Larena Hoeber

Gender equity for athletes: Rewriting the narrative for this organizational value

It is commonly believed that managers have shared understandings of espoused organizational values. However, some researchers have argued that organizational members, including managers, have multiple, conflicting, or ambiguous interpretations of organizational values that may complicate the process of translating values into practices (Martin, 1992; Meyerson, 1991a; Young, 1989). The purpose of this study was to examine the meanings sport managers associate with the organizational value of gender equity for athletes using an analytic framework developed by Martin (1992, 2001). Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with five administrators in one university athletic department. A document analysis of policies and budgets and observations were additional data sources. The findings revealed that administrators offered multiple meanings of gender equity and that those meanings were underpinned by confusion, contradictions, and silences, supporting the differentiation and fragmentation perspectives proposed by Martin (1992, 2001). By relying on dominant narratives, managers sometimes fail to notice other ways of matching organizational practices with espoused organizational values.

Using photo-elicitation to examine artefacts in a sport club: logistical considerations and strategies throughout the research process

There are a number of logistical considerations that need to be addressed when using photo-elicitation in research, yet these are rarely discussed in the existing literature. This paper elucidates the challenges particular to using photo-elicitation in research and proposes strategies for addressing these issues. We drew upon our experiences using a combination of photographs taken by participants and photographs taken by the researcher in photo-elicitation interviews to examine the perceptions of skaters towards various artefacts in a figure skating club. We present the logistical considerations and strategies around the typical steps of the research process: (1) ethics, (2) participant recruitment, (3) data collection, (4) data management, (5) data analysis and (6) dissemination. Despite the numerous challenges and considerations that accompany the use of photographs in research, we found there to be a number of significant benefits when combining participant-driven and research-driven techniques.

Perceptions of the effectiveness of sport organisations: the case of intercollegiate athletics.

The organisational effectiveness (OE) construct is something of an enigma. While OE is at the theoretical centre of all organisational models and is the ultimate dependent variable of organisational studies, despite more than 60 years of research on the topic, substantial challenges concerning how to. conceptualise, measure, and explain OE remain. In this paper we build on the consensus that has emerged in the literature that the construct space of OE includes a wide variety of criteria and that assessments of OE are a function of ones priorities. The purpose of the paper is to address an issue essentially ignored in the literature ‐ relationships among the attributes that contribute to perceptions of OE. In an effort to accomplish our purpose, we present a preliminary study conducted within the context of intercollegiate athletics. The case study was designed to establish: (a) the factors that are the most important determinants of perceptions of effectiveness, and (b) how these factors interact with one another. Content analyses of interviews with ten salient stakeholders revealed that six factors are essential determinants of perceptions of athletic program success. These factors are related to athletic performance on the field, student‐athlete education, program ethics, and the effects of programs on a universitys image, resources, and institutional enthusiasm. Thematic mapping of the interviews revealed that, while determinants of perceptions of success often work in concert with one another, some determinants tend to influence perceptions of success on their own. We conclude by discussing the theoretical and pragmatic relevance of addressing relationships among OE attributes and by suggesting promising research directions.

Visual Twitter Analytics (Vista): Temporally changing sentiment and the discovery of emergent themes within sport event tweets

Purpose – Due to the size and velocity at which user generated content is created on social media services such as Twitter, analysts are often limited by the need to pre-determine the specific topics and themes they wish to follow. Visual analytics software may be used to support the interactive discovery of emergent themes. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Tweets collected from the live Twitter stream matching a user’s query are stored in a database, and classified based on their sentiment. The temporally changing sentiment is visualized, along with sparklines showing the distribution of the top terms, hashtags, user mentions, and authors in each of the positive, neutral, and negative classes. Interactive tools are provided to support sub-querying and the examination of emergent themes. Findings – A case study of using Vista to analyze sport fan engagement within a mega-sport event (2013 Le Tour de France) is provided. The authors illustrate how emergent themes can be...

The nature of innovation in community sport organizations

ABSTRACT Research question: The purpose of this investigation is threefold. First, as indications of the acquisition and creative use of knowledge, this study explores the extent to which community sport organizations (CSOs) are pursuing innovations. Second, these innovations are categorized based on their form, type, and magnitude. Third, the role that the sport context plays in the innovations that CSOs are pursuing is examined. Research methods: Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 42 volunteer presidents (or designates) of CSOs, in curling, soccer, swimming, and Ultimate across Canada. Innovation was operationalized as anything new to the unit of adoption. Participants were asked to identify and discuss ideas and initiatives that were new to their sport club. Results and Findings: CSO presidents identified 188 innovations in their clubs; 55 innovations in 12 curling clubs, 44 innovations in 11 soccer clubs, 49 innovations in 11 swim clubs, and 40 innovations in 8 Ultimate clubs. CSOs are actively involved in the pursuit of innovations, with a general focus on process related, administrative, and incremental innovations. Preliminary patterns were identified based on a comparison of innovation attributes across the four sports. Implications: The findings provide a starting point for acknowledging the variety of innovations being pursued by CSOs and their different forms, types, and magnitude. CSOs need access to existing knowledge, from internal and external sources, or the ability to create new knowledge in order to adopt and implement the innovations.

Overlooking the obvious: an exploration of what it means to be a sport fan from a female perspective.

While sport fans are demographically diverse, in current literature, sport fans appear to be a homogenous group consisting primarily of white, adult men. Thus, the current understanding of sport fan characteristics is based primarily on the perspectives of one segment of the fan market. The purpose of this study is to explore how female sport fans perceive and prioritise fan characteristics. In this pilot project, we interviewed nine women who self-identified as fans of the same Canadian Football League team. Data analysis consisted of organising, reading, rereading, coding, categorising and theming. According to the participants, a fan is one who legitimately enjoys the sport and the team, wears team colours and demonstrates positive support for the team. Knowledge and attendance were seen as secondary fan characteristics. The results suggest different perspectives on fanship from a female viewpoint.