A. Elling

How to Influence National Pride? The Olympic Medal Index as a Unifying Narrative

Elite sport is often regarded as one of the main vehicles for articulating national pride and stimulating national cohesion. In this article, we explore a variety of different notions of pride and nationality as related to success in elite sport. We present the results of a public survey, which measured some of the effects on national pride in the Netherlands, related to the men’s European Football Championships, the Tour de France, Wimbledon and the Olympic Games in Beijing (all in the summer of 2008). The results suggest that a sense of belonging is a necessary condition that precedes rather than results from sport-related pride. This supports the notion of national pride being a rather stable characteristic of countries, notwithstanding specific situations (such as sport success) that may lead to minor and temporary fluctuations. There seems to be no empirical evidence for the — primarily quantitatively understood — concept of pride (as a ‘bucket-notion’), which is often implicit to the political rhetoric used to increase sport funding with the aim of winning more medals to generate an increase in national pride.

Gay/Lesbian Sport Clubs and Events Places of Homo-Social Bonding and Cultural Resistance?

Over the last two decades the founding of sport clubs and organization of sport events specifically for gays and lesbians has increased in the Netherlands and most other western countries. For many policy-makers the popularity of playing sport ‘apart’ seems to be in contradiction to current liberal legislation concerning homosexuality and gay and lesbian rights. Gay/lesbian sport clubs and events like the Gay Games, which took place in Amsterdam in 1998 and Sydney in 2002, raise questions about the social integrative meanings and functions of sport. In this article different, often tenuous and ambiguous, integrative meanings are discussed in relation to mainstream and gay and lesbian sport clubs and events.

Creating or awakening national pride through sporting success: a longitudinal study on macro effects in the Netherlands.

Like many other countries, the Dutch government increased investments in elite sports in the last decennium, partly driven by the ambition to organise the Olympic Games in 2028 in the Netherlands. One of the most important legitimations for this ambition is that elite sports events and national achievements should foster national pride, social cohesion and international prestige. In this article we present and discuss the results of a study on the relationship between Dutch international sport achievements and the development of national pride. The outcome is based on 27 longitudinal measurements among the adult Dutch population in the years 2008–2010 in which European and world Championships men’s soccer and a summer and winter Olympic Games took place. The results support the common belief that international sporting success of Dutch athletes contributes to the testimony and expression of national pride and belonging. However, the extent to which national pride can be increased by national sporting success seems to be rather limited. The data show that national performances in international sport events may lead to small, short-term eruptions in feelings of national sporting pride and well-being, especially among athletes, men and non-immigrants. However, the results indicate that national pride is a rather stable characteristic of national identification that cannot easily be increased by improving national sporting success and winning more Olympic medals.

Topsport Talent Schools in the Netherlands: A retrospective analysis of the effect on performance in sport and education

In order to help talented athletes to attain the highest possible level in both their sport and education, Topsport Talent Schools (TTS) were founded in the Netherlands in 1991. This research aims to investigate the effect of attending a TTS on the sport and education performance levels of talented athletes. A retrospective study was conducted amongst 242 (former) talented athletes from six sport federations. Results indicate that attending a TTS did not influence the current and highest attained sport performance levels of talented athletes (at both junior and senior level). Neither were talents who had attended a TTS more satisfied about the combination of school and sport, nor were they more motivated for their sport. Furthermore, results indicated that talents who had attended TTS were less motivated to do well in school; also they attained lower educational levels in both their secondary school and further education.

Assessing the sociology of sport: On reintegrating quantitative methods and gender research

On the 50th anniversary of the ISSA and IRSS, Agnes Elling, one of the most productive and influential scholars on understanding gender inequalities in sport, considers the need to reintegrate quantitative methods in inquiry about gender and sport. In assessing a quantitative content analysis of IRSS articles concerning women’s sport and gender issues, Elling reflects on how gender research in sport became both mainstream and increasingly qualitative, critical and contextual. A key challenge for research on gender and sport will be to embrace more diversity in theoretical frameworks and methodologies and to integrate better quantitative and mixed methods studies on gendered sport participation and governance. In the future, Elling argues that for the sociology of sport to continue to develop as an important field in helping to remedy gender inequalities it will need to overcome some of its normative (constructivist, qualitative) and repetitive tendencies; reintegrating inquiry with quantitative methods and linking action research to policy change will advance these goals.

Topsport als motor voor nationale trots

Does elite sporting success have a lasting impact on national pride? Like many other countries, the Dutch government increased investments in elite sports in the last decennium, partly driven by the ambition to organize the Olym-pic Games in 2028 in the Netherlands. One of the most important legitimations for this ambition is that elite sports events and national performances should foster national pride, social cohesion and international prestige. In this article we present and discuss the results of a study on the relation between Dutch international sport performances and the development of national pride. The outcome is based on 27 longitudinal measurements among the adult Dutch population in the years 2008-2010 in which European and world Championships mens soccer and a summer and winter Olympic Games took place. The results support the common belief that international sporting success of Dutch athletes contribute to the testimony and expression of national pride and belonging. But the extent to which national pride can be increased by national sporting success seems to be rather limited. The data show that national performances in international sport events may lead to small, short term eruptions in feelings of national sporting pride and wellbeing, especially among athletes, men and non-immigrants. The results especially indicate, however, that national pride is a rather stable characteristic of national identification that cannot easily be increased by improving national sporting success and winning more Olympic medals.