How Big-Time Sports Ate College Life

Published on January 24, 2012 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

Laura Pappano, The New York Times

It was a great day to be a Buckeye. Josh Samuels, a junior from Cincinnati, dates his decision to attend Ohio State to Nov. 10, 2007, and the chill he felt when the band took the field during a football game against Illinois. “I looked over at my brother and I said, ‘I’m going here. There is nowhere else I’d rather be.’ ” (Even though Illinois won, 28-21.)

Tim Collins, a junior who is president of Block O, the 2,500-member student fan organization, understands the rush. “It’s not something I usually admit to, that I applied to Ohio State 60 percent for the sports. But the more I do tell that to people, they’ll say it’s a big reason why they came, too.”

Ohio State boasts 17 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, three Nobel laureates, eight Pulitzer Prize winners, 35 Guggenheim Fellows and a MacArthur winner. But sports rule. More…

Image courtesy of OhioStateBuckeyes.com

Tebow Time: Is God or Math the Explanation for Tim Tebow’s Success?

Published on January 18, 2012 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

Daniel Honan, BigThink.com

In a very short time, Tim Tebow has become the most polarizing NFL player in a generation. There are many reasons for this, but one thing that has fascinated fans and foes alike is Tebow’s apparent ability to rally his team, the Denver Broncos, when it matters the most.

Tebow’s performance on the field is extremely uneven. He’ll often stink it up for three quarters only to become what The New York Times describes as “a Hall of Fame candidate in the Fourth.” His efforts contributed to a crucial six-game winning streak that helped land Denver in the playoffs, and last week Tebow led the Broncos to a first-round victory with a touchdown pass in overtime. What is the explanation for his success? And how has Tebow been able to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds again and again? Do certain athletes possess the ability to elevate their game simply by willing it? Does Tebow share a common gene with Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan? Or is it divine intervention (43 percent of Americans believed so in a recent poll)?

If you are like me and believe that God has greater concerns than the outcome of a football game, you are left in search of another explanation.

Let’s try this one:

-0.29 WPA, -13.6 EPA, -0.04 WPA/G, -0.05 EPA/P, 38.0 SR%, 34.3 %DEEP, 4.4 AYPA

What do these numbers mean? These mathematical measures of Tebow’s performance are known as sabermetrics. These measures include things like win probability, win probability added, expected points added per play, etc. A full explanation for what these statistics mean can be found here, but the bottom line is that during the first six games that Tebow started that are measured above, his numbers were terrible. In fact, sabermetrics shows us that every time Tim Tebow touched the ball he cost his team points in comparison to the performance of the average NFL quarterback. And yet, the Denver Broncos won five of the six games sampled here. So what’s going on? More…

Kim Jong-il, the Sportsman

Published on December 31, 2011 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

By  Jeré Longman, The New York Times

Kim Jong-il and his son and successor Kim Jong-un, second from left, applauding during the inaugural ceremony of the army's sports complex.

In the political world, Kim Jong-il of North Korea was a despot and nuclear antagonist. In the sporting world, he might have been the only guy ever to wear platform shoes, a bouffant hairdo and “Dear Leader” embroidered on his bowling shirt.

In his first match at Pyongyang Lanes, Kim bowled a perfect 300, according to state-run news media, which did not say whether the bumpers were raised. But that is nothing compared with the five holes in one and 38 under par that Kim reportedly shot in his maiden round of golf. No word on whether the course included a windmill, lion’s head and pop-up gopher.

Of course, in a closed, isolated nation like North Korea, it is difficult to separate the milk of fact from the crème of fiction. Some accounts had Kim shooting 11 aces, not merely five.

To Read More…

Image: Associated Press via The New York Times

Hockey as a Religion: The Montreal Canadiens

Published on December 19, 2011 in Book and Newsletter. 0 Comments

Sport is all about play and game, aesthetic and strength, passion and emotion, challenge and rivalry. But because sometimes players and fans look for a little extra help from God, gods, spirits or any other Supreme Being, sport is also a matter of beliefs and Faith. Often, sport uses religion if the sport itself does not become a religion first.

Since 2008, the Protestant Theologian Olivier Bauer, a former hockey goaltender, is carefully studying the religious aspects of the Montreal Canadiens. In his book, Olivier Bauer reveals how the Montreal Canadiens becomes a religion, specifies which kind of religion it is, and explains how it is interrelated with Quebec’s Catholicism. From a theological point of view, he analyses two ways of practicing the Montreal Canadiens Religion, shows why both ways are idolatry, denounces the weakness of such a religion, and pleads for an evangelical use of the Montreal Canadiens.

Based on the Montreal Canadiens, Olivier Bauer explains how sport becomes a religion, but he also critics the religion that sport offers.

On the religious aspects of the Montreal Canadiens, Olivier Bauer has published an essay: Une théologie du Canadien de Montréal (Bayard, 2011); with Jean-Marc Barreau he has directed an edited book: La religion du Canadien de Montréal (Fides, 2009). On the food in the Bible, he has wrote a novel: Between Steeple and Stove; A Huguenot gourmet (free download from Papyrus, Université de Montréal Institutional Repository:http://hdl.handle.net/1866/2683).


Announcing the Winner of the International Award for Excellence

Published on November 28, 2011 in Headline, Journal and Newsletter. 0 Comments

Sean Horton, Rylee A. Dionigi, Joseph Baker

Congratulations to Rylee A. Dionigi, Joseph Baker and Sean Horton the winners of the International Award for Excellence in the area of area of Sport and Society for their paper Older Athletes’ Perceived Benefits of Competition.

Abstract: Intense sport competition is typically associated with young people. Also, much of the literature on exercise for older adults focuses on benefits derived from regular physical activity, such as walking, dancing and fitness classes, and suggests that one should avoid extremely strenuous exercise. The rising phenomenon of older people competing in sport presents a challenge to these assumptions. In 2009, approximately 28,000 athletes from 95 countries gathered in Sydney, Australia to compete across 28 different sports at the World Masters Games. We interviewed 44 competitors (23 females, 21 males; aged 56-90 years; M=72) about what they gained from competing in sport that extended beyond non-competitive physical activity outcomes. Five key themes emerged from the data. The first theme, “I like a challenge”, depicts Masters sport as an ideal context to test one’s abilities. In particular, lifelong athletes (or those who had returned to sport after a long break) enjoyed the satisfaction of knowing they “can still do it”! On the other hand, Masters competitions provide space for older people to begin sport in later life, as the second theme highlights, “I discovered that at this age group I could win things”! Theme three, “I’m more motivated to work harder”, describes how regular competitions provided goals for participants which structured their training. Also, the act of competing brought out their best performances. The fourth theme, “You know where you stand”, shows how participants liked that competition enabled them to compare themselves with others of their own age cohort. The final theme, “Travel” and “companionship”, explains how the organized, competitive structure of Masters sport and its club system allowed for regular travel, the establishment of ongoing friendships and weekly social interaction. Our data suggest that sport provides unique benefits to participants above and beyond those gained from general physical activity.

Finalists for the International Award for Excellence

Published on November 24, 2011 in Journal and Newsletter. 0 Comments

sport_frontCongratulations to all of the Award finalists:

Hockey as a Religion: The Montreal Canadiens

Published on November 23, 2011 in Book, Headline and Newsletter. 0 Comments

Hockey as a Religion: The Montreal Canadiens by Olivier Bauer is now available as part of the  Sport and Society series.

Sport is all about play and game, aesthetic and strength, passion and emotion, challenge and rivalry. But because sometimes players and fans look for a little extra help from God, gods, spirits or any other Supreme Being, sport is also a matter of beliefs and Faith. Often, sport uses religion if the sport itself does not become a religion first.

In Montreal, the fans’ passion and emotion benefits the Montreal Canadiens, the oldest and the most victorious National Hockey League team.

Since 2008, the Protestant Theologian Olivier Bauer, a former hockey goaltender, is carefully studying the religious aspects of the Montreal Canadiens. In his book, Olivier Bauer reveals how the Montreal Canadiens becomes a religion, specifies which kind of religion it is, and explains how it is interrelated with Quebec’s Catholicism. From a theological point of view, he analyses two ways of practicing the Montreal Canadiens Religion, shows why both ways are idolatry, denounces the weakness of such a religion, and pleads for an evangelical use of the Montreal Canadiens.

Based on the Montreal Canadiens, Olivier Bauer explains how sport becomes a religion, but he also critics the religion that sport offers.

Sport and Society Journal Volume 2, Issue 3 now available

Published on November 14, 2011 in Journal and Newsletter. 0 Comments

sport_frontThe third issue of Volume 2 of The International Journal of Sport and Society is now available.

Volume 2, Issue 3 contains:

 

 

London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Posters

Published on November 11, 2011 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

From dezeen magazine

Here are twelve posters that have been created by leading British artists to celebrate next year’s London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

 

 

To see more…

Sport & Society Journal Associate Editors listing available

Published on November 8, 2011 in Journal and Newsletter. 0 Comments

sport_frontAs part of the process of publishing The International Journal of Sport and Society all submissions are sent for peer review, prior to publication.

Assessment, comments and guidance by the referees are an essential part of the publication process and invaluable to the authors of the submitted papers.

In recognition of the important role of referees, the international advisory board acknowledges all referees who have refereed papers as an ‘Associate Editor’ in the volume of the journal they have contributed to.

The Associate Editors listing for Volume 2 of  The International Journal of Sport and Society is now available.