Professional Sports Facilities, Franchises and Urban Economic Development

Local political and community leaders and the owners of professional sports teams frequently claim that professional sports facilities and franchises are important engines of economic development in urban areas. These structures and teams allegedly contribute millions of dollars of net new spending annually and create hundreds of new jobs, and provide justification for hundreds of millions of dollars of public subsidies for the construction of many new professional sports facilities in the United Sates over the past decade. Despite these claims, economists have found no evidence of positive economic impact of professional sports teams and facilities on urban economies. We critically review the debate on the economic effects of professional sports and their role as an engine of urban economic redevelopment, with an emphasis on recent economic research.

Evaluation of Extracurricular Sports Activities as an Educational Element for Sustainable Development in Educational Institutions

Education that instills healthy habits has acquired much attention in recent years due to concerns related to obesity and the sedentary lifestyle of the scholastic population. Extracurricular sports activities can contribute to the creation of healthy habits and can promote active lifestyles. These positive habits provide social benefits and are a facilitator of sustainable development. Thisstudy had two objectives: To assess the quality and value of extracurricular sports activities offered by schools, as well as the satisfaction of the participants and their future intentions to participate; and to assess the relationship between these constructs, with the aim of identifying factors that encourage schoolchildren to be active. Information was gathered from 1080 children in secondary education in Spain (n = 1080) (65.90% boys, 13.76 1.39 years). The instruments used were the Scale of Perception of Sports Organizations (EPOD2) and a future intentions scale. The evaluation of satisfaction, quality, and value, as well as the intentions expressed by the young athletes to continue participating in extracurricular sports activities were positive, with average values close to the maximum. The best-rated quality variables were human resources. A significant association was identified between communication and loyalty, and response capacity and sports spaces. Likewise, perceived satisfaction and value were related to loyalty and price. In short, student perceptions establish a clear relationship between evaluations of activities and the intention to continue practicing sports in schools

Caught Stealing: Debunking the Economic Case for D.C. Baseball

District of Columbia mayor Anthony Williams has convinced Major League Baseball to move the Montreal Expos to D.C. in exchange for the city's building a new ballpark. Williams has claimed that the new stadium will create thousands of jobs and spur economic development in a depressed area of the city. Williams also claims that this can be accomplished without tax dollars from D.C. residents. Yet the proposed plan to pay for the stadium relies on some kind of tax increase that will likely be felt by D.C. residents. Our conclusion, and that of nearly all academic economists studying this issue, is that professional sports generally have little, if any, positive effect on a city's economy. The net economic impact of professional sports in Washington, D.C., and the 36 other cities that hosted professional sports teams over nearly 30 years, was a reduction in real per capita income over the entire metropolitan area. A baseball team in D.C. might produce intangible benefits. Rooting for the team might provide satisfaction to many local baseball fans. That is hardly a reason for the city government to subsidize the team. D.C. policymakers should not be mesmerized by faulty impact studies that claim that a baseball team and a new stadium can be an engine of economic growth

The world at her feet : an exploration of the experiences of cultural distance for professional female footballers : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

This research explores the experiences of five professional female football players from Australia and America who have spent time playing professional football in either South Korea or Japan. Qualitative data was collected from the participants through semi-structured interviews at, or near, the conclusion of their experience. Research participants’ insights were added to by the researcher’s own experiences of playing professional football in Japan. This exploration is an anthropological enquiry into the effect of playing professional sport in a culturally distant environment on a player’s sense of identity and their perceptions of success. Analysis of interviews revealed that success is both personal and subjective, and cannot be judged solely on the traditional empirical measures of success in sport, such as wins and losses, goals scored, or trophies won. A positive sense of personal growth and development was also expressed by all the athletes in the study, demonstrating that the effects of playing and living in a foreign country extend well beyond the playing field. Using Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus alongside ideas drawn from occupational science, sports anthropology, and sociology, the findings show that cultural distance in a professional sporting context can both challenge and empower an individual in ways they often neither predict nor anticipate. This research contributes to an academic field that is relatively small, and demonstrates that sport can be an important domain where wider cultural and societal values are evident. This thesis illustrates the importance of acknowledging how players’ experiences on and off the field influence identity, personal growth, and success as they negotiate cultural distance while playing in foreign environments. The findings in this research can help players, coaches, managers, and sports administrators better understand and consider these effects to implement integration programmes and frameworks for smooth transitions into football, and life, for players from different cultural backgrounds. This research provides a foundation for further research into sports anthropology and professional women’s football, something that is vital as the popularity and participation in this global game continues to increase

わが国におけるスポーツ観に関する研究 : スポーツの教育的価値との関係を中心に

The purpose of this study is to clarify the relationship between the formation of attitudes about sport and the educational value of sports in Japan today. This study pays particular attention to the spread and development of sports through academic training to schools and organized sport clubs. This change in organized school sports has brought with it a change in our attitudes about the educational value of sports. This change in school sports education has strengthened the positive attitudes towards sports in education, although at times this has an adverse effect.In a word our views about the value of sports has grown more complex, and our attitudes about sports in education are becoming more varied

Exploring Critical Alternatives for Youth Development through Lifestyle Sport: Surfing and Community Development in Aotearoa/New Zealand

While competition-based team sports remain dominant in community and sport-for-development programs, researchers are exploring the value of alternative, less “sportized” activities such as lifestyle/action sports. In this paper, we explore the ways in which surfing is being used in development programs in Aotearoa/New Zealand, examining the perceived social benefits and impact. Our methods involved: (a) mapping the range of surfing projects; and (b) 8 in-depth interviews with program personnel. Widespread conviction in the positive developmental benefits of surfing was evident, and that surfing had a “special” capacity to reform or heal those who participate in it. However, the ways in which individuals’ self-developments were promoted appear to be following the traditional sport/youth development path. They focus on policies aimed at improved life chances, equipping youth with the tools for self-improvement and self-management, inculcating self-governance and self-reliance. However, a counter narrative co-existed, highlighting surfing as a freeing experience, which, rather than restoring social order, works to instigate a personal transformation or awakening. Despite the range of challenges presented by surfing as a tool for positive development, surfing presents a potentially “critical alternative” which if sport-for-development programs are to be a form of social change, we should remain open to exploring

Developing young people's sense of self and place through sport

Previous research has recognized positive health implications, both physical and mental, as an outcome of participation in leisure pursuits. They provide opportunities for self-expression and stress reduction, as well as an environment in which people can socialize. Leisure activities, specifically sport activities, can play a significant role in young people's identity development. This paper explores the leisure activities in which young people in Adelaide, Australia participate. It examines the role of leisure activities in terms of young people's identity and feelings towards their hometown. This study consisted of semi-structured focus groups conducted with 24 senior high school students, followed by a survey resulting in 226 useable responses. Respondents were aged between 16 and 18 years of age. From the range of activities identified and explored, the results revealed sports activities to have the greatest impact on young people's lives. The results demonstrated that frequency of participation has a significant effect on young people's involvement levels and how they identify with the activity

Learning in Fitness and Education through Sports (LiFE Sports)

IMPACT. 1: 569 youth engaged in four weeks of social skill and sport education and 249 youth attended at least one of six sports clinics. Youth reported improved social skills and sport competence. -- 2. 183 OSU students from 14 different academic departments participated in some Teaching and Learning element of LiFE Sports. 21 student-athletes also participated in LiFE Sports programming. -- 3. The LiFE Sports program model was presented at international, national, and regional conferences, such as the National School Mental Health Conference, the Society on Social Work Research, and the Ohio SHAPE Conference. Additionally, research on LiFE Sports was published in books and journals such as the Journal of Sports Management.OSU PARTNERS: College of Social Work; Department of Athletics; Department of Recreational Sports; Office of Outreach and Engagement; College of Education and Human Ecology, Department of Human Services; College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences; College of Nursing; College of Dentistry; College of Arts and Sciences; College of Optometry; Undergraduate Admission and First Year Experience; Office of Student Life; P-12 Project; Facilities Operations and Development; Dining ServicesCOMMUNITY PARTNERS: Illinois State University; Michigan State University; After School All-Stars Ohio; All THAT; Boys and Girls Club of Columbus; Columbus City Schools; I Know I Can; Local Matters; Mid-Ohio Food Bank; Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association (OCCRA); Youth to Youth International; Cardinal Health; Columbus Crew; Greater Columbus Arts Council; Huntington National Bank; Ortho Neuro; Pitney Bowes Presort Services; Willis of Ohio; Ohio Department of EducationPRIMARY CONTACT: Rebecca Wade-Mdivanian ([email protected])The LiFE Sports Initiative aims: "to enhance the quality of youth development, sport, and recreational programs through service and outreach, teaching and learning, and research, thereby increasing positive developmental outcomes for youth.

Neurological consequences of traumatic brain injuries in sports.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common in boxing and other contact sports. The long term irreversible and progressive aftermath of TBI in boxers depicted as punch drunk syndrome was described almost a century ago and is now widely referred as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The short term sequelae of acute brain injury including subdural haematoma and catastrophic brain injury may lead to death, whereas mild TBI, or concussion, causes functional disturbance and axonal injury rather than gross structural brain damage. Following concussion, symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, reduced attention, amnesia and headache tend to develop acutely but usually resolve within a week or two. Severe concussion can also lead to loss of consciousness. Despite the transient nature of the clinical symptoms, functional neuroimaging, electrophysiological, neuropsychological and neurochemical assessments indicate that the disturbance of concussion takes over a month to return to baseline and neuropathological evaluation shows that concussion-induced axonopathy may persist for years. The developing brains in children and adolescents are more susceptible to concussion than adult brain. The mechanism by which acute TBI may lead to the neurodegenerative process of CTE associated with tau hyperphosphorylation and the development of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) remains speculative. Focal tau-positive NFTs and neurites in close proximity to focal axonal injury and foci of microhaemorrhage and the predilection of CTE-tau pathology for perivascular and subcortical regions suggest that acute TBI-related axonal injury, loss of microvascular integrity, breach of the blood brain barrier, resulting inflammatory cascade and microglia and astrocyte activation are likely to be the basis of the mechanistic link of TBI and CTE. This article provides an overview of the acute and long-term neurological consequences of TBI in sports. Clinical, neuropathological and the possible pathophysiological mechanisms are discussed. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Traumatic Brain Injury'

Konstruksi Nilai melalui Pendidikan Olahraga

Sports are believed to be an effective instrument to inculcate positive values for human development. Sports provide learners with space to learn tolerance, cooperation, perseverance, discipline, competitiveness, leadership, etc. However, in reality this is not always the case, which makes experts in sports education have a lot of concern. It is necessary to find a solution if there is something wrong in sports education. It seems necessary to deconstruct and reconstruct sports education at school. This article offers a sports learning model called Sport-ed. There are two theoretical frameworks as the underlying principles, namely the constructivist approach and the experiential learning. From these perspectives, sports learning is expected to organize learners\u27 experience in the meaningful interpretation of social life. Values such as honesty, tolerance, and moral should be integrated into the basic structure of learners\u27 logic