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Competition, Gender Equality, and Doping in Sports in the Red Queen Effect Perspective. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14052490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The nature of sports is characterized by a strong competitive component that generates inequalities among athletes at different levels, specifically in relation to gender, technology, and doping. These inequalities can be represented according to the Red Queen effect perspective, which has been previously hypothesized in other competitive environments (evolutionary biology and economics, for instance). The Red Queen effect considers each competitive environment to require a constant effort to maintain a position of competitive advantage in order reach the best result possible. Therefore, the aim of the current paper is to provide an innovative perspective for the understanding of competition in sports, identifying factors (i.e., physical appearance for gender equality, socioeconomic status of a sport team for technology, and antidoping rules for doping) influencing athletes’ possibilities to win a competition. Concerning gender differences, the disparity between genders reflects a lower coverage in sports news, and media are more likely to focus on female athletes’ physical appearance than their performance in sports. Therefore, women struggle more with increasing their visibility and in affirming their status as an athlete. On the other hand, the introduction of science and technological innovations in sports has generated economic interests in sport competitions, which reached superior performance levels compared to the past. Teams that cannot afford financial burdens of technological innovation risk being left out from sport competitions. Finally, doping creates a Red Queen environment since antidoping rules catch a small portion of athletes using performance enhancement drugs.
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Woolway T, Elbe AM, Barkoukis V, Bingham K, Bochaver K, Bondarev D, Hudson A, Kronenberg L, Lazuras L, Mallia L, Ntovolis Y, Zelli A, Petróczi A. One Does Not Fit All: European Study Shows Significant Differences in Value-Priorities in Clean Sport. Front Sports Act Living 2021; 3:662542. [PMID: 34109312 PMCID: PMC8181163 DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2021.662542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Doping violates the Spirit of Sport and is thought to contradict the values which underpin this spirit. Values-based education (VBE) has been cited as a key element for creating a clean sport culture across age groups. Culturally relevant VBE requires understanding of the values that motivate athletes from different countries to practice their sport and uphold clean sport values. WADA's new International Standards for Education makes this study both needed and timely. Overall, 1,225 athletes from Germany, Greece, Italy, Russia, and the UK responded to measures assessing their general values, Spirit of Sport values, and their perceived importance of “clean sport”. MaxDiff analysis identified the most important values to participants based on their respective country of residence. Correlation analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between importance of clean sport and Spirit of Sport values. There were significant differences between participant nationality and their perceived importance of clean sport [F(4, 1,204) = 797.060, p < 0.000], the most important general values (p < 0.05), and Spirit of Sport values (p < 0.05). Moderate positive correlations were observed between the perceived importance of clean sport and honesty and ethics (r = 0.538, p < 0.005) and respecting the rules of sport (r = 0.507, p < 0.005). When designing the values-based component of anti-doping education programs, athletes' different value-priorities across countries should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby Woolway
- School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Anne-Marie Elbe
- Institute for Sport Psychology and Sport Pedagogy, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Vassilis Barkoukis
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Kevin Bingham
- Centre for Behavioural Science and Applied Psychology, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Konstantin Bochaver
- Laboratory of Sport Psychology, Moscow Institute of Psychoanalysis, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitriy Bondarev
- Institute of Living Systems, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland.,Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
| | - Andy Hudson
- School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lara Kronenberg
- Institute for Sport Psychology and Sport Pedagogy, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lambros Lazuras
- Centre for Behavioural Science and Applied Psychology, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Luca Mallia
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Science, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy
| | - Yannis Ntovolis
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Arnaldo Zelli
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Science, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Petróczi
- School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, Kingston University London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Movement Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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