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Existing literature provides nascent insights into structural arrangements that shape mothers' experiences of being a sport fan, yet we know little about the social meaning sport fandom holds for mothers. This exploratory study draws on qualitative interviews with 41 mothers from Australia and North America to examine their understandings of sport fandom in the context of their everyday lives and contemporary ideologies about mothering. Findings suggest that sport fandom presents an opportunity for mothers to redefine and transform both fan and mothering practices, thereby challenging popular orthodoxies that fandom becomes less important to women after having children. By foregrounding mothers' efforts to stay engaged with their fandom, we extend research on the experiences of women sport fans and offer alternatives to normative constructs of fandom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars studying team-licensed fan apparel have begun to surface the meanings communicated through fan clothing, particularly focusing on its gendered nature. This study extends upon this previous research by examining children's sport fan apparel via a social semiotics theoretical framework. The authors collected 377 items from 14 teams in seven major leagues in the United States. Merging a feminist lens with multimodal critical discourse analysis methodology, they uncovered how discourses and meanings in the marketing of these materials communicate organizational practices and structures. The study determined that the marketing presented discourses of gender segregation and (false) gender neutrality, as well as discourses of good parenting that legitimized the consumption of merchandise as a reflection of parenting ideologies. Organizations must address internal gendered practices to produce marketing materials and artifacts supporting gender equity and inclusivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While sport fandom can be assumed to be inclusive, a deeper exploration of discourses around fandom exposes alternative perspectives. Using the frameworks of cultural boundaries and critical discourse studies, we explored how sport fans use Twitter to create, maintain, and transform cultural boundaries of sport fandom. We used tweets from a season of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team as a case. Data were collected via Visual Twitter Analytics software focusing on tweets containing #LetsRise and #BlueJays. From the larger data set, we selected 172 tweets to examine using critical discourse analysis and ideological structures of discourse. Findings demonstrate that discourses of loyalty, consumption, and unity have plural meanings and are used to draw boundaries that are simultaneously fluid and rigid. Thus, we argue that fans engage in an active process of determining who is and is not included in fan cultures through Twitter use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport team licensed merchandise plays an important role in sport fan experiences. Existing work has explored how consumers perceive these items, motivation and consumption habits, and intent to purchase. Extending upon the performative sport fandom framework, this study explores the marketing messages of sport fan merchandise, and the resulting implied gendered and fan performances. Employing a multimodal critical discourse analysis, we analyzed the top 20 T-shirts for men and women for five National College Athletic Association institutions on their official ecommerce sites. By examining the text descriptions, visual images, and messages perceived when combining text and visuals, we found that the marketing messages of clothing items rely heavily on traditional discourses of femininity and masculinity, placing gender performances as more relevant to fan performances for women. Atypical designs suggest alternative gender and fan performances but continue to indicate that gender identity is central to clothing appearance and messaging to consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have been increasingly engaging with discourse analysis as theory and method. At its essence, this approach is centered around communicative acts, and thus is foundational to the study of sport media and communication. However, to our knowledge, no overview of the use of discourse analysis in sport, exercise, and physical education studies exists. Therefore, we conducted a structured scoping review by identifying 1892 papers in 277 journals from 2000 to April 2022, then narrowed the sample to 587 papers that specifically conducted a discourse analysis of sport. We sought to understand which theoretical traditions are commonly utilized, which sub-disciplines embrace discourse analysis with specific attention to communication, and how this approach can enrich and add to the methodological and theoretical development of media and communication studies in sport. Our review illustrated a heavy reliance on Foucauldian discourse analysis and critical discourse analysis across a multitude of sport disciplines, though discourse analysis generally appears less frequently in sport communication journals. To advance our field's use of discourse analysis, we suggest the need to emphasis a multimodal approach to discourse analysis, the integration of technology within this approach, and directions to theorize beyond dominant approaches to focus on mediated social interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport organizations are developing family-friendly spectator initiatives to boost engagement and sales to parents and children. While the number of women sport fans continues to grow, research has yet to explore how women, as mothers and fans, experience fandom. Informed by a maternal geography framework, this study explores women's understanding of what does or does not make game-day experiences family-friendly by presenting the accounts of 15 women from North America and Australia who are sport fans and mothers. Interpretive phenomenological analysis is utilized to investigate how mothering as a spatially informed care practice shapes the perspectives of what constitutes a family-friendly sport spectating experience. Findings identify key components of the physical, structural, and social environments of women's experiences of family-friendly sport fandom, as well as exposing that what is presumed to be family-friendly is not the same as mother-friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In September 2020, U.S. Soccer Federation posted a promotional tweet for girls' fan clothing which included feminized aesthetics. Within 48 hr, the tweet was deleted. Previous work has shown that sport fan clothing are important organizational artifacts that contain symbolic meanings. This study extends this insight by exploring consumer responses to material items. Three hundred and seven tweets responding to the original post were collected. Through critical discourse analysis, findings illustrate that responses were embedded in gender discourses, with overwhelming dislike for hyperfeminized items marketed to women and girls. The stereotypical gender norms in marketing resulted in consumers' suggesting organizational culture issues within U.S. Soccer Federation. Furthermore, this strategy was perceived as a transgression by creating material items that do not align with consumers' values. This study illustrates that the meanings associated with fan clothing go beyond consumer preferences in that apparel can represent a material manifestation of organizational culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of sport, exercise, and physical education studies continues to utilize and strives to enhance rigor in qualitative approaches. We build upon this work by narrowing a focus to appropriately applying rigorous discourse analysis (DA). Though variations of DA have been increasingly incorporated into sport, exercise, and physical education studies, a comprehensive overview specifically covering which methods underpin DA and which analytical strategies are adopted is missing. Therefore, we conducted a structured scoping review by identifying 1810 papers from journal and database searches from 2000 to April 2022, then narrowed the sample to 560 papers that specifically conducted a DA. The review focuses on studies and practices within Foucauldian Discourse Analysis, Critical Discourse Analysis, and Discursive Psychology. By adopting a problematizing approach, we critically question taken-for-granted practices of DA, and through our synthesis, we argue that uses of DA tend to be organized around three archetypes: as a method detached from theoretical origin, as a lens with less emphasis on methodological description by primarily utilizing theory to contextualize and interpret insights, and as a path where theory and methods overlap with appropriate methodological descriptions focusing on textual analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the progress of women in the sport industry has become more visible, there is still significant gender inequity. Extending the sport organizational literature, we argue that the unpaid, invisible, and emotional labor of women, especially those holding diverse social identities, is significantly contributing to gender inequity at the organizational level. In broader sport research, the micro, everyday experiences of women stakeholders and the connection to macro societal structures and ideologies have provided foundational insight to build upon. However, there is a need for research to focus on the meso-level organizational practices, policies, designs, structures, and culture to create real change. Therefore, we present a conceptual paper, focused on a meso-level analysis and the invisible labors that women stakeholders engage in, to extend existing work and provide a pathway for further investigation into gender inequity in sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport consumer behavior researchers have developed a robust understanding of how and why people consume sport, and the consequences of consumption. There has been little reflection, however, on the settings or populations used to study consumers and develop theory. In acknowledging the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion to advance both theory and practice, the authors conducted a scoping review of diversity in sport consumer behavior research, focusing on four sport management journals. The review revealed a widespread lack of diversity, with most studies focusing on men's sport in highly commercialized settings. Furthermore, study participants often identify as White men, middle-aged or young, educated, and with at least some disposable income. Leveraging an institutional work lens, the authors address taken-for-granted norms that may have contributed to these trends and propose solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human brands are embedded in a web of social relationships, and examining athlete brand dynamics holistically requires accounting for the different layers of social embeddedness. However, prior research has focused on stakeholder interactions and brand spillover effects, omitting consumers' views of athlete brands concerning interpersonal relationships in private life. We address this gap by applying a social ecology paradigm and examining how consumers perceive an athlete's brand with attention to their personal life and romantic relationships. We conducted an embedded case study focusing on National Football League quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Brittany Matthews, his then-fiancée (now wife), and thematically analysed 5,115 user comments in response to three Facebook posts featuring the couple by ESPN. Complex and polarised discourses were uncovered, reaffirming or questioning the relationship's authenticity. Evaluations of the athlete were integrated with issues of gender, status, and race, whereas his romantic partner was positioned as an asset for status signalling, informing the athlete's brand image. The work reveals how evaluations of interpersonal relationships, such as romantic relationships, serve as observable cues informing the meaning of an athlete's brand. We uncover how the interpretations of the romantic partner and relationship are interlinked with societal structures, celebrity, and sport community norms. Thus, we demonstrate how the social and industry influences on a human brand that are situated within different socioecological systems must be explored in concert rather than in isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The educational literature generally suggests that supplemental instruction (SI) is effective in improving academic performance in traditionally difficult courses. A pilot program of peer teaching based on the SI model was implemented for an undergraduate course in human anatomy. Students in the course were stratified into three groups based on the number of peer teaching sessions they attended: nonattendees (0 sessions), infrequently attended (1-3 sessions), and frequently attended (= 4 sessions). After controlling for academic preparedness [i.e., admission grade point average (AGPA)] using an analysis of covariance, the final grades of frequent attendees were significantly higher than those of nonattendees (P?=?0.025) and infrequent attendees (P?=?0.015). A multiple regression analysis was performed to estimate the relative independent contribution of several variables in predicting the final grade. The results suggest that frequent attendance (ß?=?0.245, P?=?0.007) and AGPA (ß?=?0.555, P?

Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is a theory, methodology, and type of analysis used across various fields, including linguistics, sociology, and philosophy. CDA focuses on how language is used; discourses are found within language, and knowledge is created through these discourses. CDA can be beneficial to sport management scholars who seek to question existing power structures. The purpose of this paper was to highlight the value and appropriateness of CDA for Journal of Sport Management readers in an effort to see this approach become more prevalent in the journal. The authors shared their perspectives about the lack of critical qualitative methodologies in Journal of Sport Management, presented theoretical foundations of CDA, showcased its application in sport management studies, and explored four theoretical, methodological, and analytical approaches for future use. The authors also provided suggestions for scholars to adopt discourse-related methodologies to enhance knowledge creation in their field. Finally, the authors acknowledged the limitations of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the sport fan literature suggests that it is common for parents to socialize their children to cheer for specific sports and teams, recent literature proposes that children can socialize their parents into changing the parents' sport fandom in a process sociologists and consumer behavior researchers refer to as reverse socialization. To ascertain whether children can socialize and influence their parents' sport fandom, 20 sport fan parents were interviewed. Evidence of reverse socialization was found in 15 of the participants, manifesting itself in ways that can be categorized as either developing new or additional fandom, or changing one's behaviors or attitudes towards their existing fandom. However, further exploration of the data suggests that future research reexamine the term "reverse socialization," as we do not see this as a directionality of influence, but as children as socializing agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore retirement-age men's perceptions of body image and embodied experiences of aging. Individual interviews and follow-up focus groups were conducted with fifteen Canadian [...]

Abstract Sport is often heralded as a viable context for leadership development among youth, yet it remains characterized by strong cultural norms and stereotypes favoring masculinity. Further complicating this relationship is the gendered nature of leadership itself, which carries gender encoding biases that influence perceptions of prototypical leaders. Utilizing a qualitative approach, the current study examined how young women perceived prototypical leadership, as well as the gender encoding biases associated with trait enactment. Findings indicate agentic traits were considered salient to visions of prototypical leadership, and that young women felt the need to work harder while also softening agentic trait enactment so as not to threaten the institutionalized hegemonic masculinity embedded in many social situations. Findings are discussed in light of key theoretical and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore the embodied nature of empowerment among women who play tackle football. Data collection involved semistructured interviews with 15 female football players in Western Canada. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Three themes emerged from the data suggesting that playing football was empowering as women experienced: a) feelings of strength related to the physicality of the game; b) a sense of breaking boundaries as they participated despite challenges; and c) a sense of belonging to the team which led to positive outcomes such as increased confidence and selfacceptance. The findings of this study highlight the embodied nature of empowerment that comes through participation in sport and characteristics of contact team sport that can facilitate empowerment for women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female sport fan research has been gaining momentum in recent years (e.g., Farrell, Fink, & Fields, 2011; Osborne & Coombs, 2013; Pope, 2011, 2013; Sveinson & Hoeber, 2015). Much of this research focuses on the marginalization that these sport fans experience (e.g., Crawford & Gosling, 2004; Jones, 2008; Sherlock & Elsden, 2000), with little attention given to experiences of empowerment. Therefore, this study sought to explore if female sport fans' experiences involve marginalization, empowerment, or both and what contributes to these experiences. Multiple individual interviews were conducted with seven highly identified, displaced female sport fans. The data were analyzed through a three-step process involving open, axial, and selective coding (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). The findings demonstrated that the participants experience marginalization based on assumptions that women are inauthentic sport fans. They also felt empowered when they were able to demonstrate legitimacy and authenticity in their fanship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The educational literature generally suggests that supplemental instruction (SI) is effective in improving academic performance in traditionally difficult courses. A pilot program of peer teaching based on the SI model was implemented for an undergraduate course in human anatomy. Students in the course were stratified into three groups based on the number of peer teaching sessions they attended: nonattendees (0 sessions), infrequently attended (1-3 sessions), and frequently attended (≥ 4 sessions). After controlling for academic preparedness [i.e., admission grade point average (AGPA)] using an analysis of covariance, the final grades of frequent attendees were significantly higher than those of nonattendees ( P = 0.025) and infrequent attendees ( P = 0.015). A multiple regression analysis was performed to estimate the relative independent contribution of several variables in predicting the final grade. The results suggest that frequent attendance ( β = 0.245, P = 0.007) and AGPA ( β = 0.555, P < 0.001) were significant positive predictors, while being a first-year student ( β = −0.217, P = 0.006) was a significant negative predictor. Collectively, these results suggest that attending a certain number of sessions may be required to gain a noticeable benefit from the program, and that first-year students (particularly those with a lower level of academic preparedness) would likely stand to benefit from maximally using the program. End-of-semester surveys and reports indicate that the program had several additional benefits, both to the students taking the course and to the students who served as program leaders. Anat Sci Educ 9: 132-142. © 2015 The Authors. Anatomical Sciences Education published by Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of the American Association of Anatomists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study was explore the body image experiences of women who play tackle football. Data included semi-structured interviews with 15 players on a women's tackle football team in Western Canada. Data were analyzed thematically and objectification theory was used to interpret the findings. Themes that emerged included: a) improved body image through physical change, appreciation of function over appearance and shifting ideals of beauty; b) importance of a social atmosphere that celebrated diverse bodies; and c) negotiation of body image on and off the field. Research has documented a connection between body image and physically active leisure, but much about the nature of the relationship is still unclear. The findings of this study provide insight into elements of physically active leisure (e.g., social atmosphere or nature of the activity) which can be used to promote positive body image, health, and wellness in leisure settings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]