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Recent market growth in women's sport has happened as fans increasingly support brands that embrace social issues, suggesting that women's sport houses multiple logics (financial and social) that may be compatible. The purpose of this study is to explore employees' perspectives of the logics in women's sport and how these influence their workplace experiences. Using a case study design, we interviewed 15 women's sport employees. We observed that they navigate both financial and social logics, which they see as compatible. This understanding of a complementary relationship has both behavioral (e.g., collaboration) and emotional (e.g., collective anxiety) consequences for employees. Notably, collective anxiety is simultaneously associated with negative effects and positive coping mechanisms, demonstrating its complexity in shaping individuals' actions. This research advances understanding of how employees respond to multiple logics and the effects of this process. Insights from this study can help women's sport managers better support workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of stadium locations on attendance in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). We develop a match-level attendance model incorporating control variables such as market factors and consumer preferences to assess attendance for NWSL games. Our results indicate that attendance drops the further an NWSL stadium is from the city center. Specifically, the coefficients suggest an inverse relationship between attendance at NWSL matches and the distance to the city center, indicating that for every mile further an NWSL team was from the city center, attendance declined by about 6.6%. Our findings show that some of the perceived differences in demand for women's soccer may be due to infrastructural inequalities such as stadium locations. Therefore, one way to boost demand and attendance in professional women's sport, specifically soccer, is to move away from suburban stadiums and toward downtown locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although professional women's football has benefitted from recent surges in popularity, challenges to progress and distinguish the sport persist. The gender-schema theory explains the tendency for individuals to hold female sports to male standards, a phenomenon that leads to negative outcomes in areas such as media representation and consumer perception. One area in which schemas have a more discreet effect is player and team performance, where the assumption that technical metrics developed in men's football are transferable to women's football remains unfounded. Using expected goals, a metric synonymous with the probability of a shot being scored, we highlight how variables important to shot quality and shot execution differ across gender, and how attempts to evaluate female footballers with models built on men's data increase estimation errors. These results have theoretical and practical implications for the role they play in reframing schemas and improving the methods used to evaluate performance in women's sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women have historically been underrepresented in positions of power within athletic administration. Stereotype threat, or the realization that there is a possibility that one is being judged as confirming or being reduced to a stereotype, can negatively impact the recruitment and retention of woman leaders in sport. This study developed and validated a new scale, the Gender Stereotype Threat in Athletic Administration, and elicited responses from high school athletic directors in two U.S. states. Using multiple analysis of variance, correlation analysis, and structure equation modeling, five hypotheses were tested and supported based on the respondents' feelings of group identification, belonging uncertainty, extra pressure to succeed, and group reputation threat. The present work extends the findings on stereotype threat in the sport leadership domain and provides a useful instrument to study this phenomenon in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper centers two complementary theoretical approaches to advance the debate about transgender women's inclusion in elite women's sports – namely, non-ideal theory and cultural studies. In doing so, the paper highlights divisions between ideal theory and non-ideal theory, normative internalism in sports and normative externalism in sports, and essentialist views of sports compared to non-essentialist views of sports. The paper's main agenda is to show the value of applying non-ideal theory, externalism, and non-essentialism to the discourse over transgender inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the Australian Football League and its development of a national competition for women, this article contributes toward broader debates around the inclusion and incorporation of women in professional sport. It traces the particular logics and desires (such as corporate expansion) that drove the Australian Football League to develop a women's competition in the name of equality. We map the organizational tensions and affects that produce (the doing of) gender equality through different desires. Drawing on feminist new materialist conceptions of assemblage, we work to identify the material (numbers of women and girls participating, revenue, and expenses) and discursive (attitudes toward girls and women, meanings attached to sport, and gender) entanglements that contribute to the (de)valuing of women in male-dominated sporting organizations and how this might be disrupted both now and in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

However, just as Danto pointed out in connection to the appreciation of artworks, Morgan emphasises that "there is more to sport than meets the eye" (73): the intrinsic properties making up the formal structure of a particular sport determine what properties will be relevant in aesthetically engaging a sporting body. Somaesthetics and Sport: edited by Andrew Edgar, Leiden/Boston, Brill, 2022, x+260 pp., €124.02 (hardback), ISBN 978-90-04-51064-7; €148.59 (Ebook), ISBN 978-90-04-51065-4 The aesthetic force of sport - residing, for instance, in the graceful and purposeful movement of skilful bodies, the intensely absorbing drama of a sporting competition, or the immersion into the autotelic, embodied activity of overcoming obstacles set by the rules - has been fascinating the philosophy of sport since its inception in the 70s. [Extracted from the article]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the suitability of current sizing systems adopted by brands, for an athletic female population and try to identify areas of improvement in current sizing and grading methods used. This information can be used to engineer accurately fitting lower-body sports compression leggings for the target demographic. Size and shape data of sixty-three athletic females was collected using 3D body scanning. The data was compared to size charts of three commercially available sports compression leggings manufactured by different brands as well as Alvanon's UK sizing and grading standards. Results show that athletic females are not catered for by current products. 28 women (44.44%) fell between sizes for at least one measurement across the three brands. Participant's measurements indicate differing body shapes to the standard 'hourglass' shape presented by the Alvanon UK sizing standards, used by companies as a basis for their sizing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing popularity of women’s rugby, there is a lack of research understanding the contribution of place-kicking to match outcomes. This study aims to establish the characteristics and contribution of place-kicking to women's international Rugby Union and evaluate the performance of place-kickers while accounting for factors that contribute to kick difficulty. Data from 674 place-kicks across 80 matches were analysed. A binomial generalised linear mixed model (GLMM) was used to predict the probability of kick success. 60.5% of place-kicks were successful, and they contributed 23.9% of all points scored; conversions accounted for 16.8% and penalties 7.1%. Kick success percentages for conversions (56.9%) and penalties (78.3%) significantly differed (p < 0.01). Kick distance and angle were significant (p < 0.01) predictors of kick success and the GLMM had a prediction accuracy of 73.6%. The performance rankings of kickers changed when comparing observed and expected success, highlighting the need to consider contextual factors contributing to kick difficulty when evaluating performance. The GLMM results provide valuable insights for coaches and players to make informed decisions, for example, whether to attempt a place-kick when a penalty is awarded, by enabling predictions of place-kick success. This could enhance a team’s chances of winning matches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surf lifesaving (SLS) clubs have been portrayed as male-dominated spaces perpetuating hegemonic masculinity. Contrary to this depiction, women and girls have participated in SLS in Aotearoa New Zealand since the 1930s, constituting approximately half of SLSNZ members. However, despite a growing body of research on women in ocean sports, studies on women's experiences in SLS are notably scarce. Addressing this gap, our interpretive research focuses on women's participation in SLS sports in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our findings reveal that the SLS community offers social and sporting opportunities for women throughout their life course. While providing a supportive environment for female friendships and mentorship, the sport fosters a sense of achievement, ocean skills and overall well-being. Nevertheless, challenges persist, as women encounter a ‘boys club’ mentality, where men are often perceived as the natural and legitimate bodies in SLS institutional contexts. Despite these perceptions, women don't necessarily feel excluded or marginalised within SLS spaces. Our research suggests that contemporary SLS clubs in Aotearoa New Zealand are more nuanced cultural spaces than previously portrayed. While still associated with masculinity, women dynamically navigate these male-defined arenas. SLS, as both a sport and lifeguard service, presents an institutional space where cultural norms reinforcing masculinity in ocean sports can be challenged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite numerous international and national policy documents promoting girls' and women's empowerment and participation in community sports, the actual access to sport for women and girls is still restricted in several countries. This paper explores the situation in Ghana. Through the analytical lens of Cooky and Messner's theory of 'the unevenness of social change', we analyse the cultural and structural barriers that prevent girls and women from participating in sport in Ghanaian communities. The data material is document analysis, focus groups and semi-structured interviews with male and female officials representing state-funded regional and district sports organisations as well as non-state sports organisations in Ghana. The findings reveal that cultural barriers, rooted in deep-seated cultural norms and structural hindrances that undermine gender-inclusive policies, contribute to the limited participation of girls and women in community sport. Furthermore, the interplay between these cultural and structural factors leads to gender-specific practices and fewer women in leadership positions. Based on our analyses, we suggest that structural changes (enforcing and implementing gender policies) can result in cultural changes (positive gender equality outcomes) over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Who gets to be 'sporty' and active in public is an enduring topic of socio-political debate. Disparities in participation continue from limited access, support and funding to ill-fitting equipment and clothing. This article focuses on the latter. Women have long been disproportionally restricted and harassed in public space not only in relation to how, where and when they move but also what they wear. I approach this issue via a unique data source – global clothing inventions for sport and athletic activities (1890–1940). Analysing convertible, multiple and hidden clothing patents, by and for women, reveals how inventors tackled ongoing socio-political restrictions to women's freedom of movement from the ground up and, often secretly, from the inside out. I suggest these data might be read as acts of resistance, enabling wearers to move and inhabit spaces in new ways, engage in a wider range of activities and make claims to equal public participation and mobility rights. These lesser-known clothing inventions invite us below the surface of conventional sporting histories, expand ideas around the creative possibilities of sport and activewear, and spark imaginaries of what other kinds of inclusive and inventive athletic identities might be possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The given text is a list of references and citations for various academic articles and books related to the topic of gender, sports, and transgender athletes. It includes a range of perspectives and research on the subject, covering topics such as the inclusion of transgender athletes in competitive sports, the impact on women's sports, and the social and cultural implications of gender in sports. The list provides a valuable resource for library patrons conducting research on these specific topics. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the experiences and identities of minority ethnic women at the UEFA Women's Euros (UWE) held in England in 2022. It does so at a time when women sports fans have become more visible in the historically male-dominated environs of football fandom, particularly in the United Kingdom (UK), and when questions of 'race', ethnicity and gender are longstanding, contested elements of British culture and society. Through a Black feminist thought methodology allied to critical race theory principles, the study contributes an essential intersectional account of minority ethnic women's sports fandom experiences at a major international event. The findings confirm that the growth of women's football in the UK, motivated minority ethnic women to attend the UWE. However, the current visibility and inclusivity of professional women's football demonstrates a lack of diversity and cultural sensitivity, which often inhibits minority ethnic women from presenting their identities to further engage with and support the game's growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bill Morgan has written a terrific book, the culmination of his career long engagement in the philosophy of sport and a work which is immediately a required read - one might say a required grapple - in our sub discipline. Morgan has Switzer as a moral dissident, who does not so much I argue for i , as I exemplify i a new way of thinking about sport: 'a wholesale moral paradigm shift in how we think about and practice sport in which women are accorded a central role and place' (197). The answer is, Bill Morgan himself: the chapter is a settling of accounts with his former view, expressed most fully in Morgan (Morgan [2], [3]). Because, I mutatis mutandis i , Thomas does I precisely i what Morgan has Switzer doing: Thomas wanted to 'make a moral statement that the present conventional norms of sport need change to open up a new conceptual and normative space' (197). [Extracted from the article]

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have made notable social, cultural, and economic contributions to the African Diaspora, particularly since their inception in the United States. Being that HBCU athletic programs account for a small proportion of the intercollegiate athletic industry, these unique entities are often examined in the same vein as their Historically White Institution counterparts without a full account of the intergenerational adverse impacts of systemic racism. Since HBCUs are situated within the distinct context of Blackness, the researchers offer a reconceptualization through the theoretical lens of Black Critical Theory. This manuscript illuminates linkages across extant literature, while also presenting a budding theoretical framework in the study of sport, and sport organizations, that have deeply embedded relationships with communities, for example, HBCUs and the Black community, stickball and lacrosse within Indigenous communities, and the relationship between women and womens' sports leagues. Implications of this work are centered on promoting more critical reconceptualizations of sporting spaces that reflect the full diversity of the societies in which they exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional team male-dominated sports have been built on masculine values; however, these values are challenged by the increasing number of women athletes entering this workplace. In this research, we explore the suitability and gender appropriateness of existing management processes and practices through three women's professional and semiprofessional leagues. Drawing on a feminist perspective of continuum of care, players (n = 36) and organizational representatives (n = 28) were interviewed to gain insights into how athletes and organizations contend with their rapidly evolving workplaces. Framed around the values of affirmation, empowerment, and belonging, the continuum of care contrasts players' everyday experiences of care with how organizations administer care. The research contributes through application of the feminist continuum of care. We present considerations for the management of female professional athletes in ways that are careful and an alternative value system that is affirmative, inclusive, and empowering. [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]

The increasing representation of women in the field of sport psychology in recent years is the direct result of pioneering female practitioners and scholars. Although the contributions of these women are often relegated to the pages of textbooks, the exploration of women's professional experiences is essential to understanding what sources lead women to engaging in sport psychology. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to generate a theory that explored the factors that influence women's attraction and retention to sport psychology. An interpretivist–constructivist paradigm and constructivist grounded theory methodology was used to guide semistructured interviews with 17 cisgender female sport psychology practitioners. The findings of this study were used to develop the theory of women's career attraction and retention in sport psychology. The theory comprised three categories including (a) sources of attraction, (b) training and professional development, and (c) sources of retention. Study findings and professional implications are discussed throughout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a response to a letter to the editor regarding the inclusion of transgender women in women's sports. The author argues that the physiological advantages that males have over females in sports cannot be erased through gender-affirming therapy. They refute the arguments made by the opposing side, stating that controlling for variables such as lean body mass or cardiovascular capacity does not eliminate the male advantage. The author also addresses the claim that transgender women's bodies are inherently different from those of cisgender males, stating that there is no evidence to support this. They conclude that until science proves otherwise, female-only competition is necessary to ensure fair competition for women. [Extracted from the article]

During the Edwardian period, women's physical education colleges were graduating significant numbers of gymnastics and games teachers, the demand for whom had increased rapidly following an expansion in the playing of team sports in girls' schools. Much of the subsequent development of women's physical activity in the 1920s can be credited to the passion and commitment of these women, who were not only key role models within the school setting but who also coached and organised women's sport at club, regional, and national level. Given that the education sector operated a 'marriage bar' until 1944, the critical juncture in their careers was the decision to marry or not, and several of these women decided to remain single. This, and the strong bonds they often formed with other practitioners, has resulted in a great deal of unsubstantiated speculation about their private lives. Combining evidence from a variety of primary sources, including newspapers, census returns, college records, literature, girls' annuals, specialist periodicals, photographs, and local and family histories, this paper illuminates some of the biographies and experiences of these women and questions the stereotypical image of the games mistress as an unfulfilled spinster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relative age effect (RAE) has been the focus of numerous studies; however, there are still fewer studies in women's sports than in men's sports. In this study, all female players (N = 2,255) who participated in Chinese junior tennis competitions (U12, U14, U16, and the National Junior Team) from 2014 to 2019 were investigated in terms of competitors' birth dates and year-end rankings. For the purposes of the analysis, the birth dates were also separated into quarters and half years. The study's objectives were to analyze the prevalence of the RAE among young Chinese female tennis players and to further examine how the RAE affects athletic performance. Differences between the observed and expected distributions of birth dates were tested using the chi-square statistic, and subsequent calculations were tested using odds ratios. The RAE was discovered to be present in every group of Chinese junior female tennis players (p < 0.001), with the proportions of those born in the first half of the year being 56.4% (U12), 53.1% (U14), and 57.0% (U16), respectively. The RAE for athletes selected for the National Women's Junior Tennis Team was even more significant, with the percentage of birth dates in the first half of the year at 61.2%. Finally, we observed a tendency for the effect of the RAE on the athletic performance of adolescent female tennis players to diminish with age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The barriers and challenges to women's participation in sport have been well established, however there is a paucity of research examining the development of a women's football team from an ethnographic methodology. In this case study, the primary researcher was embedded as an insider researcher within a football club, conducting 160 hours of observations, field notes, informal discussions, and three semi-structed interviews capturing the development of a women's football team over an 18-month period in Melbourne, Australia. Utilising a spatial justice theoretical framework, this study revealed that although there has been an increase in investment in women's sport, and a desire by women to play, women's teams still face an abundance of spatial injustices that constrain their participation, such as pre-established sporting clubs being privileged and prioritised. This led to difficulties for a newly established ethnically diverse women's team in negotiating access to facilities and playing in competitive leagues. Issues of spatial justice are rarely considered within gender equity in sport policy, yet the findings of the study outline the need to address injustice if gender equity within sport participation is to be realised. This research provides methodological, empirical and practical contributions to knowledge on women's participation in community football. The paper concludes by illustrating that issues of spatial justice need to be foregrounded in efforts to promote and support women's participation in sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study focused on female sports fans who participated in women's sports events to understand their experiences and formation of identities. Methods: This study adopted a qualitative approach and collected data through interviews. It involved 20 female sports fans. Results: The results revealed three themes. Firstly, female fans engaged in women's sports events were influenced by their experiences participating in team sports, media exposure, and friends and peers. Secondly, the different patterns of fan behaviors were related to connections with personal experiences, social networks, and other aspects of life. Their identity as female fans was demonstrated through regular engagement in sports events and tournaments, attempting to connect and interact with female athletes and other female fans. Lastly, the female fans did not have to confront the challenges and doubts of the masculine world, which men dominate, while in a same-sex environment. However, the female fans revealed the stigma and attitude of distinguishing those unfamiliar with sports from more experienced senior fans. A few female fans also revealed the diverse patterns of female fans through personal experience sharing and embracing the different traits of being a female fan. Conclusion: Female sports fans gradually shape their fan identity through their participation experiences, emotional interactions, and practices of being a fan and demonstrate the similarities and differences in the meaning of being a fan. By doing this, multiple images of female sports fans emerged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how ableism reinforces racialized ideals of sexual difference, focusing on elite sport regulations that condition eligibility for women's competition on intersex athletes' testosterone levels. These regulations disqualify cisgender women athletes, overwhelmingly African runners like Caster Semenya, by rendering their athleticism a symptom of disease. In doing so, this practice of sex testing reinscribes anti-Black and colonial frames of sexual dimorphism through the vector of ability. Analysis of statements from athletes and sport governing bodies demonstrates how sex operates as a racialized measure of ability within these regulations. Ableism shapes the anti-Blackness of these regulations in multiple ways: delimiting the racialized boundaries between exceptional and excessive ability, pathologizing intersex variations as illness, and coercing athletes into cures that both normalize and disable. Bringing together Hortense Spillers's concept of "ungendering" with disability analytics, the article develops the concept of ableist ungendering to characterize how such appeals to disability define the anti-Black bounds of womanhood. In turn, this withholding of gendered recognition becomes a key site where Blackness and disability meet. The article concludes by addressing how resistance to these regulations unsettles the existing contours of anti-ableist imaginaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to analyze the organizational anti-trans discourse on the presence of transgender athletes in women's sport. To achieve this, the petitions published from 2019 to 2022 on the websites of three US organizations (Save Women's Sports, Independent Council on Women's Sports, and the Women's Sports Policy Working Group) were analyzed. The analysis addressed the research questions of how this discourse defines trans women and trans bodies and reproduces the indispensability of sex segregation in sport competitions. The research revealed that the petitions' authors identified trans athletes as biological males who have an advantage over cis women. The organizations demand that the protection of women's sport from trans women's participation and women's rights be based on the sex (assigned at birth) category. The article emphasizes that members and allies of these organizations perceive biomedical science as providing objective arguments for the sex dichotomy and the exclusion of trans women from sport competitions. At the same time, the petitions' authors ignore sociocultural factors that influence the perception of gender dichotomy and athletic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Tanzania, the gender gap in sports participation remains largely due to socio-cultural and economic influences, partly due to the transition to a market economy and the Ujamaa policy. One of the reasons for lower participation of women compared with men is that many girls give up continuing with sport after primary school. In this situation, the Tanzania Ladies First (LF), a national sports competition exclusively for women, has been held since 2017. In this paper, a questionnaire survey and random interviews were conducted with selected and non-selected athletes for Tanzanian LF, and their parents to examine the role of the LF in the continuation of elite female athletes' sport by using a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative analysis. This paper found that participation in LF boosts subsequent continuation in sport. On the other hand, in the context of the transition to a market economy, this paper shows that LF may have fixed social and economic structures that allow only a few elite women athletes to continue in sport, rather than expanding women's participation in sport, which runs counter to the spirit of LF. This paper suggests that in the context of a market economy, it will be necessary to promote national awareness of LF to a wider audience and media to make LF more attractive to women and private companies. This paper also recommends the introduction of life skills training through sport for female students to encourage them to continue with sport after leaving school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feminist voices supporting women's football in Brazil date back to 1924, and to journalist Cléo de Galsan. But the sport was never central to the feminist agenda in the country, and a law prohibited women from playing football from 1941 to 1979. This exclusion was internalized by many women, including feminists, who expressed little interest in the world of Brazilian football. This disinterest is paradoxical, not only because of the importance of football in the national imaginary, but also because women's sports involve fundamental dimensions in gender relations and feminist activism. The article asks why Brazilian feminism displayed little interest in this sport and concludes that part of the response lies in the social distance between feminists and footballers and in the predominance of lesbians among the athletes, while practice of football by women could be a fundamental subversive act for gender transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses quantitative and qualitative methods to explore the difficulties and challenges inherent in women's participation and continuation in sport through the experiences of athletes who participated in a national sporting event in South Sudan. Contrary to expectations, it was found that the overwhelming majority of the athletes indicated that they were in favour of women's participation in sport. Furthermore, the data collected revealed that perceptions of sport and women varied between genders and by sport type. However, it is unclear whether its society is accepting of women's participation in sport. Therefore, through the testimonies of athletes, coaches, and the event stakeholders, we examined the challenges women face in sport and how society perceives sport and women. As a result, this paper identified the underlying socio-cultural and economic challenges that make it difficult for women to continue playing sport in the South Sudanese context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we discuss the process and outcomes arising from a unique collaboration involving researchers and professionals to explore key gaps and challenges in sport organizations' responses to violence against women. Using the World Café method in a 1-day research forum in Victoria, Australia, we brought together state sport organizations, violence against women organizations, and multidisciplinary researchers to reflect upon the multiple contexts that shape violence against women in community sport. Drawing together insights from feminist research and a socioecological perspective, this article contributes to sport management scholarship by using an innovative methodology for collaborative knowledge sharing and creation to explore the challenges and opportunities for organizational action to address violence against women. We advance a gendered lens for understanding how power relations shape sport management practice contexts as well as future research into organizational thinking, research, and responses to violence against women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both the approach taken by World Rugby to address the question of trans women participation in women's rugby and the paper by Jon Pike that explains the ethical justification for the exclusion of trans women players from world rugby are compelling when understood within the dominant rugby/sport narrative. However, in this article, I suggest that what is absent is a radical feminist understanding that engages with the political purposes of separate sport spaces for women in producing feminist counternarratives that challenge men's power in/over sport. Decisions about the inclusion of trans women in women's sporting competitions should be made on a sport context-by-sport context basis oriented by broader feminist political goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sporting culture often celebrates mental toughness and chides weakness, which can stigmatize mental health issues. While some sport organizations have prioritized addressing mental well-being, referees have been ignored. Referees work in high-pressure environments; thus, the need to understand, destigmatize, and normalize the conversation around mental health within the referee community and the larger sporting system is important. Because the prevalence of stress-related issues is greater for women, this study focused on female referees' well-being, interviewing 20 female U.S. basketball referees via a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Participants represented various geographical regions in the United States and officiated at levels ranging from high school to professional. Findings revealed Gendered Aggressions negatively impacted the referees, mental health issues are Stigmatized, and more Resources and Support are needed. Results also indicated that officiating can be Cathartic. Suggestions for addressing the referee shortage and improving the officiating experience are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the history of synchronized swimming in Ontario, with a specific focus on Peterborough, between the 1920s and the 1950s. Two factors explain the rise and consolidation of "synchro" as a women's sport in the period. The first factor relates to earlier changes in women's sport in the interwar period, alongside the rise of modern hegemonic beauty culture. As synchro struggled for official recognition, coaches and swimmers embraced feminine beauty constructs to generate popularity for their sport. The second factor relates to the nationalistic approach to sport development in the 1940s and 1950s. Financial and ideological investment in sport as important for national health and physical fitness allowed synchro to grow and flourish. As exemplified by the Peterborough club, these two factors allowed Canadian women to play a formative role in the national and international development of synchro as a sport to produce fit and beautiful bodies. [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]

The incorporation of AI into sport has ushered in a new era of performance enhancement and innovation in the UAE, this paradigm shift in technology is poised to redefine not only the performance of female athletes but also the sustainability of their endeavors. This research examines the intersection of artificial intelligence, women's athletic performance, and sustainability in the United Arab Emirates, with the aim of revealing the untapped potential at the crossroads of these fields. To achieve the aim of the research, a survey was conducted by distributing a questionnaire to (400) Emirati athletes. (385) questionnaires were retrieved, of which the validity of the statistical analysis was (368) questionnaires that were analyzed by the statistical program Smart PLS V.4. The results of the research indicate a positive effect. For sports performance in the relationship between artificial intelligence and sustainability in the United Arab Emirates. Women's participation in sports has seen significant growth in the UAE, but it is still necessary to address the unique challenges that sport faces. Leveraging artificial intelligence, this research seeks to unlock tailored training strategies, injury prevention protocols, and holistic wellbeing support that align with the distinct physiological and psychological needs of female athletes. By harnessing data-driven insights, an artificial intelligence can act as a catalyst to push women's athletic performance to unprecedented levels. The UAE's unwavering commitment to sustainability is echoed in various sectors, including sports. AI-based solutions optimize resource use, reduce environmental impact, and promote environmentally conscious behaviors among sports. The study examines how artificial intelligence can be harnessed to reduce energy consumption, reduce waste, and increase the overall sustainability of women's sports activities. As the UAE seeks to position itself as a global beacon for innovation, gender empowerment and sustainability, this Search roadmap. It portrays artificial intelligence as a catalyst for holistic development, where women's sport performance is seamlessly intertwined with environmental stewardship. By exposing the complexities of AI's role in achieving sustainability through the performance of female athletes, this research ushers in a new dawn as technology becomes a conduit for empowerment, equality, and a greener future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on examining Title IX's three-part test amid recent issues related to gender equity in college sports and a gap in understanding around compliance with it. It seeks to establish a legal and regulatory framework practitioners can use for compliance with Title IX's three-part test on their own campus, emphasizing the importance of a model grounded in legal and statutory understanding.

In this article, we draw on cultural cisgenderism to analyse the sporting experiences of trans men in Iran. Utilising semi-structured interviews with twelve trans men in different stages of transition, we consider their experiences of women's sport environments, the extent to which cisnormativity is embedded into the culture, and whether their gender identities are accepted. We found that essentialist understandings of sex and gender are evident in sport environments, with gender presentation policed by others, and expectations this should align with ascribed biological sex. While some interviewees' masculine expressions were valued, others were considered 'too masculine' to be eligible to participate in women's sport spaces; this led to restrictions around appearance and clothing, alongside instances of compulsory hormone testing. Finally, for those who were 'out' about their gender identity, this often led to hostility from others, including coaches, teammates, and spectators. Overall, this paper provides a critical understanding of trans inclusion in sport spaces in Iran. However, the findings may be useful for anyone working to make sport more accessible, regardless of geographical location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The virtual world has transformed sport and leisure spaces, including how we communicate and interact with others globally. Despite the positives of social media, it is also a space which may facilitate hate, abuse, discrimination, and gender-based violence. In this study, women strength sport athletes' experiences and perceptions of gender-based violence through the enactment of Virtual Manhood Acts (VMAs) are explored, using interviews with thirteen competitive women athletes. Findings reveal that VMAs are used to regulate gender norms and ideologies, promote misogyny, and endorse a hierarchical gender order. In addition, women experience appearance-related commentary and gender questioning, which arguably reduces their worth to their appearance, with expectations of conformity to the "male gaze." Finally, VMAs are targeted towards women through accusations of steroid use and through criticism of form and technique, reinforcing strength sports as a male-domain and marginalising women's achievements. While previous research has analysed the existence of VMAs online, in this study the importance of considering women's perceptions of VMAs, and the wider impact they can have, is further considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past decade, there have been several efforts in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia to increase the opportunities and improve the experiences of women cyclists in recreational and racing contexts. However, cycling in Victoria and Australia more broadly continues to be a male dominated sport. This study incorporates a digital ethnography of two Melbourne-based women's cycling Facebook groups including 11 interviews with stakeholders over the period of 2017–2018 to analyse how women and girls are harnessing social media to create counter sports spaces to enhance women's cycling. The paper explores the emergence of the "virtual clubhouse" which operates as a digitally networked counterpublic, providing a space for women and gender diverse cyclists to connect, coproduce and engage in knowledge sharing practices, and build a more inclusive culture for cycling that challenges dominant, mainstream narratives of women's sport. The "virtual clubhouse" addresses a gap in the physical bicycle landscape in which cycling and cycling knowledge (including bicycle maintenance) is largely mediated by men and cycling clubs are configured as masculine spaces within Australia. This research adds further depth into a specific localised network of women cyclists to consider how physical and online sports cultures and communities are intertwined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the representation and self-representation of Sarah Fuller before, during and after her historic kick for Vanderbilt’s football team in 2020. Through an analysis of 193 social media posts and 397 articles, the findings from this study demonstrate that, even in seemingly celebratory coverage of Fuller’s experiences as a football player, media members employed gendered language that “othered” Fuller in relation to her male teammates. Meanwhile, Fuller used her own social media accounts to present herself as a two-sport athlete and occasionally respond to critics. This research concludes that hegemonic themes and patterns remain prevalent in sports media coverage of women athletes. Incorporating women athletes’ voices or perspectives from their personal social media accounts more frequently in sports reporting, however, could serve as one way to increase the depth and quality of such coverage. Building on feminist sports media literature and frameworks around hegemony in sport, the results from this paper ultimately contribute to a robust field of research on women athletes’ representation in the press and on personal social media pages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is twofold: first, to understand the reality of gender disparities in sport in South Sudan, which has not been fully understood; and second, to examine the effects of sporting event interventions, such as whether they can improve gender disparities in sport. In order to achieve the research objectives, quantitative household surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews were conducted with Juba citizens before and after the national sporting event held in Juba in 2020. Regarding the reality of gender disparities in sport in Juba, contrary to expectations, we found that more than 75 per cent of men and more than half of women play sports in Juba. However, a breakdown by sport shows that the sports actually played and participation rates are highly skewed by gender; men for football and women for volleyball. Furthermore, it was found that the national sport event intervention increases the probability of playing sport and the number of days playing sport for women more than for men. These findings suggest that the more sport events can be held, the more gender disparities in sport can be improved in South Sudan. In South Sudan, where patriarchy persists, the results show that increasing women's participation in sport may not only reduce gender disparities, but may also entail a change in the traditional social norm to date that women should focus only on childcare and housework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates Black women athletes' long-form public mental health disclosures (LFPMHDs). We conducted a phenomenological thematic analysis and drew from Orbe's co-cultural theory to illuminate the communicative practices and orientations that Black WNBA players rely on as co-cultural group members. We argue that the LFPMHDs in the current study confront multiple layers of stigma related to race, gender, and mental illness while confronting limitations of the "mental health conversation" within and outside of sport. Our phenomenological thematic analysis revealed that Black WNBA players used LFPMHDs to: (a) communicate self and model the risks of intimate social contact with mental illness; (b) educate others by retelling their story, claiming agency over mediated appropriations of their self-disclosure narratives; and (c) narrate triggers and breaking points that coincide with their past adoption of nonassertive communication approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women have been entering the sports journalism industry in growing numbers around the world but are still oftentimes sidelined. Female sport media workers constantly face more challenges than their male counterparts because of unfriendly working environments and conditions based in sexism. Most of the existing research has been conducted in Anglo-Saxon environments; yet, women's inclusion and exclusion in the sport industry is an international problem. This case study expands the literature through in-depth interviews with the only two Ghanaian journalists who covered the FIFA World Cup 2018. These two Ghanaians, the only representatives of their country in the media in Russia, were women, a unique situation that deserved to be examined to better understand the place of women in sport media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adding to research on team identification and well-being, inquiry into meaning in life and team identification could illuminate how sport fandom impacts consumers' lives. In the current study, an instrumental case study design was used to explore how team identification impacts meaning in life, focusing on significance. Participant diaries and interviews with identified fans of a professional women's basketball team revealed that connecting with family and friends, supporting women's sport, and enhancing mental health via support of the team were sources of significance in participants' lives. The findings illustrate that meaning in life is not necessarily experienced just from being a highly identified fan. Instead, specific elements of one's connection to the team provide meaning. The findings also highlight the importance of close relationships over imaginary intimate relationships, impacting social justice among fans of women's sport, and how mental health via fandom may provide older adults significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]