Anna Vilanova

Personal strategies for managing a second career: The experiences of Spanish Olympians

The purpose of this study was to examine how Olympians experience the transition to a second career, to identify the strategies they may or may not implement in order to prepare for it, and to determine the main factors that influence this process. Using a phenomenological approach we asked 26 Spanish Olympians (13 men and 13 women) from different summer Olympic sports about their experiences when it came to preparing for and entering a new place of work. The results revealed two main groups. The ‘strategists’ were Olympians with an awareness of their future and a deep understanding of their work environment, who took specific steps (academic training, entering a new job before ending their sporting career, saving money, taking advantage of their sporting capital and voluntary retirement) in order to enter their second career. The family was shown to be a key influence for Olympians in this group. At the other end of the spectrum were the ‘non-strategists’, those who did not combine their career in sport with an academic or vocational career. What set these Olympians apart was a lack of awareness regarding the need to prepare for their future career and that they did not implement strategies that might help them in this regard. In this group the family appeared somewhat indifferent to the question of what would happen when the athlete’s sporting career ended. These findings could serve as a platform from which to develop programs and assist athletes according to the group with which they are identified.

Positive functions of emotions in achievement sports.

Abstract This article presents the results of two research projects on the emotions of men engaged in achievement outdoor sports. The conditions were analyzed under which emotions carry out positive functions. The question strikes us as a fundamental one, because it is of crucial importance when it comes to increasing sportspeoples success. The theoretical framework applied was that of microfunctionalism. The method, of a qualitative nature, was based on in-depth interviews, each lasting between 1.5 and 2 hr, with a total of 14 sportspersons. The results show that in order for emotions to fulfill positive functions, three conditions must be met: (a) existence of passion, which, with its dialectical character of pleasure and suffering, underlies all the other emotions and acts as a motor that pushes the sportsperson forward, despite all the contretemps he might meet on the way; (b) intense emotion work, which may be conducted only if accompanied by knowledge and experience of the natural environment acquired over the years; and (c) conciliation between emotion work and the feeling rules characteristic of each sport subculture. For those individuals who pursue achievement in outdoor sports, these results will provide more concrete indications regarding how to carry out the emotional preparation required for these sports.

Sport Clubs in Spain

Spain is a decentralised state with an approximate population of 47.1 million. It is a European Union member state since 1986 and the 13th largest economy in the world. According to the latest survey of sporting habits conducted in Spain (2010), 19 % of people over the age of 15 engage in some kind of sport or physical activity through a sports club or association. The corresponding figures in previous surveys were 24 % in 2005 and 25 % in 2000. Although the number of sports clubs in Spain has increased over the last 10 years, there has been an even greater rise in the number of people taking up recreational sport or physical activity without being formally linked to any sports federation or organisation. This chapter presents an analysis of sports clubs in Spain, doing so on the basis of information gathered from secondary sources, previous research, and studies conducted by the authors of this chapter.

Sociología del Deporte en España: una actualización (2005-2017). [Sociology of Sport in Spain: an update (2005-2017)].

espanolEl presente articulo comienza explicando cuales son los origenes de la Sociologia del Deporte en Espana los cuales que se situan en los tiempos de la Transicion (1975-1983); durante estos anos, el deporte se va convirtiendo progresivamente de ser un objeto de preocupacion social a ser un objeto de estudio sociologico. A continuacion, se analizan los principales factores de activacion de esta disciplina, destacando los procesos de acreditacion del profesorado universitario, los cuales actuan como catalizadores del conjunto de aspectos que favorecieron la emergencia de la Sociologia del Deporte en Espana. Por ultimo, se analizan las principales areas de estudio agrupandolas en tres ambitos: deporte y sociedad, actitudes sociales frente al deporte y espacios y organizaciones. La revision bibliografica se ha hecho, sobre todo, desde 2005 hasta 2017, ya que con anterioridad se ha hecho otras que se han ocupado de periodos anteriores. En la conclusion, se hace una valoracion general y se constata la progresiva internacionalizacion de la disciplina, algo que hasta 2005 era escaso. Dicho aspecto se considera un indicador importante de la madurez de la disciplina. EnglishAbstractThe paper begins explaining which are the origins of the Sociology of Sport in Spain that are located in the times of the Transition (1975-1983); during these years, sport is gradually becoming from an object of social concern to an object of sociological study. Next, the main activation factors are analyzed, highlighting the accreditation processes of the university teaching staff; these act as catalysts of the set of aspects that favoured the emergence of the Sociology of Sport in Spain. Finally, the main study areas are analyzed by grouping them into three fields: sport and society, social attitudes towards sport, and spaces and organizations. The bibliographic review has been done, above all, from 2005 to 2017, since others have been done focusing on earlier periods. In the conclusion, a general assessment is made and the progressive internationalization of the discipline is verified, something that until 2005 was scarce, which is considered an important indicator of the maturity of the discipline.https://doi.org/10.5232/ricyde2018.05408

Examining the experiences of the first openly gay male team sport athlete in Spain

Spanish sports literature is devoid of studies investigating the voices of gay athletes. Using semi-structured interviews, the purpose of this research was to examine the contextually relevant experiences of the first-ever openly gay elite athlete in a Spanish team sport context. Our investigation covers multiple personal and institutional layers of the sporting complex, which are analysed in three ways: (a) using Troiden’s notions of identity; (b) using Anderson’s Inclusive Masculinity Theory; and (c) using McCormack’s theory of gay discourse. Our findings reveal that coming out was a more positive experience than the athlete had expected. He experienced inclusivity from his teammates, trainers, managers and supporters. There was no physical aggression or verbal harassment. He did, however, frequently hear antigay language spoken, which he reported as not being homophobic. Our findings provide one of the few examinations of this topic outside of the USA.

Understanding the gendered coaching workforce in Spanish sport

The present study focuses on the demographic and labor characteristics of coaches in Spain. Kanter’s theory on occupational sex segregation will be used as a guiding framework. The study was conducted with 1685 coaches (82.3% men and 17.7% women) from different sports and performance domains. The results show that there is an underrepresentation of women as coaches in Spain and data highlight that coaches’ gender is related to three structural factors: opportunity, power, and proportion. The present data reveal that women are younger, less likely to be in a marriage-like relationship, less likely to have children, and more likely to have competed at a high level as an athlete when compared to their male counterparts. However, fewer women than men access and participate in coach education in Catalonia and the working status of women was different to that of men. To expand, women worked less hours, were more likely to be assistant coaches, and had less years of coaching experience. Understanding of how gender influences women’s access, progression, and retention in coaching in Spain illustrates the need for gender sport policies and practices in sport organizations. This approach can benefit not only women, but the diversity and enrichment of the coaching system.

SPAIN: Evolution and Characteristics of the Private Sport Sector – Focus on Fitness Centres and Gyms

This chapter contains a description of the evolution and main characteristics of the private sport sector in Spain. The first section outlines a panoramic vision of the structure and organizational framework of the Spanish sport sector, illustrating the established supremacy of the public sector above the voluntary and private sectors. Next, an analysis is laid out, utilising data from Section 931 of the Central Business Register of the National Institute of Statistics. This analysis includes information pertaining to the number of existing organisations, legal structures, number of employees, and territorial layouts. Once the general description of Spain’s private sport sector is covered, the chapter focuses on the analysis of the emerging and developmental processes of the fitness centres and gyms in Spain. Combining various statistical sources and market studies, particularly from the DBK reports on the fitness sector in Spain, this paper gives an in-depth picture of the main characteristics and evolution of these types of centres located throughout Spain. The results encompass the number of centres, market values, and the number of workers; they also include pricing strategies, corporate merging strategies, and the leading companies in the industry.

Sociology of Sport: Spain

The chapter begins by examining the origins of sociology of sport in Spain, which dates back to the transition to democracy, during which period sport became transformed progressively from an object of social concern into an object of sociological study. It then goes on to analyse the main factors of activation in particular processes of university teaching staff accreditation which acted as catalysts for the set of processes that fostered the emergence of sociology of sport in Spain. Lastly, the principal study fields are analysed by grouping them into three areas: sport and society, social attitudes to sport and sport facilities and organisations. In the conclusion, an assessment is made of contributions made to the speciality as well as of sociology of sport’s progressive internationalisation, a rare phenomenon prior to 2005 which is now regarded as a major indicator of the maturity of the discipline.

Interview to Pere Miró, Director of Olympic Solidarity and Director of the Relations between the International Olympic Committee and the National Olympic Committees

Abstract At the beginning of the interview Pere Miró is asked to introduce himself so as to allow readers to know him. All in all, the purpose is to analyze his professional work within a worldwide sports organization (The International Olympic Committee) which interacts with 205 National Olympic Committees of very diverse characteristics and, sometimes, even opposed. The professional task of Pere Miró consists of a constant interaction between the local and the global. The interview has three parts: Cultural diversity and the Olympic Movement, Diversity of the organizational structures, and the values of Olympic Solidarity.