Mike Weed

Sports Tourism Research 2000–2004: A Systematic Review of Knowledge and a Meta-Evaluation of Methods

This paper conducts a systematic search for peer-reviewed research published in the five years from the beginning of 2000 to the end of 2004, and identifies 80 articles that fall within its established search criteria. The systematic review establishes the range of activities that contemporary peer-reviewed sports tourism research has investigated, and the different aspects of the relationship between sport and tourism that have been examined. Following this, the meta-evaluation considers the significance of research questions that sports tourism research asks, the appropriateness of methodologies and methods used in sports tourism research, and the extent to which contemporary sports tourism research can be said to represent a body of knowledge, as opposed to a collection of unconnected individual studies. The conclusion of the meta-evaluation is that greater epistemological and methodological diversity is needed in sports tourism research, and that researchers need to give greater consideration to how their individual studies contribute to the development of knowledge in the area as a whole.

Sports Tourism Theory and Method—Concepts, Issues and Epistemologies

Earlier this year I wrote a piece in ESMQ on approaches to research synthesis in sport management (Weed, 2005). This piece was subtitled ‘‘Chaos in the brickyard’’. The analogy from which this subtitle was taken was drawn by Bernard Forscher in 1963 who, commenting on the development of social science knowledge, expressed concern about what he saw as the ‘‘random’’ and often excessive production of studies (bricks) that were thrown on to the pile of research without any consideration as to how bodies of knowledge (‘‘edifices’’) could be constructed. Forscher’s analogy was constructed thus:

A potential method for the interpretive synthesis of qualitative research: issues in the development of 'meta-interpretation'

The purpose of this article is to address the interpretive synthesis of qualitative research. The article discusses the potential to develop a ‘meta-interpretation’ approach which attempts to maintain an interpretive epistemology congruent with the majority of primary qualitative research. The article identifies and discusses a range of issues in the synthesis of interpretive qualitative research (objectivity, evaluation of studies, sampling, context, interpretation and integrity) that emerge from a review of nine research methods involving synthesis and a broader review of the research synthesis literature. Seven fundamental features of meta-interpretation are outlined and the meta-interpretation procedure is presented. In conclu-sion, the aims of synthesis procedures in general and meta-interpretation in particular are discussed.

The Pub as a Virtual Football Fandom Venue: An Alternative to ‘Being there’?

The sport spectator experience is one that is widely held to involve “live” presence at a sporting event, and that the raison detre of sports spectating is to witness events live and in person. This paper builds on a previous ethnography of football spectating in the pub to develop a theoretical basis for the suggestion that sports spectating is as much about shared experience as it is about live presence. In doing so, it utilises perspectives from tourism literature relating to the nature of proximity and to the importance of being able to re‐live and re‐tell experiences. The paper concludes that whilst the pub as a spectator venue can provide a proximity to the sport spectating experience, the longevity of the experience in terms of its value as an experience to be re‐told is significantly shorter than being able to say that one has “been there” at a live event.

Developing a physical activity legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: a policy-led systematic review

Aims: There is no evidence that previous Olympic Games have raised physical activity levels in adult populations. However, it may be premature to assume that this lack of previous evidence for an inherent effect is an indication that there is no potential to proactively harness the Games to generate a physical activity or sport legacy. Given that the political goal of achieving a physical activity legacy had already been set, the policy-led aim of this systematic review was to examine the processes by which the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games might deliver a physical activity (as opposed to sport) legacy. Methods: Searches were conducted on five databases: SPORTS DISCUS, CINAHL, PsychINFO, MEDLINE and Web of Knowledge. Results: There are two key findings: first, that communities that are not positively engaged with hosting the 2012 Games in London are likely to be beyond the reach of any initiatives seeking to harness the Games to develop legacies in any area; second, major events such as London 2012 can, if promoted in the right way, generate a ‘festival effect’ that may have the potential to be harnessed to promote physical activity among the least active. The ‘festival effect’ derives from the promotion of the 2012 Games as a national festival that is bigger than and beyond sport, but that is also rooted in the lives of local and cultural communities, thus creating a strong desire to participate in some way in an event that is both nationally significant and locally or culturally relevant. Conclusions: Physical activity policy makers and professionals should seek to satisfy this desire to participate through providing physical activity (rather than sport) opportunities presented as fun community events or programmes. The key to generating a physical activity legacy among the least active adults through this process is to de-emphasise the sporting element of the 2012 Games and promote the festival element.

The Story of an Ethnography: The Experience of Watching the 2002 World Cup in the Pub

The ‘story’ of this research is told by two ‘voices’. On the one hand the traditional ‘author evacuated’, third person narrative provides much of the context, background and academic discussion. On the other hand, an ‘author involved’ first person narrative describes the conception, planning and carrying‐out of the research. The author‐involved voice is used where the perceptions and presence of the author are important to the story. The story is of the increasing popularity of the pub as a sports spectator venue, and of the importance of communal experience in that popularity. The experience of watching the 2002 World Cup in the pub is described and conclusions drawn about the nature of the sports spectator experience.

Niche markets and small island tourism: the development of sports tourism in Malta

While tourism can bring many economic advantages to small islands, there are many examples of rapid, unplanned tourist development having produced over-reliance on this one industry, environmental degradation and a concentration on the lower quality end of the mass tourism market. As a result, in the 1990s many islands have been seeking to remedy this situation by a greater commitment to planning, upgrading of facilities and developing new markets. This paper examines this issue through a case study of the island of Malta, which has experienced many of these problems, and evaluates the development of a particular niche market, that of sports tourism. As well as assessing the potential market for sports tourism and the current extent of development on the island, the paper also examines various resource constraints and issues that may affect the potential for future development and concludes by examining the role and commitment of government in formulating appropriate policies. In addition to its value for...

Towards a model of cross-sectoral policy development in leisure: the case of sport and tourism

Whilst leisure studies has now become an established field of academic analysis, there is still little literature on the dynamics of the leisure policy process, particularly in the area of cross-sectoral liaison. This paper attempts to synthesize previous research relating to general policy dynamics in developing a model of cross-sectoral policy development. In developing this model, particular attention is given to two major ESRC funded projects of the 1980s – work on Inter-Governmental Relations and Government Industry Relations – which produced two recognizably different models of the policy process. A combined model is proposed which is used to examine and compare the structures of the sport and the tourism policy communities and to analyse how these structures might effective the emergence of a sport-tourism policy network. In conclusion, the extent to which the model this paper develops might be applicable to other areas of leisure policy is discussed.

Integrating sport and tourism: a review of regional policies in England.

Various authors have long advocated linking sport and tourism. This paper seeks to move from such advocacy by examining the attitudes and practices of policy makers in England through a review of the strategy documents of the agencies involved (Sports Council, Regional Councils for Sport and Recreation, English Tourist Board, Regional Tourist Boards). Initial examination of the sport–tourism literature and strategy statements enabled the formulation of a Policy Area Matrix for Sport and Tourism which was then used as the background for the review. The review revealed an increasing amount of sport–tourism activity which was not matched by any significant liaison amongst the agencies responsible for sport and tourism policies. The paper concludes by suggesting that ideas associated with organisational culture and the policy process may offer explanations for this lack of liaison and that further investigation in this area is essential to achieving an integrated framework for sport and tourism.

Ing-ger-land at Euro 2000: how 'handbags at 20 paces' was portrayed as a full-scale riot.

Incidents involving Englands football fans at the Euro 2000 championship were widely portrayed as full-scale riots that brought disgrace upon the nation. Yet there is evidence that this portrayal does not accurately represent these incidents, and that little actual violence took place. This article identifies the tactics of the Belgian police, the threat from UEFA to expel England from the tournament and the reputation of the English fans as violent supporters, as factors leading to the exaggeration of these incidents. However, it also discusses a culture among a significant element of Englands travelling support, reinforced by elements of English national culture generally, that leads to a propensity to join in with the aggressive behaviour of the small minority of hardened hooligans without wishing to get involved in any actual physical violence. In addressing these issues, a range of explanations for football hooliganism is reviewed, and the work of Marsh et al. is found particularly useful in providing insights in this case. In conclusion, football hooliganism is identified as a heterogeneous phenomenon and, consequently, the potential of each of the theoretical approaches to provide insights in relation to the particular settings in which such approaches were developed is recognized.