Grup d'Investigació Social i Educativa de l'Activitat Física i l'Esport

L’article “A race against time: A critical analysis of elite student-athletes’ accelerated temporality through story completion”, de Pau Mateu, José Devís, Miquel Torregrossa i Renato Marques s’ha publicat a la International Review for the Sociology of Sport.

Numerous elite student-athletes (ESA) engaged in a dual career, balancing athletic pursuits with education, find themselves grappling with the perception of insufficient time to fulfil their demands. Existing research advocates for the implementation of programs promoting academic flexibility, alongside measures aimed at achieving balance between academic and sport-related activities. Other studies underscore the significance of equipping ESA with skills such as time management. Nonetheless, challenges persist in balancing the escalating demands of sports and education. Drawing upon Hartmut Rosa’s theory of social acceleration, this study aims to analyse how ESA perceive and respond to time pressure. Employing the story completion method, data was gathered from seven ESA who crafted narratives in response to three story stems. Through reflexive thematic analysis, two overarching themes were identified: (1) no time to waste; and (2) it is what it is. ESA faced incessant pressure to optimise their time and performance and resorted to instrumentalising personal relationships, using them as a tool for career development. Nevertheless, this pressure was not universally perceived as oppressive; rather, it was often accepted as an inherent aspect of their reality. Our conclusion is that as long as capitalist societies and their accelerating impositions persist, any assistance that can be provided to ESA will inherently be limited.

Mateu, P., Devís-Devís, J., Torregrossa, M., Marques, R. (2024). A race against time: A critical analysis of elite student-athletes’ accelerated temporality through story completion. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. https://doi.org/10.1177/10126902241268022

Ja podeu llegir l’article “Visitation patterns in a peri-urban natural park: Comparing mountain bikers, runners, walkers and hikers“. Aquest nou article, escrit per Estela Inés Farías-Torbidoni, Sebastian Dario Rossi i Catherine Marina Pickering, ha estat publicat en el volum 44 de la revista Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism.

Urban natural parks are popular destinations for activities such as short walks, longer hikes, mountain biking and running. But how does visitation for these activities vary, and how can information about visitation patterns facilitate management by enhancing social and environmental benefits? Employing a case study approach, we compared the four activities in Serra de Collserola Natural Park, a large popular park close to Barcelona in Spain. When 1788 visitors were surveyed and data analysed using Categorical Principal Components Analysis and Chi-squared tests, clear differences were found in sociodemographics (age, gender, occupation, educational level and where people lived), visitation patterns (frequency, means of transport, group size and composition, when visited, length of visit, and trail use), motivations (active, relaxation, nature, landscapes, socializing, time with family, etc.), and environmental and social impacts, including conflicts among user groups and crowding. This diversity in visitation highlights ways in which management could be better tailored to specific cohorts of visitors. For this specific park it highlighted issues with concentrated use (more resources needed on weekends), how equity of use could be enhanced (promoting running and biking for women), and how conflict could be reduced (by spatial segregation for faster and slower activities). Future surveys could examine emerging issues associated with changes in use since COVID-19, facilities for aging populations, and the spread of e-bikes among others.

Farías, E., Rossi, S. & Pickering, M. (2023). Visitation patterns in a peri-urban natural park: Comparing mountain bikers, runners, walkers and hikers. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 44. https://doi.org/10.5672/apunts.2014-0983.es.(2023/4).154.03

Ja podeu llegir l’article “Connecting with fans in the digital age: an exploratory and comparative analysis of social media management in top football clubs“, publicat per Edgar Romero, Francesc Solanellas, Joshua Muñoz i Samuel López-Carril a la revista Humanities & Social Sciences Communications.

“In a globalised society, characterised by increasingly demanding markets and the accelerated growth of the digital approach, sports organisations face the challenge of connecting with fans, generating and maintaining audiences and communicating with stakeholders creatively and efficiently. Social media has become a fundamental tool, with engagement as a critical measurement element. However, despite its popularity and use, many questions about its application, measurement and real potential in the sports sector still need to be answered. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to carry out a descriptive and comparative analysis of the engagement generated through social media posts by elite football clubs in Europe, South America and North America. To this purpose, 19,745 Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts were analysed, through the design, validation and application of an observation instrument, using content analysis techniques. The findings show evidence of a priority focus on “Marketing” and “Sports” type messages in terms of frequency, with high engagement rates. They were also showing a growing stream of “ESG” type messages, with a low posting frequency but engagement rates similar to “Marketing” and “Sport”. “Institutional” messages remain constant in all football clubs. “Commercial” messages still have growth potential in both regards, frequency and engaging fans, representing an opportunity for digital assets. Also, specific format combinations that generate greater engagement were identified: “text/image” and “text/videos” are the format combinations more used by football clubs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; however, resulting in different engagement rates. This study showed evidence of different social media management strategies adopted according to region, obtaining similar engagement rates. This research concludes with theoretical and practical applications that will be of interest to both academics and practitioners to maximise the potential of social media for fan engagement, social initiatives and as a marketing tool.”

Romero-Jara, E., Solanellas, F., Muñoz, J. i López-Carril, S. (2023) Connecting with fans in the digital age: an exploratory and comparative analysis of social media management in top football clubs. Humanities & Social Sciences Communication 10, 858. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02357-8

L’article “Risk-Taking: Liquid Modernity and Extreme Outdoor Practitioners“, signat per Èric Vande-Vliet, Eduard Inglés, Pau Mateu i Lluc Montull ha estat publicat a la revista World Leisure Journal. Partint del concepte de modernitat líquida proposat pel sociòleg Zygmunt Bauman, aquest article qualitatiu explora les percepcions i experiències de practicants d’esports extrems outdoor.

“In recent decades, the number of extreme outdoor sports in the natural environment has increased significantly. It could be said that, nowadays, extreme outdoor sports are more popular than ever. Part of the explanation probably lies in the fact that we find ourselves in the socio-historical context that Zygmunt Bauman called liquid modernity, which has transformed several activities, previously considered as marginal and/or exclusive, into mainstream. The concept of liquid modernity illustrates how social structures and identities are characterized by unpredictability and change in contemporary societies, and among its consequences we find the pluralization of outdoor physical-sports practices. Through 18 semi-structured interviews, this study set out to better understand the impact liquid modernity has had on extreme outdoor practitioners. A hierarchical content analysis led to the identification of two main themes: (a) freedom and intensity, and (b) a plurality of practices. The paper concludes with a number of practical implications and suggestions for further research that would continue to shed light on the phenomenon of extreme outdoor sports and their practitioners.”

Vande-Vliet, E., Inglés, E., Mateu, P. & Montull, L. (2023). Risk-Taking: Liquid Modernity and Extreme Outdoor Practitioners. World Leisure Journal. https://doi.org/10.1080/16078055.2023.2261896