice skills.

Clearly the legacy of apartheid adversely affected the ability of certain groups to participate in sport, and until there were changes in the political, social and economic conditions, sport could not develop dramatically, especially for the black population. Hence, there was criticism of money being spent on supporting athletes at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, hosting the 1995 Rugby World Cup final, and sponsoring the bid to host the 2004 Olympic Games (Hargreaves, 1997). Although, ironically, money was spent on improving sports facilities prior to the 2004 Olympic bid, some of which were situated in townships. Hence, the ability to participate in sport has increased in some of these deprived areas.

The transformation of sport in the post-apartheid era cannot be separated from the broader social, economic and political framework. This framework still prioritises Whites and their participation in sport. In this situation, black women have emerged as the most deprived social group (Hargreaves, 1997). The ANC did plan to achieve greater gender equality and encourage women’s empowerment and racial equality. The new Constitution made provision for a Gender Commission, and the ANC committed itself to a “Women’s Charter of Rights and Effective Equality between the Sexes” (Hargreaves, 1997, p. 202). The Charter displayed the anti-racist and anti-sexist philosophy of the new government, and it has been applied to political, social and cultural life, including sport. It is claimed by the government that the provision of sport for disadvantaged communities is a priority, and girls have been targeted as a group in need of special attention. But the development of comprehensive equality between gender and races has been slow, mainly as the allocation of resources remains uneven. By addressing gender inequality, poverty and violence against women, the ANC attempted to make it easier for women to take advantage of the opportunities provided in sport. However, just because all sections of the communities are equal according to the law, it does not follow that there will be equality of opportunity. This was re-iterated by a former member of the Women and Sport South Africa (WASSA) who said,

sport is still seen to be the domain of men. This is still the case irrespective of what the constitution says in relation to equal rights, the men still decide if women can participate in sport or not, and African married women, essentially when she is married needs to be covered. Therefore, you are hardly going to find a Muslim girl swimming in the Olympics unless the family have given her space to do that so the custom overrides the constitution, so we have not made enough sustainable progress since 1994.

According to Hargreaves (1997, p. 198) “there are massive gender inequalities in the sporting structures of the country, and a strong association between sport and masculinity”, and this is because few resources are available for female sports due to the issue of gender being considered less important than race and ethnicity.

Roberts (1991) maintains that there was no strategy for sport in South Africa prior to 1990. Many stadiums and arenas had been constructed, but were mainly located in traditional white areas. During the apartheid years, sport was mainly the domain of the white minority and the rest of the population had been deprived of access to suitable sports facilities (Archer & Boullion, 1982). South African sport reflected the power and privilege of the white population, and the inequalities that existed between males and females in all racial groups. Sport in the white communities was a symbol of white, male, Afrikaner, superiority, and in Indian and Coloured areas, there were fewer resources for sports, most of which were used by men. For Africans, facilities in the townships were impoverished and generally only catered for soccer, and in some cases netball. For many people, sport was an irrelevance. In schools there were limited resources for Indians, Coloureds, and Africans. Poverty, travel problems and patriarchal controls limited female participation in sport (Hargreaves, 1997). A female teacher confirmed the limited resources by saying,

you need transport to go regularly to practice, during the time your family require supper, you need a uniform, the kids have to get their homework done; women are economically dependent on their husbands, if he says no, you cannot participate. Look at our high incidence of rape in the townships and few have cars; violence on women is increasing, so we need to understand the way personal circumstances impact on our ability to participate in sport. Women do not always have the choice, they do not have the choice either because of culture, or because of gender stereotyping, public transport and violence against women. Interpreted that women are not interested is ridiculous, so until we realise the environmental circumstances that limit women’s ability to participate…we need to change this before it can happen. So we need to get more women involved; we need more space, creche’s; we need to help them to make space, and we need a safer environment.

So, although funds were available to encourage participation in African townships, there was little encouragement for girls’ sports. The United Kingdom/South Africa sports initiative, for example, focused on traditional male sports and more recent initiatives, such as the Proteas Mmuso Sport Education Programme and facility management, do little to equalise opportunities for girls (Coghlan, 1990).

The return of South Africa to the international sporting arena immediately posed questions for the national organisations regarding the selection of national teams. The vast majority of elite athletes were still white and male and this would continue; white males had a pre-eminence which militated against women’s participation. The National Sports Congress (NSC) argued that the token inclusion of an unqualified black athlete, male or female, in an international team would be an insulting gesture. Interestingly, Booth commented that the selection of Chester Williams, a black player, for the South African rugby team was a classic example of a token black player, who because of the opportunity provided, developed into an international player (Booth, 1995). It is interesting to note that Williams was the product of a “privileged” upbringing and was not brought up in a township (Stoflie, 1996). But selection is problematic at national and provincial level. For example, the selection process for annual men’s Super 12 rugby competition which is contested by four teams from each of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, highlights selection problems in both male and female sport in South Africa. The South African rugby authorities stipulated that the South African teams should include a minimum of two black players. The South African Rugby Union coaches complied with this rule by only selecting the bare minimum for the 2002 competition leading to allegations of racial prejudice. This action resulted in several talented players including two who had already represented the South African Springboks, not being selected (Editor, 2002). As one black South African sports official informed me,

black South African rugby players are not being given the chance for representative rugby and there is still racial prejudice in the rugby organisations; you are always hearing about why black players are not included in representative teams;the players are always too young, too inexperienced, or too light. What we are saying is that if there are two players of about equal ability, then select the black one.

Criticism of the system of merit selection was highlighted by the selection of the Table Tennis team for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics when Cheryl Roberts, a non-white player, was chosen in preference to a white player, Surita Odendaal, who had regularly beaten Roberts. However, due to Roberts’ credentials as a coach to the under-privileged, it was thought that she would be an ideal role-model for young black players so she was selected (Miller, 1992). A member of the Ministry of Sport informed me,

the answer is simply that merit is the only criteria for the selection of national teams. The Minister has, however, urged national federations to ensure that their teams reflect the demographics of South African society to race. What this means, therefore, is that federations should make a concerted effort to ensure sufficient numbers of black players are developed to such an extent that they can be selected into national teams on merit. In some instances national federations have signed performance agreements with the Minister in which they have undertaken to reach specific representative targets within specific timeframes. (I don’t see this as quotas).

There were further problems for South Africa during this period. The international tours that have taken place since South Africa’s return to international sporting competition have arguably been representative only of White South Africa. Many apartheid symbols remained, most notably the “Springbok” emblem worn by sports people representing South Africa. Indeed, South African teams are frequently referred to as the “Springboks,” a name synonymous with Afrikaner nationalism. For the white population the “Springbok” emblem is an indication of cultural identity and signified their power during the apartheid years (Booth, 1998). In August 1992, South Africa played its first international rugby match in the post-apartheid era against New Zealand. For white South Africans the match was significant as it provided them with a stage to illustrate their animosity to the new government. The NSC had declared that the South African team were not to use the “Springbok” emblem, and that it was to be replaced by the “Protea” (the national flower of South Africa). The South African Rugby Football Union (SARFU) defiantly refused to cooperate and wore the “Springbok” emblem on its shirt (Retief, 1996). Booth (1998, p. 210) has maintained that,

in South Africa the symbols of representative teams, especially rugby have continued to divide rather than nationalise blacks and whites. As part of its policy of reconciliation the ANC accepted the Springbok emblem in rugby. It was a bold move and one fraught with danger. For three-quarters of a century the Springbok signified Afrikaner nationalism, racial division, and white exclusiveness and superiority. Instead of abandoning traditional rugby supporters, the ANC has attempted to confer the emblem an alternate set of values, but in doing so the ANC has offended both the conservative whites and its black constituency. The decision to reprieve the Springbok is a classic illustration of the problems confronting states as they attempt to nationalise diverse peoples.

For some, the acceptance of the Springbok emblem in rugby by ANC leader Nelson Mandela was perceived as a sign of weakness, yet he and the ANC insisted that the emblem could serve as a representation of reconciliation (Du Preez, 1996). At the rugby match at Ellis Park, Johannesburg (itself an icon of white South Africa), thousands of apartheid flags were waved and the white national anthem “Die Stem” was played. It might be argued that the actions of the white crowd constituted a fight to reinforce its dominant social structure, a structure under threat. However, the existing white symbols had not been officially replaced, which publicly and officially vindicated the actions of the crowd. There is little doubt that many Whites felt that their power had been undermined, and were experiencing difficulties in coming to terms with a post-apartheid South Africa. This was a defiant, defeated gesture; Nauright (1996) felt that the Whites were creating a “security blanket” in an attempt to maintain their former lifestyles and cultural practices.

A New National Sports Policy

For sport in South Africa to make the successful transition into the post-apartheid era, there was a need to unify the sports structure and formulate a national sports policy (Craig & Rees, 1994). Over several years the NSC played a central role in this process. The NSC had played a prominent part in negotiations with various international bodies such as the IOC and the International Athletics Federation (IAAF), and provided a ‘gateway’ for South Africa to return to international competition. The NSC 2 emerged as the body to oversee the unification and development of sport in the new South Africa. Its immediate objectives included co-ordinating sports activities on behalf of, and in support of, the national federations, developing mass and elite sport and making sport accessible to all communities (Booth, 1998).

In November 1993, a national conference entitled the “Vision for Sport” conference was held and was to prove to be a milestone for the future of sport in South Africa. The conference was a gathering of national and regional representatives of the NSC, as well as officials from Great Britain and Australia. The conference initiated several plans that laid the foundations for mass participation and the development of elite sport. To increase participation, South Africa adopted a programme similar to the pyramid structure of sport implemented by Cuba. This structure designated four layers, “foundation”, “participation”, “performance” and “excellence”. At the core of the pyramid emerged a scheme called “Protea Sport”. “Protea Sport” was (and is) an integrated programme catering for young children at the base of the structure to national sports stars at the apex. The system also allows for the development and empowerment of sports administrators, coaches and technical officers through conferences, workshops and accreditation schemes (Nqwenya, 1993). The conference also proposed that a National Academy of Sport should be established based on the Australian model, so an officer from the Australian Sports Commission was seconded to assist with its development. The Academy would particularly aim to identify and develop athletes with elite potential. In order to cater for South Africa’s widely distributed population regional centres of excellence were also established, and it was also suggested that 40 per cent of the selected squads at the academies should be black athletes (NSC, 1993).

The “Vision for Sport” conference also provided impetus for the establishment of the Government Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR) on 1st July 1994, an occasion that illustrated the government’s pledge that sport could play a prominent role in the process of nation building. The newly formed Department published the paper, “Getting the Nation to Play”, which detailed a five-year plan that would provide all communities with basic sport and recreation facilities. The plan incorporated the Protea Sports Programme and the Academy of Sport (Department of Sport and Recreation, 1995).

The Department was also an important avenue for funding and has financed the construction of multi-purpose sports facilities throughout the country. The funding policy of the Department has attempted to start to redress the inequalities created in the apartheid-era by developing “sport for all” schemes, and has initiated criteria to ensure financial assistance to those associations which require it the most. However, while the sports policies at national level have become unified, the unification at the provincial level, is still undeveloped (Skosana, 1996). Opportunities in townships to participate in sport need to be developed, and in order to redress the imbalances several regional DSR’s such as in the Western Cape have produced “Rainbow Papers” whose findings aim to tackle disparities in sport (Jones, 1998a). The foundations and the plans have been laid and now need to be implemented, although economic conditions will be a major factor in their success or failure. Certainly, the DSR and the regional departments envisage sport as an important element in the nation-building process, one which may simultaneously help to counter some of the problems associated with poor living standards such as crime and drugs (Katzenellenbogen, 1996).

Local government in particular needs to work with the sports federations to help make community sport a reality. According to the ANC sport should be a right, not a privilege, and subsequently the DSR has worked in conjunction with the Education Departments to ensure that more school children are active in sport or recreational activities (ANC, 1992). During apartheid, schools catering for the privileged, mainly white children, provided an excellent “nursery” for major sports such as rugby union and cricket, and the structures of privilege remain. As a lecturer involved in the professional preparation of teachers informed me, “a form of physical education and sport is alive and well at many of the former white and coloured schools”. However, in the vast majority of schools for black and coloured pupils there is a distinct lack of facilities, and physical education is not part of the curriculum (Fredericks, 1996).

In order to address this issue, the United Schools Sports Association of South Africa (USSASA) was founded in 1993 to install sport structures in schools without them, and to identify and nurture talented athletes. However, personal observation suggests that schools in townships are still being built without indoor sports facilities, and at best there might be a space for a football field and occasionally a netball court. As a lecturer informed me,

despite all these major changes in the status and character of physical education, very little has changed in the former black schools, although many organisations are offering physical activities in the townships. So a lot is happening and yet not much has changed regarding the status and presence of physical education in schools. It has very little to do with whether you are a boy or girl, it has everything to do with which school you are at. Those locked into the cycle of poverty will continue to attend schools closer to their homes, and for them little has changed, classes are still huge (between 60-80), and the physical education period will be sacrificed for Mathsor Science. The status and presence of physical education is also linked to whether the school chooses to employ someone for that position.

There is still inequality of opportunity in sports participation between Whites and non-Whites, and males and females in South Africa. Roberts (1995) cited in Hargreaves (2000, p. 200), for example, maintains that South African sport is “gender biased, male dominated and sexist”. She supports this assertion by saying that most leadership positions are held by men at national, regional and local levels. The Sports Minister is a man and the NSC is mainly controlled by men. The general absence of women in decision-making positions reflects deep-seated power imbalances between men and women in South African sport. As Burnett (2001, p. 7) notes,

women’s under-representation as athletes and decision makers in national teams and national Sports Federations is mirrored by their absence in sports development projects (the United Kingdom-South Africa Sports Initiative), and their marginalisation as presenters of sports development in schools (Protea Sports Programme) despite individuals perceptions of personal empowerment.

There was the potential to radicalise the gendered nature of sport, but it was not easy as funds from the NSC are limited, and co-ordinating a gender policy throughout the country was complex and difficult. Hargreaves (1997, p. 199) feels that the opportunity to radicalise gender relations and attitudes in South Africa has, in part, been lost, and that now, “Westernised gender relations of power are firmly established”. Further, the legacy of apartheid limits the opportunities for many Blacks to participate in sport, and in particular it deprives township women of sports infrastructures, so that they remain under-privileged and under-resourced. As Burnett (2001, p. 7) further notes,

legislation and policy cannot eradicate deeply rooted discriminatory practices and male hegemonic strongholds, yet the government and women’s groups can do much to politicise women’s sports and to transform sports culture and society to become proactive in placing women and physical culture (including sport and recreation) on the agenda for change.

The focus on gender in sport is a fairly recent occurrence. For example, the Women and Sports South Africa structures (WASSA) were only established in 1997; the National Advisory Council for Women and Sport was finalised in November 1997. These national sports structures for women have now been defined and the government has committed itself to support women’s equality with men in sport and recreation. The issue of under-representation of women in international sports events is also being addressed. In 1997, workshops were held in every province, culminating in the Minister of Sport and Recreation, Mr Steve Tshwete, launching the Women and Sport South Africa (WASSA) National Steering Council. This Council reports to the minister to ensure greater gender equity in sport, and recreation. A former member of WASSA informed me that it was comprised of volunteers who acted in an advisory capacity, initiated projects, co-ordinated projects and distributed information. However, she went on to say, “WASSA hardly functions now as many of the original members have ceased to continue and replacements have not been forthcoming”.

At the moment the reality is that women are under-represented in sport, and black women are the least involved at all levels of the sports system (Jones, 1998b). As I was informed,

no doubt more women are participating, no doubt more women are aware of their right to participate, no doubt more women are involved in organised sport, and more women are involved in decision making. Women have gained a lot, but they have also lost too much, and should have held on to what they have gained. We need two women on every committee, now there is usually just one, and one can be manipulated to adopt a male opinion. 

Conclusion

Apartheid policies divided the nation, and in relation to sport this resulted in the majority of the population being deprived of opportunities and access to facilities. The size of the task to eradicate these disparities was immense, and consequently it was inevitable that there would be problems. The NSC has attempted to confront the issues, and despite economic problems is attempting to promote equality of opportunity in sport. The NSC and its affiliates have held two “Vision for Sport” conferences which have attempted to address the issues and propose possible solutions for the future of South African sport. But more needs to be done. For example, important initiatives have been implemented at the Gender Equity Unit at the University of the Western Cape; a Women’s Studies Winter School has been organised, and a report entitled “Moving towards Gender Equity in Sport and Other Physical Activities” has been published (Jones, 1998b; Ravele, 1996).

Internal power problems between organisations still need to be resolved for South African sport to develop. For example, there have been differences of opinion between the major sporting bodies, such as NSC and the NOCSA, since their establishment. A major disagreement was caused by the “war of words” that ensued over which body should take control of the management of the 1998 Commonwealth Games team to Kuala Lumpur (Smit, 1994). Both bodies claimed the right, and the situation was only resolved with intervention from the Minister of Sport, who announced that a new independent Commonwealth Games Committee would be formed. Further, the Minister announced that a new single body to administer sport was to be established which would streamline the present system, thus allowing NOCSA to concentrate on elite participation and Olympic-related matters, and the NSC to administer sport at the grassroots level.

The question as to whether “sport for all” can be a reality is one that remains unanswered. There is little doubt that steps are being taken to redress the inequalities created by apartheid, but it is doubtful if the development of sport can be a major priority for the South African government at the present time. There may also be political consequences following Nelson Mandela’s retirement from office in 1999, which will affect the development of sport. Mandela has been a unifying figure during the transformation process and his influence has been immense. While it is not within the parameters of this paper to elaborate on the political implications of his retirement, it has been suggested that South Africa is in for a long period of single party domination (Welsh, 1996). With South Africa’s political future uncertain, it is perhaps premature to make predictions or assumptions regarding the development of sport.

We do know that facilities are improving; programmes have been set in motion, and the nation has made an impact on the international stage in many sports. Taking into account the years of isolation, it is easy to be pessimistic about whether “sport for all” can become a reality for the majority of South Africans when it is analysed within the broader socio-economic and political framework. But we do know that already there have been some remarkable achievements. Concerted efforts are constantly being made in an attempt to make sport accessible to the majority. Yet the reality is that it could be many years before this is achieved, and for a South African team to truly reflect its “rainbow nation”.

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2016-10-12T14:48:21-05:00September 8th, 2005|Contemporary Sports Issues, Sports Facilities, Sports Management, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology, Women and Sports|Comments Off on Race, Gender and Sport in Post-Apartheid South Africa
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