Robin Recours

Que gagnent et que dépensent les amateur-trice-s de course à pied?

In this study, the authors analyzed the benefits and costs experienced by amateur runners. The aims of this study were: (1) to inform specialized shops that sell products or services for athletes; (2) to inform and help key sports managers to make decisions; and (3) to inform all athletes on the perks and reimbursements they may benefit from in their practice. The study incorporates three categories of costs (equipment, registration, and travel) and four categories of benefits (sponsoring, reimbursement for travel expenses, invitations to competitions, and performance rewards). A questionnaire was administrated to 1132 athletes in France, from the 33 track and field specialties. The authors excluded from this sample all the jumping and throwing specialties in order to focus only on the 584 runners: 145 sprinters (24,83%), 168 middle-distance runners (28,77%), and 271 long-distance runners (46,40%). Results show that some socio-demographic and cultural variables influence the benefits and costs experienced by amateur runners. More scholarly research is needed to better understand the effects of these variables on sports consumption.

Sports et arts de rue : être citadins autrement!

Street sports and street arts have been already studied separately from one another. In this article, the authors question their mutual capability to transform the city. To this end, they used quantitative and qualitative analyses (questionnaires and interviews). They show that historical and cultural links are not sufficient to fully describe the complex relationships between these two activities. Interviewees and respondents, whether sportsmen/women or artists, develop an alternative way of seeing the city, build an urban utopia with more sensitivity, and, in a certain way, strengthen social links.

Cultures of running: characteristics and determinants

Abstract Based on the studies of Mauss (1935) and Bourdieu (1980) on the determination of body techniques by culture and social background, this study seeks to describe the rules, dispositions and habits specific to different forms of athletic running. It is based on a sample of 732 athletes, all of them are the members of French athletics clubs, comprising 220 sprinters, 213 half-distance runners and 299 long-distance runners. Sports practices are different depending on sub-culture affiliation, sociological characteristics and forms of commitment. This being said, simple links between variables should not be transformed into causal connections. Before drawing such conclusions, it is important to identify the nature of the sport studied. This shows that middle-distance and long-distance enthusiasts, traditionally classified in the same family, have less, in common, than those practising sprint and middle distance. These results potentially question the methodological groups and sociological interpretations made by researchers and sports science.