Tom 97 (2022): Zeszyt 1 (December 2022)

Sports spectators are one of the factors that affect home advantage. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic created unique conditions under which most of the leagues in the world played matches without crowds for over six months. This situation facilitated an analytical comparison of two different periods: before and during the coronavirus pandemic. The current study sought to examine home advantage in the Israeli sport domain in general, and specifically the impact of the absence of a crowd. The study consisted of 4,030 matches played in Israel’s top football and basketball leagues, of which 3,589 took place with crowds from August 2015 to March 2020, while the others were held without spectators from May 2020 to February 2021. Descriptive and analyses of variance procedures indicated a home advantage independent of crowd size, density, geographic region, league level, and type of sport. However, higher-quality teams demonstrated a higher home advantage ratio for the goals conceded. The findings of the study indicate that in the Israeli context, the crowd plays less of a role in home advantage than other potential factors.

Despite the recent increase in attention on studies focusing on different types of assessment of student participation in physical education (PE), there is little research concerning students’ attitudes toward the PE assessment process. This study aimed to investigate students’ attitudes toward assessment procedures in PE by developing and validating a quantitative instrument concerning crucial areas of pedagogy such as curriculum, teachers, grading, and fitness tests. It further investigates important attitude determinants such as grade level and gender differences. The scale was distributed to 1,403 students in the 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, and 10^th grades. Principal components analysis showed an eigenvalue factor greater than 1, which accounted for 47% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded satisfactory indices that confirmed the unidimensional model with high internal consistency (α = .84). A two-way analysis of variance revealed a significant difference between the 7^th and 10^th grades. At the same time, students expressed a high level of positive attitudes toward the different aspects of assessment procedures. The study examined various aspects of students’ attitudes toward assessment and resulted in a reliable, valid, and easy-to-use quantitative instrument that can be used by educators and researchers to assess students’ attitudes toward assessment in PE.

The aim of this study was to measure the effects of educational intervention on sports law concepts on coaches’ attitude, knowledge, and behavior. The method of the study was quasi-experimental, including two groups, pretest and posttest stages, and a follow-up study. A total of 50 coaches from Eghlid in Fars Province, Iran, were selected using the convenience sampling method. They were then randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group. A researcher-made educational protocol was used for educating coaches who participated in the experimental group on the concepts of sports law. Then, in order to measure the efficiency of the educational protocol, three questionnaires were employed to measure the coaches’ attitudes and their knowledge about the concepts and regulations of sports law, as well as their behavior related to the principles and regulations of sports law at sports clubs. The covariance analyzing test and ANOVA with repeated measures were employed to analyze the data provided by the study’s instruments. The results indicated that the educational intervention of this study positively changed the attitude of the coaches in the experimental group towards the concept of sports law. In addition, the educational intervention of this study significantly improved the knowledge of coaches in the experimental group about the rules and regulations of sports law. Furthermore, the behavior of the coaches in the experimental group changed in that they began properly implementing the principles and regulations of sports law after participating in eight educational sessions. Moreover, the effects of the educational intervention in this study remained for three months following the completion of the intervention.

As esports grow, public authorities have many concerns about the potential negative health effects of this “sedentary” practice. This work proposes a systematic review on the links between esports and physical activity (PA). The research questions guiding this review are as follows: (1) What is the PA level of esports players? (2) Do data exist regarding the influence of participation in esports on players’ PA? (3) Based on these findings, what future research questions should be asked and what studies should be conducted? Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The analysis revealed that esports players appeared to be active, exceeding World Health Organization recommendations, in 13 studies and inactive or low-active in four studies. The different populations of players do not appear to have the same degree of PA. High-level, professional, and/or supervised players appear to be more physically active. However, some data are inconsistent, and our review highlights several biases and methodological limitations. Additionally, while we have found no studies providing data on the influence of esports on PA, five studies highlight several factors that could push players to engage in PA. Finally, further research is needed using objective measurement tools and characterizing and accurately distinguishing between players’ levels of expertise and the type of game played. The nature and modalities of the PA also need to be clarified. We encourage supplementing these quantitative data with qualitative data obtained through interviews to provide a description and understanding of the influence of esports on PA engagement, re-engagement, retention, and withdrawal.

This qualitative and exploratory study aimed to investigate whether contact with media content related to the Paralympic Games (PG) could affect the perception of disability held by children with disabilities (CWD) and their families. The research featured 12 CWD not involved in sports and 13 of their relatives. It consisted of two sessions, one before and another after participants viewed two videos related to the PG that showed athletes and other people with disabilities (PWD) successfully playing sports and/or performing other activities. In both sections, we asked them to write the first five words that came to mind upon hearing the expression PWD. Next, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews to explore their views on disability. We computed the words mentioned in the first dynamic and conducted an inductive reflexive thematic analysis of the interviews. Before the videos were shown, the words written most were “difficulty,” “problem,” and “limitation.” During the interviews, they focused on impairments and difficulties associated with disability. Following the videos, the most predominant written words were “overcoming” and “capacity.” Throughout the interviews, they focused more on the potential and capabilities of PWD. This study suggests that materials such as those that we used can help CWD and their families develop a more positive view of the potential and capabilities of PWD. These materials might also be used in other contexts (e.g., in schools and community education programs), especially in places where it is still rare to see PWD practicing sports and performing other activities such as those shown in the videos.

As an emerging field of study, scholars have constantly compared esports and traditional sports to find similarities and differences between the two sports fields. As various studies have called for more studies regarding the fan communities of esports, the present study analyzed the mediating effect of the sense of the esports fan community between team identification and consumer behaviors. This study employed a path analysis technique, utilizing online survey responses from 182 participants who identified as fans of the esports team. The findings revealed that a sense of fan community did not have mediating effects by showing statistically non-significant (in)direct effects on consumer behaviors. In contrast, team identification showed a significant positive effect on the sense of fan community and some consumer behaviors. The implications of the study suggest that esports organizations should focus their marketing strategies on individual fan bases and strive to maintain the competitiveness of their leagues to attract more fans to esports.

The spread of the COVID-19 virus significantly impacted the fitness industry with government restrictions including mandated closures. CrossFit, a major player in the global fitness industry, faced a new industry landscape and significant internal division while coping with the crisis. This study contributes to the literature on CrossFit coaches, who are important cultural figures in fitness services. This study investigated CrossFit coaches’ perceptions of COVID-19 restrictions through semi-structured interviews with a diverse sample in Georgia and Florida, U.S. The coaches displayed CrossFit exceptionalism, believing that fitness facilities should have been treated differently, and CrossFit gyms in particular were distinctive enough to merit special consideration. Some coaches approved of the governmental response, but others disapproved, and many expressed gratitude that they were in states with short restriction periods. Their demonstration of uncertainty, however, somewhat conflicted with their exceptionalism. These perceptions may influence coaches’ behaviors and impact CrossFit participants, which makes the topic worthy of additional study.