Ideology and sociability: a review of new French research into the history of sport under the early third republic (1870–1914)

P. Arnaud (ed.), Les Athlètes de la République: gymnastique, sport et idéologic republicaine 1870–1914 (Toulouse: Editions Privat, 1987). Pp.423. FF175. ISBN 2–7089–532330.

P. Arnaud and J. Camy (eds.), La naissance du mouvement sportif associatif en France: sociabilitiés et formes de pratiques sportives (Lyons: Presses Universitaires de Lyon, 1986). Pp.422. FF 128. ISBN 2–7297–02938.     

Mumford on aesthetic–moral interaction in sport

Stephen Mumford argues that aesthetic and moral values in sport are interdependent, focusing on cases where immorality taints beautiful performance. This interdependence thesis is insightful but, I argue, in need of refinement, as its normative implications are unclear and perhaps implausible (e.g. the Nazi aesthetics problem). I also challenge Mumford’s perspective on the infamous Dynamo Kiev death match. Whereas Mumford claims that the match’s morally oppressive circumstances detract from it so that ‘it was not something knowingly we should have admired aesthetically’, I argue that, on the contrary, and in light of what Mumford says about other cases, such circumstances actually enhance the game’s aesthetics such that it would be wrong not to appreciate it aesthetically.     

‘Swimming instruction trust of America’: the Cavill family,borderlands and decentring Australia sport history

The Cavill family of swimmers has been recognised as the ‘first family of Australian swimming’ because of their reputation and achievements as competitive swimmers and for their contributions to swimming promotion, stroke development and instruction in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries. As a family of British migrants based in Sydney, their memory focuses on Anglo-Australian connections. This emphasis overlooks the American dimension of the Cavill legacy – several family members lived, and died, in the USA and made important contributions to swimming in that country, where they were also celebrated as preeminent figures. This article adopts a transnational perspective, particularly borderlands history approaches, to examine this American connection, viewing the, trans-Pacific crossing from Sydney to San Francisco as an under-appreciated sport border zone. The focus is on contributions made to swimming coaching and teaching, with a biographical spotlight on Percy and Sid Cavill, siblings who contributed in these areas over two decades on both sides of the country. By repositioning Australia and the USA in the Cavill swimming narrative, this article contributes to decentring the nation in this realm of sport history.     

Sport managers’ perspectives on poverty and sport: The role of local sport authorities

Poverty and social exclusion are ‘wicked issues’ and require a joint approach from a wide array of policy fields. As practicing sport has become a customary activity, it has a part to play in fighting social exclusion. But to what extent is this a realistic expectation? Drawing on qualitative data gathered from semi-structured interviews at twenty local sport authorities in Flanders (Belgium), the aim of this study is to gain insight in the experiences of local sport authorities with people in poverty, and to identify barriers and facilitators for investing in the inclusion of this social group. Results indicate that facilitating inclusion for people in poverty is a challenging task for local sport managers. Policy initiatives, if any, often remain limited to providing financial discounts. Only a minority of local sport managers reported more comprehensive policies, involving different strategies. A major problem is the limited understanding and expertise of local sport managers with regard to poverty. Therefore, cooperation between sport managers and organisations from the social sector is crucial. Recommendations as to how the role of local sport authorities as a facilitator of social inclusion can be strengthened are formulated.     

The NASCAR experience: Examining the influence of fantasy sport participation on ‘non-fans’

While NASCAR has traditionally been among the most watched sports in the US, the brand has suffered due to economic conditions and waning interest. As a result, NASCAR has focused its promotional efforts on new marketing and revenue-generating strategies to raise awareness of the sport. One way to increase awareness is through fantasy sports, which have seen a marked uptick in global popularity. However, using fantasy sports to activate involvement among self-described non-fans of a particular sport remains a relatively unexplored area. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of fantasy sports on attitude and certain behavioral factors using a mixed-method, comparison group design. Employing the path analytic model to examine relationships among variables, results indicate significant differences between study conditions and regression analyses show how patronage intentions were influenced. Focus group data buttress the quantitative results and support the use of fantasy sports as a way to convert self-identified sport non-fans into involved fans.