Farah Palmer

The Fine Line: An insight into ‘risky’ practices of male and female competitive bodybuilders

Abstract Phenomenological accounts of competitive bodybuilders have frequently highlighted the pleasures and rewards associated with bodybuilding. This article focuses on the experiences of New Zealand based male and female bodybuilders in relation to risk and health‐compromising practices within the sport. 382 competitive bodybuilders completed a postal questionnaire and interviews were conducted with 30 participants. Findings highlighted that both men and women engaged in sporting risk (Frey, 1991) and that although many of their experiences were similar, there were also distinct differences. Bodybuilding men appeared more competitively aggressive and engaged more readily in steroid‐ use relative to their female counterparts. For women, bodybuilding had the capacity to play into, even amplify, their sensitivities surrounding appearance and body image, their preoccupation with diet and weight control, and a propensity towards eating disorders. Heterogeneity amongst the bodybuilding men and women is also identified and discussed.

New Zealand bodybuilder identities: beyond homogeneity.

Existing research implies bodybuilders are a homogenous group with gender, power, control and empowerment, as well as afflictions such as personal inadequacies, dominating scholarly thinking concerning their identity. External critiques have frequently portrayed bodybuilders in a negative light, whilst phenomenological accounts have emphasized participants positive experiences. This research has focused on bodybuilder identity in New Zealand. Some 382 competitive bodybuilders completed a questionnaire as part of a three-year project. Factor analysis generated the following themes: Self-Life Enhancement; Bodybuilder Lifestyle; Body Manipulation; Physical Attractiveness Tool; Healthy-Balanced Self-Image; The Price of Bodybuilding and An Extreme Competitive Aesthetic Pursuit. The findings suggest that there is heterogeneity in bodybuilder identities and whilst bodybuilding may positively reinforce identity construction, it may also lead to identity conflicts, negative experiences and self-risk.

The Business of Rugby in the Twenty-First Century: An Introduction to this Special Issue

ABSTRACT Inspired by the spectra of rugby union research presented at the 2017 World in Union International Rugby Conference, this special issue brings together a selection of the more recent empirical developments within the business of rugby. This initial paper is presented as a contextual precursor to the six special issue papers that follow. Combined, these papers draw on a variety of methodologies as well as a range of perspectives including pragmatic, philosophical, and critical platforms. We believe the research presented in this issue provides a rich and diverse source of learning for researchers and practitioners interested in the global business of rugby union.

Comparison of metamotivational dominance and cultural identity between Japanese National Team and Māori All Blacks rugby players

This pilot study used a reversal theory framework to examine metamotivational dominance of rugby players on the Māori All Blacks (MABs) squad of New Zealand and the Japanese National Team (JNT). Since the two groups have different cultural team demographics, cultural identity was also examined. Twenty six players from the MABs and 31 from the JNT completed questionnaires on metamotivational dominance and cultural identity. In terms of metamotivational dominance, the findings indicated that the MABs were more playful minded and spontaneous oriented than the JNT. Regarding cultural identity, the JNT showed a greater knowledge of their own culture and higher comfort level in their cultural context, while the MABs felt more positive and willing to sustain their own culture. The motivational personality differences between the teams may reflect the style of play that is valued within each team culture that is, flair, spontaneity and high-risk play within Māori rugby, and structure, team unity and conformity within the JNT. This suggests that metamotivational dominance of teams and players is influenced by the cultural identity of both the individuals and the group, which may have a further impact on team cohesion and performance.

Karanga mai ra: Stories of Māori women as leaders

This paper takes a fresh look at Maori women and leadership through individual and collective storytelling. Stories or pubar;rākau about Maori women leaders involved in environmental sustainability, employment rights, and sport are used to reveal the often silenced realities of Maori women’s leadership and challenge dominant leadership discourse. Findings suggest mana wahine/the power and authority of women is a critical element of Maori women’s leadership as well as values and concepts that feature in traditional purakau and cultural roles for women. The holistic nature of Maori leadership was captured by considering three interrelated and fluid spheres – leadership as influence, leadership in context and the performance of leadership. These stories are a preface and we invite others to join the dynamic process of storytelling so that the plurality of Indigenous women’s leadership perspectives, experiences and performances are recognised and celebrated.

Te Whariki Tuakiri (the identity mat): Māori elite athletes and the expression of ethno-cultural identity in global sport

Māori (indigenous people of New Zealand) athletes who participate in elite-level sport are a very diverse social group, many of whom function adaptively in the high echelons of sport in Aotearoa New Zealand society and on the world stage. This article proposes one major question: how do Māori athletes weave their Māori identity publicly and privately in a global sporting context? Utilizing an amalgamation of Kaupapa Māori theory,1 critical race theory and narrative inquiry approaches exposes a negotiation of ethno-cultural identities in both public and private ways. The narratives of Māori elite athletes identify how they experience ethno-cultural identity through the implementation of tikanga Māori2 and Matauranga Māori (Māori knowledge and cultural practices) and how these practices impact on their identities as Māori, athletes, New Zealanders and a team in the public domain of the Olympic and/or Commonwealth Games. The private rituals and personal explorations of ethno-cultural identity by Māori athlet...Māori (indigenous people of New Zealand) athletes who participate in elite-level sport are a very diverse social group, many of whom function adaptively in the high echelons of sport in Aotearoa New Zealand society and on the world stage. This article proposes one major question: how do Māori athletes weave their Māori identity publicly and privately in a global sporting context? Utilizing an amalgamation of Kaupapa Māori theory,1 critical race theory and narrative inquiry approaches exposes a negotiation of ethno-cultural identities in both public and private ways. The narratives of Māori elite athletes identify how they experience ethno-cultural identity through the implementation of tikanga Māori2 and Matauranga Māori (Māori knowledge and cultural practices) and how these practices impact on their identities as Māori, athletes, New Zealanders and a team in the public domain of the Olympic and/or Commonwealth Games. The private rituals and personal explorations of ethno-cultural identity by Māori athletes in elite-level sport were also revealed. Both the public and private expressions of Māori identity were described and explained through a Māori concept referred to as mauri (individual life force), and the elements of ethno-cultural identity were visually represented as Te Whariki Tuakiri or the identity mat. The use of culturally appropriate concepts and metaphors provides a more in-depth and sensitive picture of what influences ethno-cultural identity for Māori athletes in elite-level sport in a way that will benefit Māori athletes and their ethno-cultural communities in general.