Author Archives: Simon Rea

Heading for Injury?

Authored by the team ‘Three Degrees’: Tom Willett, Trevor Tiller, and Simon Ludford [E119 22J students].

This blog was written as part of a collaborative teamwork task by students studying E119. They had to select a topic and then decide on what roles each person would perform in the team, such as researcher, writer, editor, and leader. This blog was chosen as one of the best blogs from 27 blogs that were produced in January 2023.

man in blue and white jersey shirt playing soccer during daytime

There is nothing quite like a headed goal-line clearance; a player willing to put his head on any ball needed to keep a clean sheet and secure those three points. Following a game against Wolves, Neil Warnock famously said to his Sheffield United players ‘You’ve gotta die to get three points’, he did not mean it literally, but this is the unfortunate reality of heading in football. No job should be at the cost of a life, but sport seems to be the exception. We have had enough warnings and time.

In 1966, Football authorities were warned by doctors that frequently heading the ball could cause brain injuries. A club medic highlighted the issue as well as players complaining of headaches in a magazine (Seward, 2019). Research completed on the link between heading the ball and brain disease showed there is a fivefold increase in the risk of Alzheimer’s, a fourfold increase in motor neurone disease and a twofold in Parkinson’s (Seward, 2019). This shows that heading and brain Injury in football has been a long-term concern to medical staff.

A specific brain condition that footballers have suffered from is chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE); which is linked to repeated injuries or blows to the head and over time can lead to dementia (NHS, 2022). Former footballer Jeff Astle died in 2002 at 59 after suffering from CTE; an inquest following his death confirmed he died of dementia as a result of heading footballs; he was the first British footballer to have done so (Seward, 2019).

Given Astle’s death was 20 years ago, the time for action was long overdue. The repeated heading of the ball can lead to CTE and cause behavioural issues and death from dementia. National governing bodies have a responsibility and duty of care to protect their players. But what is actually been done?

A report from the Department of Digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) does not make good reading. MP’s found a lack of engagement with the issue of concussion, despite the coroner’s verdict on Astle’s death (UK Parliament, 2021). The report also places blame on the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) and government for allowing unreliable sporting governing bodies to address the issue of brain injury within individual sports, referring to it as ‘marking your own homework’ (UK Parliament, 2021). The UK Government (2021) created an action plan to address the failings of player welfare, stating that the UK government, sporting governing bodies and medical professionals will work more closely together to educate and address any knowledge gaps as well as the usage of tech companies to monitor any impact and whilst this action plan is welcomed, is it 20 years too late?

These actions will take time to implement – time football players do not have. There is an urgent need to act, and act now. Technology is advanced enough to monitor ball size, pressure, weight, mass and water absorption and it is required by football governing bodies such as FIFA. Using this technology, Auger et al., (2020) studied the neurological impacts of heading a ball of different sizes, pressures, and how much water they had absorbed, this study was completed by kicking the balls at a force plate in a laboratory. The study concluded that lowering the pressure inside the balls could reduce potential head injury by 20% and balls that absorbed too much water could be swapped out. A combination of a ball holding too much water and high pressure is like heading a brick (Nauman, cited in Auger et al., 2020).

The International football association board (IFAB), introduced a protocol on February 6th 2021 which allowed teams to make two permanent substitutions if a player was suspected of having a concussion (Dawnay, 2021). The trial was a success, and the protocol was used during the FIFA world cup in 2022. Medical staff had more control over a player’s well-being, they can access video footage to check if an injury has likely resulted in a concussion or not. This protocol has also allowed the opposing team to make an additional substitution for fairness of competition (Johnson, 2022).

The Scottish FA has taken it one step further by banning any heading of the ball on the day before and after a game to try to reduce any potential cumulative effect by reducing the exposure to heading; following on from the heading ban that is already in place at U-12 and below age groups. Interestingly, Hibernian defender of the Scottish Women’s premier league Joelle Murray says that whilst she accepts and understands the latest information on the impacts of heading and brain injuries, it is about the balance and that she doesn’t hesitate to head any ball during a matchday (Mclaughlin, 2022). Perhaps there is a suggestion here for game day rules to be looked at?

What is clear is that world football has failed to protect football players for at least 50 years. Football governing bodies have been reactive rather than proactive for far too long. However, what is also clear is that the world of football is now doing more than what it ever has done to protect the players whilst also considering any changes in the game, but this is only the start. Football must continue to look at how the risk of brain injuries can be reduced; it must be accepted that to remove the risk completely means changing the game as we know it. Could you imagine an elite level of football where there was no heading, or only heading in the 12-yard box? A set piece would seem almost pointless. However, the reality is that football in its current format is still carrying a risk of CTE – although reduced – putting the lives of footballers at risk. Collaborative relationships between footballers, governing bodies and medical staff must be maintained with the protection and well-being of the players as the utmost priority whilst also considering the future format and integrity of the game.

 

Reference list

Auger, J. Markel, J. Pecoski, D. Leiva-Molano, N. Talavage, T. Leverenz, L. Shen F. Nauman, E. (2020) Soccer players’ head injury risk could be reduced with simple adjustments to the ball, study finds. Available at: https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2020/Q4/soccer-players-head-injury-risk-could-be-reduced-with-simple-adjustments-to-the-ball,-study-finds.html (Accessed: 25 January 2023)

Dawnay, O. (2021) Concussion substitutes set to be introduced by Premier League on February 6 as Football Association set timetable for new protocol. Available at: https://talksport.com/football/826076/concussion-substitutes-introduced-premier-league-fa-confirmation/ (Accessed: 25 January 2023).
Johnson, J. (2022) What is the World Cup concussion protocol? Additional substitution allowed in Qatar. Available at: https://talksport.com/football/1237372/world-cup-concussion-protocol-additional-substitution-qatar-germany-argentinar/ (Accessed: 25 January 2023).

NHS (2022) Chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy/ (Accessed: 25 January 2023)

Seward, J. (2019) Football chiefs were warned that frequently heading leather balls could cause serious brain injuries by medics in 1966… 53 years BEFORE landmark report reinforced the link. Available at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-7603657/Football-chiefs-warned-dangers-heading-leather-balls-medics-1966.html  (Accessed: 25 January 2023)
UK Government (2021) Government to develop new protocols around concussion in sport. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-develop-new-protocols-around-concussion-in-sport (Accessed: 25 January 2023)

UK Parliament (2021) Sport allowed to ‘mark its own homework’ on reducing concussion risks. Available at: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/977/concussion-in-sport/news/156748/sport-allowed-to-mark-its-own-homework-on-reducing-concussion-risks/

Why are women less celebrated in Sport?

Authored by the team ‘SAVS’: Sonia Ambrose, Vicky-Lea Mills, Abbi Mcdonald, and Scott Forsyth [E119 22J students].

This blog was written as part of a collaborative teamwork task by students studying E119. They had to select a topic and then decide on what roles each person would perform in the team, such as researcher, writer, editor, and leader. This blog was chosen as one of the best blogs from 27 blogs that were produced in January 2023.

 

Within the sporting world, there is the running narrative that if an athlete works hard and achieves amazing feats then they will be immortalised within the pantheon of sporting icons, yet how many of these athletes are female?

Often, within the country’s favourite sports, men take the limelight while women, though equally talented and successful, are within their shadows. A study by USC/Purdue University found that 95% of all TV sports coverage within the US was of men’s sport while only 5% represented women’s (Miller, 2021).  UK research by YouGov (2021), found that 78% of respondents watch more men’s sports, and the same study showed that 31% of respondents said they don’t engage with women’s sport as they struggle to find coverage. This could stem from a lack of media coverage generally, and limited marketing making it difficult to spread awareness of women’s sport.

two women playing soccer on field

Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash

Nowadays we need to look beyond traditional media such as television, newspapers etc., and look at online coverage and social media.  In a recent survey conducted by the BBC (2020), 85% of those who completed the survey didn’t think that the media does enough to promote female sports.  Higher tariff sports gain the most coverage, as do the sports personalities in those arenas. For instance, if we consider footballers on Instagram, we can see that the most followed women’s footballer is Alex Morgan, with 9.8 million followers, compared to the most followed men’s footballer, Cristian Ronaldo, who boasts 534 million. But why such a huge difference? Both players train hard, fight for their sport, and have sponsors, but with reduced amounts of online followers, there is a high risk of reduced financial support. Both a lack of financial support and social media influence affect female athletes’ notoriety and how they are celebrated within sports.

However, if we look at other sports such as tennis the online presence for females appears to be more on par with males. Looking at top British players and their Instagram followers, we see that Emma Raducanu has 2.5 million, while Sir Andy Murray has 1.8 million. It’s impressive that Emma has such a large following when still relatively new to the sport, and considering the vast achievements of Sir Andy over a decade and a half.

There is a stark contrast in media portrayal of female athletes versus their male counterparts. Women are objectified, with more emphasis placed on how the female body looks, not achievements or abilities, ultimately degrading the athlete. While working with the local Government, Edinburgh University found that 22% of female sports media coverage from the UK’s 5 main news outlets could be viewed as sexual content (Davidson, 2019).

yellow and white volleyball on brown sand during daytime

Photo by Miguel Teirlinck on Unsplash

A recent example of the over-sexualisation of women in sport is highlighted by the Norwegian beach handball team’s uniform discrepancy between male and female players within competitions. The Norwegian women’s team were fined due to wearing shorts instead of bikini bottoms during a 2021 match, but made a breakthrough in the sport, changing the rules on uniforms through their stand (Radnofsky, 2021).

This obsession with the female body within and surrounding sport creates an uncomfortable and damaging idea of what the female body should look like and helps lead to athletes, and females in general, having unhealthy relationships with their bodies. BBC Sport (2020) found that 78% of Elite sportswomen surveyed were conscious of their body image.

On the flip side, gymnastics is a sport where women do get a lot of promotion and media coverage, but it is also deemed a predominantly female sport. Veronique Sprenger, a former first-division gymnast, explained that whilst the media coverage is female-dominated and females normally earn more than males, the stream of income is limited. She also expressed that gymnastics is sexualised, and most athletes find the uniforms to make them feel uncomfortable (Ibrahim and Spregner, 2022). Although gymnastic outfits need to be streamlined and complement the sport, the athletes can feel exposed and exploited.

Consistent media sexualization of female athletes is likely a factor in less media coverage of the most notable protagonists i.e., many performers may choose not to be splashed across the media and attain celebrity status, just for doing what they may class as their job! The pressure on females to comply or fit in with magazine life and image is very damaging, especially when professional athletes have much more to focus on.

It could be suggested that the main reason that women athletes don’t receive the same levels of fame as male athletes is the lack of media coverage they receive. Although it appears that sponsorships of women’s sports and athletes are on the rise in very recent times, it is logical to surmise that companies will not be prepared to invest in women’s sport the same way that they do men’s if it is not covered in the media more. Although from another standpoint you could argue that the media are not going to cover women’s sport more unless they have a greater investment through sponsorship to begin with. However, it is not all doom and gloom! Women’s sponsorships have increased by 20% over 2022 with the biggest sponsor being Nike (Sponsor United, 2022). In September 2022 history was made when 47,367 spectators attended the Women’s FA match Arsenal vs Tottenham in the Emirates Stadium (Statista, 2022). And who can forget the moment the Lionesses tore their way into British history, which was plastered on every screen, radio, and billboard? These moments and levels of celebration are what we must recreate and normalise for women to ever be truly celebrated in sport and inspire the next generation of female athletes.

References 

BBC Sport. (2020) BBC elite British sportswomen’s survey results. BBC Sport. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/sport/53593459

 

Davison, G. (2019) Women’s sport under-reported and over-sexualised says new research. The Scotsman. Available at: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/womens-sports-under-reported-and-over-sexualised-says-new-research-1406411

 

Ibrahim, M. Sprenger, V. (2022) From football to gymnastics: gender inequality is everywhere. Sportanddev.org. Available at: https://www.sportanddev.org/en/article/news/football-gymnastics-gender-inequality-everywhere

 

Miller, J. (2021) News media still pressing the nut button on women’s sport. USC News. Available at:

https://news.usc.edu/183765/womens-sports-tv-news-coverage-sportscenter-online-usc-study/

 

Radnofsky, C. (2021) Norways beach handball team wins fight over sexist uniform rules. NBC News. Available at: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/norways-beach-handball-team-win-fight-sexist-uniform-rules-rcna4218

 

Sponsor United. (2022) Women in sports 2022. Sponsor United. Available at: https://sponsorunited.com/women-sports-2022-report/

 

Statista Research Department. (2022) All-time highest attendances in the English FA WSL 2022. Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1323174/england-womens-super-league-record-attendances/

 

YouGov. (2021) Women in sport report 2021. YouGov. Available at:

https://commercial.yougov.com/rs/464-VHH-988/images/YouGov-Women-in-sport-wp.pdf?mkt_tok=NDY0LVZISC05ODgAAAGJMlV6W9v6qpZ4FrMpRj9IEk4Wxe886mChDew9GFukC0ERR7YS2s5rJlIwLxFweCSBuYaHl58GEl-y0Lu3QRXwy5WV2bfGhh7WeCY415JiopH9

 

 

 

Racism in Football: The Rise of Social Media Abuse

Authored by the team ‘Hydra’: Keeley Whittle, John Lees, Charlie Norton, Dean Spencer, Alisha Stark, and Paul Storey [E119 22J students].

This blog was written as part of a collaborative teamwork task by students studying E119. They had to select a topic and then decide on what roles each person would perform in the team, such as researcher, writer, editor, and leader. This blog was chosen as one of the best blogs from 27 blogs that were produced in January 2023.

 

The 2020 EUFA European Football Championship, held in 2021, was the first time England’s men’s senior team would reach a major tournament final in 55 years since their World Cup victory at Wembley in 1966. Although they would go on to lose on penalties to the tournament winners Italy – this achievement should have been a celebration of how well Southgate’s team performed. Unfortunately, this was overshadowed by vicious attacks on social media against the three black players who missed their penalties. This is just one of the examples in recent memory of the racism and abuse that black players receive daily from faceless trolls on social media.

The Rise of Abuse

Even before the rise of social media, racism in football was nothing new. In 1993 the ‘Kick it Out’ campaign was set up to try and fight against discrimination in sport. They run programmes alongside campaigns to ensure football is always welcoming to everyone – both online and offline. Despite the best efforts made, racist abuse in English football is rising.

soccer stadium

Photo by Thomas Serer on Unsplash

Per a study conducted by The Alan Turing Institute (Ofcom, 2022) 2.3 million tweets were directed at Premier League footballers in the first 5 months of the 21-22 season. Although only 3.5%, over 80 thousand, of these were deemed as abusive – that is still a large number in total that is creating a serious risk of harm to the players – especially when you consider that 50% of these abusive social media attacks were aimed at a very small proportion of Premier League players.

This was also reflected in published summaries made to ‘Kick it Out’, with a staggering 54% of those reports relating to racism. (Kick it out, 2022)

Is Social Media football’s issue to solve?

However, the question is raised whether the football associations can successfully tackle racism on social media platforms themselves, as they have little power or influence in the realm of the Tech Giants. As where racial abuse is seen and reported, it is the social media platforms that need to act.

Many clubs have stated they want better regulation of social media so that there is “swifter removal of offensive messages and improved identification and banning of offenders”. In 2021, English football announced a social media boycott, in which all players and clubs would switch off their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, in response to the ongoing discriminatory abuse received by players, knowing that although it will not stop the abuse from occurring – it demonstrates that they are willing to take proactive steps against the abuse (Premier League, 2021).

Has there been any change?

Online offences have only ever been covered by the Communications Offences Legislation, mainly through the Protection and Harassment Act 1997 and the Malicious Communications Act 1988 (Legislation.gov.uk 2023). In 2022, it was announced that an update to the ‘Online Safety Bill’ was to be made, and that hate crime will now be written on the face of the Bill as a priority illegal offence. This means that social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, would be forced to proactively identify and remove abusive content, as opposed to other users reporting the comments. This bill will also include criminalising threatening behaviour by creating new online offences. This means that it would give the police more powers to convict online offenders (The FA, 2022)

However, as of this writing, the bill has not yet passed the House of Lords (UK Parliament, 2022)

Although this bill is yet to pass, convictions of users committing online abuse are beginning to be seen. In 2021, a 43-year-old Cheshire man was sentenced for racial abuse against England Players after the Euro 2020 (Sky, 2021) with his only defence being he wanted to “make people laugh” and didn’t believe his comments would be considered racist.

white and blue soccer ball on green grass field

Photo by Connor Coyne on Unsplash

What can we do?

As users of social media platforms, there are several small ways we can help tackle online racism. Not only should we report any abusive comments we see to social media platforms to get them removed, but also to charities such as Kick it out who create statistics that can be used as strong evidence to show the Government that changes need to be implemented and push for the Online Safety Bill to be completed.

Final Thoughts

It goes without saying that a large majority of online fans will have seen numerous campaigns from online abuse charities, such as ‘Kick it out’ and ‘Unite against racism’ and have been educated on the harms of online abuse. However, this just means they know just how vile their comments are, and it emboldens them to continue as they know they are inciting reactions. Until the threat of real punishment becomes a reality with the Online Safety Bill these trolls are unlikely to change their ways.

 

References

Kick It Out (2023) Kick it out: Reporting statistics. [Online]  https://www.kickitout.org/reporting-statistics  (Accessed on 21st January 2023)

Legislation.gov.uk (2023), ‘The National Archives’  https://www.legislation.gov.uk/primary+secondary/1988?title=communications (Accessed on 21st January 2023)

Ofcom (2022) Ofcom: Tracking twitter abuse against online players. [PDF] https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/242218/2021-22-tracking-twitter-abuse-against-premier-league-players.pdf  (Accessed on 21st January 2023)

Premier League (2021) English football announces social media boycott. [Online] https://www.premierleague.com/news/2116111 (Accessed on 21st January 2023)

Sky News (2021) Cheshire man sentenced for racist abuse of England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after Euro 2020 final [online] https://news.sky.com/story/cheshire-man-sentenced-for-racist-abuse-of-england-players-marcus-rashford-jadon-sancho-and-bukayo-saka-after-euro-2020-final-12402403 (Accessed on 21st January 2023)

Sky News (2022) Teenager jailed for sending racist tweet to Marcus Rashford after Euro 2020 final [online] https://news.sky.com/story/teenager-jailed-for-sending-racist-tweet-to-marcus-rashford-after-euro-2020-final-12578310 (Accessed on 21st January 2023)

The FA (2022) The FA and Kick It Out have welcomes an update to the online safety bill  (Accessed on 21st January 2023)

UK Parliament (2023) Parliamentary Bills: Online Safety Bill [Online] https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3137 (Accessed on 23rd January 2023)

 

 

Concussion in rugby: how does this affect players and the rest of their lives?

Authored by the team ‘A-Team’: Padraig Amond, Courtney Barnes, John Cox, Pelin De-Vanney, Aimee Keast, John Knipe, Kian Middleton, Colby Wood, and Amelia Yates [E119 22J students].

This blog was written as part of a collaborative teamwork task by students studying E119. They had to select a topic and then decide on what roles each person would perform in the team, such as researcher, writer, editor, and leader. This blog was chosen as one of the best blogs from 27 blogs that were produced in January 2023.

children playing football

When playing most sports, participants are warned of the risks and potential minor injuries they could sustain, but there are limited discussions on the dangerous, long-term outcomes which could happen. Children are highly influenced between the ages of 8-14 years, yet these influences could be putting their future health in danger. It’s not only the children that need to be educated on these health risks but also the parents, coaches and support team who need to know the impacts of injuries, particularly concussions. So, how do we educate them?

A sport which has been researched into having significantly more severe concussion cases is Rugby. This is a contact, team sport played with two teams trying to score tries, penalty kicks and drop goals. Players can run with the ball and kick or pass it sideways or backwards to a teammate. According to HEADS UP (2019), a concussion happens when there is a traumatic brain injury, which could be induced by a jolt, blow, or bump to the skull or by the head and brain moving speedily back and forth due to a hit of the body. Therefore, how is it possible to get concussed in rugby? Many concussions are from tackles in which the abrupt movement causes the brain to twist or bounce around in the cranium. Throughout this blog, there will be many things which prove that long-term impact will cause concussions.

One player prone to injury was Shontayne Hape, a former England centre, who gave his point of view on concussion in rugby and said how ‘players are regularly pressured to return quickly from head injuries’ and claims they ‘routinely cheated cognitive tests designed to monitor their brain function throughout the season’ (Steven, 2018). The former England centre admitted he’d been concussed close to 20 times in his career and said his condition got so bad he could not remember his PIN number and was left with ‘depression, constant migraines, and memory loss’ (Steven, 2018). There are many players like Hape whose careers end abruptly from concussion.

Research conducted in England in the 2018-2019 season has shown that 20% of professional rugby players sustained at least one match concussion. This was a 16% increase from the previous season. The contact areas of tackling and scrummaging account for 75% of concussions (Rugby Union, 2020). The number of concussions may have increased due to a larger acknowledgement of the danger of concussions, meaning that the coaches and officials are looking out for them. However, not only has there been an increase in the number of players in rugby union, but also the physical build of players. An example of this is in 1962, the average height of an England player was 1.80 m and they weighed 85.7 kg, whereas in 2012 this rose to 1.88 m and a weight of 104 kg (Fordyce, 2012). The weight increase would mean that there is a greater force between players, adding to the chance of injury. Similarly, broader, and fitter players mean that on the pitch it is more compact, making it difficult to run past or around the opposing players and potentially hitting the head, shoulder, hip, or knee of an opponent with great force. This would mean that during the game, the number of collisions and contact time increase. The force that has increased from this rise in player build has led to this increase in concussions.

Concussions can lead to serious health conditions and illnesses that affect the brain, such as memory loss, depression, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. A considerable amount of rugby players have experienced this, one being Nic Berry. Despite suffering numerous head injuries in multiple seasons, the 28-year-old was cleared to start the 2012 campaign for Wasps. However, a ‘concussive episode’ during the season opener against Harlequins forced him to quit the game which was a massive part of his life. The retirement age for a rugby player is 38 years old, meaning that players such as Nic have had their careers shortened by an incredible amount. Another player who has experienced this is Dominic Ryan. The Ireland international retired at 28 years old from ‘terrifying’ concussion-related health problems such as dementia. When he spoke in the Irish Times, Ryan said: ‘It’s a weight off my shoulders…with a bit of distance I can see it was a no-brainer to retire. I can see now I was literally putting myself in harm’s way’ (Peters, 2013).

Importantly, concussion isn’t just experienced within men’s rugby. ‘Women typically have less neck strength and experience a greater concussion risk as well as greater severity of symptoms with a longer duration of recovery compared to men,’ (Zielinski, 2019). Someone like Kat Merchant suffered from this and retired on medical advice aged 28 in 2014 after 11 confirmed concussions in 14 seasons and still suffers from symptoms. “I have a lower cognitive capacity…I can’t do a hundred things at once without getting a headache, getting flustered or without forgetting my words’ (Orchard, 2020).

This evidence provided shows that many more precautions should be introduced to protect rugby players. The effect that concussion has on their lives is huge; not being able to continue doing something they love. These blows to the head result in serious health issues. The fact that they must give up everything they know will negatively impact their mental health. However, it’s not just rugby that these precautions need to be seen being introduced into. Football is another sport which involves areas of high contact, e.g. headers, and repeated actions of this will also result in concussions. Will we see some important changes to these big sports anytime soon?

 

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National,  (2019), ‘What Is a Concussion?’, HEADS UP, CDC Injury Centre https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/basics/concussion_whatis.html (Accessed: 14 January 2023)

Fordyce, T. (2012) ‘Land of the rugby giants’, BBC Sport, 8 March. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tomfordyce/2012/03/land_of_the_rugby_giants.html  (Accessed: 20 January 2023)

Orchard, S. (2020), ‘Rugby and brain injuries: World Cup winner Kat Merchant has lower cognitive capacity’ BBC Sport, 16 December. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/55306949 (Accessed: 20 January 2023)

Rugby Union, (2020) ‘Concussion in rugby union affected 20% of professional players in England in 2018-19’, BBC Sport, 22 December. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/55360214 (Accessed: 14 January 2023)

Steven, (2018), ‘LIST: The shocking list of rugby concussions that have ended career’ Ruck, pp. 1-4, Available at: https://www.ruck.co.uk/list-the-shocking-list-of-rugby-concussions-that-have-ended-careers/4/ (Accessed: 20 January 2023)

Zielinski, P. (2019) ‘Can stronger necks prevent concussions?’ Futurity, 16 January. Available at: https://www.futurity.org/concussions-necks-athletes-1959052-2/ (Accessed: 16 January 2023)

 

How to have the best experience of studying sport at The Open University

By Simon Rea

Firstly, welcome to The Open University and secondly, thank you for choosing to study on the sport, fitness, and coaching degree. We have a range of fantastic courses for you to study to support you towards achieving a fulfilling career working in sport or fitness. During this turbulent year of 2020 it seems to me that sport has become even more important. Research has shown that fit and healthy people are less affected by Covid-19 and as a result we have   been encouraged to take daily exercise outdoors, and the fitness industry has seen a surge in people engaging with online fitness platforms. During this time I felt lost when there was no live sport for three months and like many others have binged on sport since its return.

As a sport and fitness student it is likely that you feel as passionate about sport and fitness as I do and in this blog I want to encourage you to make the most of your undergraduate studies. I want you to get the best value for the personal and financial investment you have undertaken and the sacrifices you may have to make. While sport and fitness offer a range of exciting careers and the opportunity to work with interesting and inspiring people the job market is highly competitive. Sport science, studies and sports coaching courses are now the most popular degree course in the UK with around 15,000 graduates a year leaving around 138 universities that offer these degrees. Indeed there are almost 1500 students enrolling, along with yourself, on year 1 sport and fitness modules at The Open University.

Therefore, it is advantageous to get ahead of this competition and give yourself as great an advantage for the future as you can. We appreciate that you have busy lives and finding time to study may not always be easy as you juggle work, family, and social commitments. These conflicting priorities can lead to students being tactical in how they study. To encourage you to make the absolute most of your time spent studying with us and to maximise your learning and enjoyment I will offer three pieces of advice for you to consider whilst studying.

 

  1. Engage with all the resources available to you and read as much as you can.

In your module materials you will find a range of resources. There are readings, audio and video clips to watch and listen to, websites to visit and activities to complete. We will also offer additional resources at certain points so that you can find out more. We would encourage you to learn as much as you can about the subjects you are studying by reading widely and visiting websites related to the subject. Social media offers a plethora of opportunities and you can follow experts and influencers that you are interested in. For example, Twitter enables you to follow coaches, personal trainers, and academics in sport.

 

 

  1. Engage with your tutor and your fellow students as much as possible.

Before you start your module you will be assigned a tutor and a tutor group. Your tutor will tell you how to contact them and you will be given information about the schedule of tutorials. You will also find out about your online tutor group forum where you can meet and interact with other students.

This engagement with other people is crucial to your understanding of the module materials as some of the most valuable learning is described as social learning where you learn from other people. Discussing and debating can give you different perspectives on a subject and hearing other student’s experiences can broaden your own understanding. This kind of learning will happen during tutorials and during collaborative tutor group forum activities. During the learning process it is vital that you do not accept all content without questioning it. Ask yourself – ‘where did this knowledge come from?’ ‘Are there other ways of doing things?’

Discussing, debating, and questioning will improve your understanding of a subject but it will also develop critical skills that are so crucial in higher education and valued by employers.

  1. Always keep in mind the question ‘How does this relate to me?’

While knowledge is exciting to have it is most valuable when you can actually apply it. This may be applying it to your own working practice or to help yourself and other people. So, you must always find opportunities to apply your knowledge. This may be reflecting on past experiences and gaining new perspectives on them or thinking about how you can use the knowledge now or in the future.

I have always found that when people know I am involved in sport science they have questions about their training or their diet. Let people know you are studying sport and fitness and talk to them about it and express your views if the opportunity arises. Sharing your knowledge with other people is a great way to increase your own knowledge and understanding of a subject.

 

Final thoughts

As I said earlier we appreciate that studying is just one factor amongst many competing for your time and it may be difficult to implement all three pieces of advice consistently. However, if you bear them in mind during your studies you will improve your chances of success both during your studies and in the future.

We hope you have a wonderful experience during your time studying sport, fitness, and coaching at The Open University.

 

Simon Rea is a Lecturer on the sport and fitness award at The Open University and the author of the books Careers in Sports Science (2019) and Sports Science – a complete introduction (2015).

Sure it’s only P.E.

Authored by Bethany Gurr & Emily McDonald, edited by Emily McDonald & Melanie Paterson, researched by Thomas Botfield, Pamela Fabbreschi & Katerina Kubienova, Team Leader: David Senior and Team Moderator: Christine White (E119 19J students)


This blog was written as part of a collaborative team work task by students studying E119. They had to select a topic and then decide on what roles each person would perform in the team, such as researcher, writer, editor and leader. This blog was chosen as one of the best blogs from around 80 blogs that were produced.


https://pixabay.com/photos/sport-child-school-ball-basketball-858206/

Ahhh Mrs Hampton, I won’t forget her. She was my Primary School Physical Education (PE) Teacher and she knew all 625 pupils’ names. We had PE twice a week, the whole year of girls and boys for roughly 45 mins each and I LOVED IT. My mother kept me active as a child, which is why I’m sure I’m not obese now (with the amount I ate!) and remain an active adult years later (yes – I still love my food!). My sister on the other hand despised PE. She was the child always forgot her PE kit, (it was always in the cloakroom) had a headache or felt ill… whereas I opted to wear my sports t-shirt daily, sporting trainers and shorts under my skirt. Everybody is different and has preferences, but Primary School age is where fundamental basics of health are cemented which lead on into adolescence and later adulthood.

Children love to be active, exploring their bodies and what they can do. As a parent of three young children, I’m curious where they get their energy from (perhaps they suck it from me). So, what makes children, like my sister, hate PE? What can teachers, schools and parents do to ensure children meet their daily recommendations of physical activity (PA) and enjoy it?

Luckily for me I was proficient at most sporting activities I attempted, blessed with a competitive nature, gifted with good reflexes and speed with massive determination to be able to do what the older kids could (persuaded my Mother to teach me to ride my bike without stabilisers when my sister did – I was only 3). Yet I understand what it must be like for children with poor reflexes, not-quite-there gross-motor skills, lack of co-ordination and lacking in self-confidence, because that child is my son. Why should I, as a parent, ensure he avails of all PE classes, if he’s not really that good? (Forgive me for telling the truth) … What are the benefits obtainable from PE in schools? Why should children do it?

Apart from health and well-being benefits, these hurdles he and many other children face, can be overcome. From strength, to balance, to hand-eye-co-ordination, bringing forth confidence with each accomplishment achieved. Proven to be beneficial to not only their physical health it encourages social, emotional and mental health development (Moray House School of Education and Sport, 2019) and is integral to future wellbeing.

Those team games were not in vain!

Kelsey E via Flickr Creative Commons https://www.flickr.com/photos/kelseye/786999279

Further to this, research has shown PA induces chemical changes within the brain, encouraging new cells to form which in turn increases the size of the hippocampus, in simple terms the part of the brain that regulates emotion, learning and memory (Human Kinetics, n.d.). These changes are long-lasting, impacting how children think and behave socially, promoting learning which will not only compliment other areas of their education but will also see memory recall improvements.

Let’s explore some more…

The Department of Education recommends children receive as a minimum, 2 hours of PE per week and it is compulsory in the primary curriculum, BUT it is at the school’s discretion how much time they invest in it (Department of Education, n.d.). Luckily my children attend a school that adheres to these minimum requirements but what about quality? Unfortunately, Mrs H (whom I thought didn’t like children very much with her vigorous PE sessions) is no longer a PE teacher and like many other schools, there are no ‘PE teachers’, so who delivers them? The class teacher, yes, teachers are required to conduct their classes PE sessions and it’s reported that they receive on average as little as six hours training during their teacher training on how to deliver PE (Youth Sport Trust, 2018).

SIX HOURS!?!

Surely that cannot be enough to equip any person to undertake an hour-long session with 20 – 30 children?! While that may not be congruent within all schools and to each individual, it is a shocking number to see.

The Daily Mile

https://pixabay.com/photos/marathon-sport-children-run-autumn-1797898/

This sounds torturous to someone who isn’t fond of long distance because of their desire to get things done hastily, resulting in not-so-pleasant regurgitation at completion… (me – a sprinter). This initiative was introduced in 2012 (McIvor, 2018) and research shows that those who partake (walking or running) are significantly healthier than those who don’t. Schools are facilitating children’s ability to surpass the minimum 2 hours of PE in schools!

Some more figures for you…

A shocking 20% and 23% of 5-12-year-old girls and boys respectively, meet the recommended 60 minutes of activity per day and even more alarming is the fact that 1 in 5 children enter primary education overweight or obese! (Public Health England, 2017).

What’s going on?

To put it bluntly, children aren’t meeting their daily activity requirements and childhood obesity is AN ISSUE! Although children are receiving 2-hours PE in school per week, 5 hours are lacking and there’s no other way to say this but that it is on us.

So, should PE classes be compulsory in Primary school?

You have to agree PE is an absolute must. If it’s the only 2 hours of PA some children see a week, how can we contend its importance? Don’t we want our children to grow into young healthy active adults? Educating children on vital social skills, developing personal skills that will hold strong throughout their lives is vital. What is even more important is that parents promote healthy life choices, encourage activity, whether that be walking or cycling to school, family walks on a day out, or extra activities outside school hours like football, gymnastics or swimming.

What remains to be seen is how the Government and Schools implement guidelines. How they develop alternative approaches to how PA is delivered, to provide efficient, more enjoyable times spent in shorts, and ultimately encourage our youngsters to choose themselves to be active.

References

Department of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/articles/statutory-curriculum

Human Kinetics. (n.d.). How physical activity and exercise enhance children’s cognition. Retrieved from Human Kinetics Europe: https://uk.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpts/how-physical-activity-and-exercise-enhance-childrens-cognition

McIvor, J. (2018, May 10). BBC News. Retrieved from BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-44053387

Moray House School of Education and Sport. (2019, July 24th). The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved from https://www.ed.ac.uk/education/rke/centres-groups/pe-research/importance

Public Health England. (2017, July 17). Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/news/number-of-children-getting-enough-physical-activity-drops-by-40

Youth Sport Trust. (2018, May 29). Retrieved from https://www.youthsporttrust.org/news/teachers-need-more-support-nurture-love-pe-and-school-sport

A level playing field – Should Transgender athletes be allowed to compete in the category that matches their gender identity in the 2020 Olympics?

By  Rachael Pugh, Hannah Lake, Sula Douglas, Daniel Breacher and Ryan Williams (E119 19J Students)


This blog was written as part of a collaborative team work task by students studying E119. They had to select a topic and then decide on what roles each person would perform in the team, such as researcher, writer, editor and leader. This blog was chosen as one of the best blogs from around 80 blogs that were produced.


 

The participation of transgender athletes in Olympic competition raises issues not just about sport regulations but of society’s overall attitudes to gender. The whole subject of transgender people can still be divisive and misunderstood in our society. Many people have limited or no contact with transgender people, this can cloud their judgement leading to fear and rumours. From anger over which bathroom people can use, to which clothing a child gets to wear, it is a contentious subject. Transgender participation in sport is a complex issue and may well become more so in the future with the rise of gender neutrality. Sport has long had issues of discrimination and many sports’ governing bodies are working hard to provide fairness and reduce discrimination. Sport in general and the International Olympic Committee in particular, needs to find a way to make participation fair for everyone; transgender athletes as well as cisgender athletes.

One of the main points involved in this discussion is providing equality and equal opportunity for everyone. By excluding transgender athletes from participating in high level events such as the Olympics, we are not promoting equal opportunity. When looking at transgender participation not only high-level athletes need to be considered. Young people often look to athletes as role models. One role model is Laurel Hubbard, a transgender weightlifter, who transitioned from male to female.  After her transition, she went on to successfully compete in the commonwealth games, achieving a record breaking performance in the women’s weightlifting category (Brown, 2018). Kristi Miller, a transgender athlete and activist stated, “Hopefully Laurel’s given some hope to some young trans kid sitting around the world” (Davidson, 2018). Having visible transgender role models for young transgender people is very important – it gives the young people someone to look up to and as a consequence, helps to promote participation in sport for everyone.

However, Laurel’s wins and participation have created some controversy amongst other female competitors and their coaches. Jerry Wallwork, Head Coach for the Samoa weightlifting team said, “A man is a man and a woman is a woman and I know a lot of changes have gone through, but in the past Laurel Hubbard used to be a male champion weightlifter” (Davidson, 2018). Wallwork’s comments illustrate the issue of how gender is viewed in society and how often transgender people are not accepted. If more transgender athletes were allowed to compete – this would result in society being exposed to more transgender people in the media.  This exposure would allow them to become more accepted and allow young transgender people to be inspired and participate in sport.

Conversely, there is the issue of fairness for female athletes – how being transgender may give athletes an advantage over other female competitors particularly in the case of Laurel Hubbard who used to compete as a male weightlifter.  “The athletic advantage that Hubbard herself gleaned suggests as much. As a man, the Kiwi scarcely registered in the sport at international level. Today, as a woman, she is a world-beater,” (Brown, 2018).

Currently athletes who have transitioned from female to male can compete without restriction (BBC, 2019). However, for an athlete who has transitioned from male to female it is much more difficult. This is mainly because officials are trying to make it fair for all the female cisgender competitors and there are many physiological differences between males and females. These physiological differences are why we have separate male and female categories in sport in the first place. On average women have two thirds the strength of men, have smaller bones and a lower oxygen carrying capacity (Latham, 2018). The benefits of these physiological differences mean that men are usually stronger, faster and bigger. Not all of these physiological differences can be managed in the medical transitional process, therefore some of the advantages of being born male, remain in the transgender athlete.

When examining the difference between male and female bodies the issue of testosterone is often discussed. In order for a transgender athlete to compete as a female the IOC guideline from 2015 states “the total testosterone level in serum must be kept below ten nanomoles per litre for at least 12 months” (Ingle, 2019) however this is controversial as “women’s testosterone levels tend to range between 0.12 and 1.79 nmol/l, while men’s are typically between 7.7 to 29.4 nmol/l.” (Ingle, 2019). This means that transgender athletes, even those following the IOC Guidelines, could have testosterone levels up to 5 times higher than most female athletes. Higher levels of testosterone increase muscle mass and reduce fatigue both of which are important when competing at a high level of sport (Pietrangelo, 2016).

Many high profile athletes feel passionately about the potential damage to female sport when transgender athletes compete. Sharon Davies, the internationally renowned and celebrated swimmer, said ““I believe there is a fundamental difference between the binary sex you are born with and the gender you may identify as. To protect women’s sport, those with a male sex advantage should not be able to compete in women’s sport.” (Ingle, 2020). These higher levels of testosterone and other physiological advantages mean that cisgender women could have a disadvantage when competing against transgender women.

To conclude, on the one hand society now recognises peoples’ right to change gender however it is very difficult to create a level playing field in some areas and competitive sport is very much one of these. The question of how transgender people compete in Olympic events raises issues of equality of opportunity and fairness of competition. The sports’ governing bodies are attempting to address the issues of physical fairness through regulation but this is not a straight forward process. Scientific development may be ahead of society’s ability to regulate for its consequences in this area. Given the diversity of genders and people in our society this may be an area for adapting and compromising in 2020 and beyond.

 

REFERENCES

Davidson, H (2018) Transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard’s eligibility under scrutiny (Online) The Guardian. Available at https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/apr/09/transgender-weightlifter-laurel-hubbards-eligibility-under-scrutiny (Accessed 28 January 2020)

Latham, A (2018). Physiological difference between male and female athletes. (online). (last updated 28 June 2018). Available at: https://work.chron.com/physiological-differences-between-male-female-athletes-20627.html (Accessed 27 January 2020)

Pietrangelo, A (2016) How testosterone benefits your body (Online)  Healthline. Available at https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-testosterone (Accessed 29 January 2020)

Brown, O (2018). Transgender weightlifter under strain: Laurel Hubbard’s exit may be blessing in disguise as eligibility debate rages (Online) The Telegraph. Available at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/weightlifting/2018/04/09/transgender-weightlifter-strain-laurel-hubbards-exit-may-blessing/ (Accessed 29 Jan, 2020)

Ingle, S. (2019). IOC delays new transgender guidelines after scientists fail to agree. [online] The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/sep/24/ioc-delays-new-transgender-guidelines-2020-olympics [Accessed 28 January 2020].

Eliud Kipchoge: Breaking Barriers

By Sean Byrne, Sam Cross, Anthony Delaney, Ashley Groombridge, Katie Hickson, Louis Hunter (E119 19J Students)


This blog was written as part of a collaborative team work task by students studying E119. They had to select a topic and then decide on what roles each person would perform in the team, such as researcher, writer, editor and leader. This blog was chosen as one of the best blogs from around 80 blogs that were produced.


 

 On the 12th October 2019, Eliud Kipchoge, the current marathon world record holder, became the first person to run the marathon distance under two hours (1.59.40). This incredible accomplishment has been hailed as one of the most monumental milestones in running history, alongside Sir Roger Bannister’s sub 4-minute mile and Usain Bolt’s 9.58 100 metre sprint world record.

So how did he achieve this remarkable feat? Natural talent, dedication and a gruelling training programme, with 140 miles per week, are the understandable foundations of success. Indubitably, the support from an assembled team of skilled coaches, physiotherapists, physiologists and nutritionists overseeing his training, physiological testing, hydration and nutrition strategies (INEOS159challenge , 2019) contributed immensely but what specifically turned his previous failings at the Nike Breaking2 Project, into triumph?

Course selection

The Pater, Vienna, Austria was selected as the perfect location. As one would expect, the route was carefully chosen to eliminate any directional or incline changes to maximise the runners’ economy but Team INEOS’ analysis didn’t stop there. They also considered the altitude and climate; low temperatures (around ten degrees Celsius is considered the benchmark) and low humidity is conducive to running a fast marathon due to the body working harder to regulate its temperature in hot conditions (Sharkey & Gaskill, 2013). It is also believed that running shoes lose grip during humid conditions. (INOES159challenge, 2019). The location also had to be at low altitude, even though Kipchoge lives and trains at high altitude (2400m), science suggests preparing at altitude enables the body to be better conditioned (Fudge, et al., 2018) and racing at a lower altitude whilst acclimated to high altitude will see an increase in performance (Fudge, et al., 2018)The final factor in choosing the location was the time zone difference, Vienna is just one hour behind Eliud’s home time zone- which means his sleeping, eating and training patterns would be minimally affected.

Hydration and Nutrition

 As anticipated, running a marathon requires an enormous amount of energy, this energy is provided by fat and carbohydrates, metabolised aerobically. Fat is supplied from the muscle triglyceride and plasma free fatty acids (FFA), that are mobilised from adipose tissue and transported to the muscles by the circulation (Sharkey & Gaskill, 2013).  Fat is the most abundant source of available energy – enough to fuel muscles to run hundreds of miles but it is slow to break down (Wright, 2018), therefore, as the intensity level increases so does the carbohydrate usage, becoming predominant at high levels of intensity (Sharkey & Gaskill, 2013) i.e. running a marathon at pace.  Carbohydrate is available as glucose in the bloodstream and is also stored in skeletal muscles and the liver as glycogen (Girard Eberle, 2014). Kipchoge’s carbohydrates were topped up during the race by consuming sports drinks and energy gels produced by Maurten (Maurten, 2019).

Rehydrating during the marathon is crucial, dehydration in excess of five per cent of an athlete’s bodyweight results in a decrease in strength, endurance and work capacity (Sharkey & Gaskill, 2013). The ASCM et al. (2016) state that even though exact sweat rates vary from athlete to athlete, most athletes partaking in exercise will require an intake of 0.4 – 0.8 litres of water every hour. Kipchoge rehydrated by drinking Maurten sports drinks, a benefit of consuming a sports drink over water, is that sports drinks contain electrolytes including sodium and potassium – minerals that are crucial for the control of the flow of water in and out of cells and are vital to ensure fluid retention. Furthermore, research has shown that isotonic drinks can be absorbed faster than water alone (Wright, 2018).

Pacemakers

Sir Roger Bannister’s name is entrenched in running history, his exploit legendary yet he couldn’t have achieved the remarkable feat without being paced by friends and teammates. Eliud Kipchoge also enlisted the help of teammates, forty-one of the world’s best middle and long-distance runners to be precise (INEOS159challenge, 2019). These runners rotated at the end of each six-mile lap, followed an electric car with adapted cruise control for greater accuracy. The car projected a laser beam onto the road to keep the runners on the required pace. After extensive aerodynamic research conducted at TU Eindhoven, the pacemakers ran in a reversed V shape, with two runners running behind him, this led to a 85% reduction in air resistance (Eindhoven University of Technology, 2019).

The controversial running shoes

Nike created a bespoke, improved version of their previous Vaporfly Next% running shoes – the AlphaFLY. The AlphaFLY have four chambers containing pressurised fluid, three carbon plates and ZoomX – a lightweight foam, providing cushioning (Roe, 2019). Nike claim the shoes improve running economy by four percent and this claim has been verified by an independent study (Barnes & Kilding, 2019). A variation of the shoe has been worn by the top 10 finishers in the mens’ race at the Chicago Marathon, the following day. In addition, Brigid Kosgei, who broke Paula Radcliffe’s long standing women’s marathon world record in Chicago, also wore the shoe. Subsequently, a group of athletes complained to the IAAF about the shoes, prompting them to establish a working group to analysis the issue.

Spectators

After evaluating the Breaking2 Project’s failed attempt at Monza Racetrack, Italy, Kipchoge bemoaned the lack of spectators to support his phenomenal effort. Positive support from spectators can lead to increased performance (Lavellee, et al., 2012). During his attempt at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, the route was lined by masses of supporters cheering him to greatness.

Unfortunately, his Herculean effort is not recognised as a marathon world record by the IAAF, due to the delivery of hydration and nutrition by bicycle, lack of open competition and rotating world class runners, working as pacemakers (BBC, 2019) but now the barrier has been broken, it’s only a matter of time before an athlete runs sub two hours during a race.

References

American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), 2016. American Dietetic Association (ADA) and Dieticians of Canada (DC) (2016) Joint Position Statement, ‘Nutrition and athletic performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 48(3), p. 543–568.

Barnes, K. R. & Kilding, A. E., 2019. A Randomized Crossover Study Investigating the Running Economy of Highly-Trained Male and Female Distance Runners in Marathon Racing Shoes versus Track Spikes., Bethesda MD: National Center for Biotechnology Information.

BBC, 2019. Eliud Kipchoge breaks two-hour marathon mark by 20 seconds. [Online]
Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/50025543
[Accessed 27 January 2020].

Eindhoven University of Technology, 2019. TU/e wind tunnel helped break the marathon’s two-hour barrier. [Online]
Available at: https://www.tue.nl/en/news/news-overview/tue-wind-tunnel-helped-break-the-marathons-two-hour-barrier/#top [Accessed 27 January 2020].

Fudge, B., Pringle, J., Maxwell, N. & Richardson, A., 2018. Altitude training in endurance running: perceptions of elite athletes and support staff. Journal of Sports Sciences, 37(2), pp. 163-172.

INEOS159challenge , 2019. Eluid’s Team. [Online]
Available at: https://www.ineos159challenge.com/team/eliuds-team/
[Accessed 26 January 2020].

INEOS159challenge, 2019. Pacemakers. [Online]
Available at: https://www.ineos159challenge.com/team/pacemakers/
[Accessed 26 January 2020].

INOES159challenge, 2019. Why Vienna proved to be the outstanding candidate to host the Ineos 1:59 Challenge?. [Online]
Available at: https://www.ineos159challenge.com/news/why-vienna-proved-to-be-the-outstanding-candidate-to-host-the-ineos-1-59-challenge/
[Accessed 27 January 2020].

Lavellee, D., Kremer, J., Moran, A. & Williams, M., 2012. Sport Psychology: Contemporary Themes. 2nd ed. London: Red Globe Press.

Maurten, 2019. SHOP SPORTS FUEL. [Online]
Available at: https://www.maurten.com/products/gb
[Accessed 27 January 202].

Roe, D., 2019. Everything We Know About Eliud Kipchoge’s Barrier Breaking Shoes. [Online]
Available at: https://www.runnersworld.com/gear/a29447426/eliud-kipchoge-shoes/
[Accessed 27 January 2020].

Sharkey, B. J. & Gaskill, S. E., 2013. Fitness & Health. 7th ed. Champaign: Human Kinetics.

Wright, N., 2018. Unit 29 How nutrition fuels the athlete’s body. [Online]
Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1287358
(Accessed 18 May 2019).

 

Can surfing improve mental health?

By Chris Bodell, Jennifer Brand, Archie Collins, Paul Downing, Charlie Edwards and Clare Elliott (E119 19J Students)


This blog was written as part of a collaborative team work task by students studying E119. They had to select a topic and then decide on what roles each person would perform in the team, such as researcher, writer, editor and leader. This blog was chosen as one of the best blogs from around 80 blogs that were produced.


So, can surfing help improve our mental health? Let’s take a look and see how it turned
Jessica Cox’s’ life around.

Jessica Cox revealed in an interview with the BBC (2018) that she had suffered from numerous mental health issues throughout her life including anxiety, family bereavement, post- natal depression and bullying. She explains that she got in with the wrong crowd from an early age of 11, leading to drug and alcohol issues.”I would absolutely say I was at a turning point where if I had got in one more bit of trouble at school I would have been expelled; if I had got arrested one more time I would have got taken into juvenile prison.” (BBC, 2018)

Jessica says the sea saved her and has turned her life around. Jessica sourced a board and
wetsuit and began surfing, “You feel afterwards the feelings of vibrancy and life; it is
unexplainable. You’re just at one with nature, and nature never judges you” (BBC, 2018).
Jessica went on to gain qualifications to teach people to surf, spreading her love of surfing.
“You can feel tired of life and all the things that are going on, and you get into the water and
it literally washes the anxiety away… you feel this release,” (BBC 2018).

Seeing first-hand the positive effects the sea and surfing can have on the mind, mixing the
calming nature of the ocean with the physiological benefits of surfing, Jessica took her
experiences and knowledge and founded Sirens. Sirens offers surfing lessons and retreats to
women of all ages and abilities. They work with other charities to reach out to vulnerable
women and organise community events aimed at people suffering with mental health
conditions, it allows people to get involved in yoga and even learn how to surf. Sirens is a nonprofit organisation meaning that any profits made go back into the company, making them
able to offer their services to disadvantaged or vulnerable women and girls.

You can find out more about Jessica’s own journey, along with her journey helping others by
visiting: https://www.inspiresirens.org/

There are many examples on how mixing the benefits of the physical activity of surfing and
being in the ocean are having positive effects on a person’s mental wellbeing!
The Wave Project is a community interest company that aims to change young people’s lives
through surfing, it started as a NHS funded project where 20 young people, diagnosed with a
range of mental health disorders, met on the beach for a surfing lesson. After surfing
participants felt less angry, calmer and more connected with one another. One person who
had been diagnosed with selective mutism even began speaking freely again! The wave
project has over 900 volunteers and has joined 6 other surf therapy programmes around the
world to form the International Surf Therapy Organisation (ISTO)! (Waveproject, 2020).
An initiative called Blue Health analysed 35 scientific studies of how blue spaces, i.e. ocean,
lakes etc, benefit our health and wellbeing. They found that interaction with blue spaces has
a positive effect on mental health, especially reducing stress.

One study that blue health completed involved using technology to bring 360-degree videos
using a virtual reality headset to those where natural blue spaces were inaccessible. This
technology was also able benefit elderly or disabled people or those with certain medical
conditions (Bluehealth, 2020).

The Blue Mind Theory explains the mildly meditative state we enter when we are in, near or
under water, comparative to the Red mind state which describes our state of mind while
suffering from mental health problems. Scientists are evaluating the physical and
“Siren’s aim to offer a supportive, all female environment where you can be inspired by your own abilities, other women, and the environment that surrounds us.” (sirens, 2017).

When researching the psychological effects of water, they found that being by the coast leads to an improved sense of physical health and well-being. Livni (2018) states that “contact with the water induces the meditative state that makes us happier, healthier, calmer, more creative and
more capable of awe”.

“The idea water is medicine will be mainstream within 10 years” (Nicholls, W. 2015).

Surfertoday, a surfing magazine is aimed at current and prospective surfers and promotes the
health and physiological benefits of surfing, but may well be biased. But as we can see earlier
in the blog, there is research and real-life evidence showing: –
“Surfing not only improves your physical fitness, but it also clears your mind and acts as an
emotional stabilizer. Its Zen effect soothes the mind and balances your emotion’s. Those who
actively engage in surfing, know that it reduces stress, boosts our mood, and even helps us
overcome loss nor grief.” (Surfertoday, 2020).

For more information about how surfing can improve your mental health, visit Surfertoday’s
article at: https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/how-surfing-improves-your-mental-health

Competing in Saudi Arabia: A Moral Controversy

By Lucy Kafourous-Smith, Daniel Morrison, Sam Hughes, Kyle Murray, Sean Gilfillan, Rebecca Murphy and Sam Hughes-Finn (E119 19J Students)


This blog was written as part of a collaborative team work task by students studying E119. They had to select a topic and then decide on what roles each person would perform in the team, such as researcher, writer, editor and leader. This blog was chosen as one of the best blogs from around 80 blogs that were produced.


 

Vision 2030: Saudi Arabia’s ambitious, pervasive overhaul of its economy and society put into motion since 2016. It paints a picture of a nation keen to refurbish its global image and integrate itself with the western world – no small feat considering its historical rejection of western culture, and strict implementation of Islamic laws and values. Aggressive investment into sport has particularly attracted mass media interest as the nation strikes deals for world-class events, such as the boxing rematch of Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr held in December 2019, the European Tour for golf, as well as F1 gearing up for Saudi participation in the coming years. The speed at which entirely new venues are being constructed for these events, also reflects the extent of this ambition. Construction of the Diriyah arena for Joshua v Ruiz began a mere two months before the fight.

However, the kingdom’s political track record has roused many sceptics and caused a controversial backlash. Sporting organisations and athletes are facing waves of scrutiny, often being accused of supporting the ambitions of a nation that has an extensive list of human rights abuses under its belt. Human rights group Amnesty International (2019) describes such acts including – but not limited to – repressing government critics, and human rights campaigners with prison sentences; extensive use of the death penalty and state-imposed torture for conduct that isn’t recognised as crime under international law; and continued discrimination against women, LGBTI groups, and the Shi’a Muslim minority. Not to forget the widely reported murder of Arabian journalist Jamal Kashoggi in Istanbul back in 2018, for which the Saudi government were held responsible (Aljazerra News, 2019). Amnesty’s critique resulted in them coining the term ‘sportswashing’ to describe the perceived attempt to use high-profile sport to furnish over these offences. Despite that, purely focusing on historical events would limit the chance of successful future sporting events, and any positive cultural change, however uncomfortable the decision may be.

Prior to his fight, Anthony Joshua was interviewed on the decision to fight in Saudi Arabia, where he simply stated: “My only focus is just the boxing”, but incited scrutiny by commenting that “the country is trying to do a good job politically”(BBC 2019). It would seem he desires to stay politically neutral and is happy to fight and promote his sport wherever it may take him. However, when asked about the possibility of ‘sportswashing’, he replied: “…I would be bothered” (BBC, 2019). He also admits that the decision to fight in Saudi Arabia was a collective one taken by his organizers, as well as his promotor, Eddie Hearn, admitting that the choice to fight there was primarily motivated by the sizable financial offer, leading many to believe that he is being manipulated by money.

Conversely, golfing superstars Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods opted out of participating in the Saudi-hosted European Tour, but state that their decision was not politically influenced. Despite this, McIlroy commented that: “…there’s a morality to it as well” (The Guardian, 2019) but makes the interesting point that there are other countries with political stains where these events are held. Woods notably defended golf’s participation in Saudi Arabia by saying: “I understand the politics behind it but also golf can help heal a lot of that too” (Gray, 2019). Interestingly, Woods turned down a $3m appearance fee offer (Gray, 2019), and McIlroy refused to deny that a similar offer of $2.5m was made to him (The Guardian, 2019), causing many to raise sceptical eyebrows at the copious financial offers in place to persuade key players to simply participate.

In football, the Spanish Super Cup has gone as far as significantly changing its format for the foreseeable future as it holds its next innings in Saudi Arabia. Moving from a 2-team to a 4-team line-up and holding the event in January instead of the pre-season Summer, caused a stir. Yet again, the main motivation for such a shift is believed to be the amount of money flowing. As stated by the BBC (2020) the Spanish media reported a yearly worth of 40m euros. Despite Barcelona benefitting from a 6m-euro cash-in, the team’s coach, Ernesto Valverde, expressed discontent as he preferred the old format from a sporting point of view, and affirms that the 6m offer was the deciding factor for the change (BBC, 2020). However, this deal came with the condition that women were allowed to attend the event – an intriguing outcome from a country that has typically segregated women. Similarly, the Italian Suppercoppa showed positive developments, by allowing women to enter the stadium, albeit form the family enclosures only (Burnton, 2019). But this move signalled the start of culture change, which would allow women the same rights as men, even if it is for a 90-minute game of football.

Formula 1 also has its sights set with a $50m per year Grand Prix deal on the table which could kick off as early as 2021, with a purpose-built circuit being constructed for 2022 (Benson, 2020). Mcevoy (2020) identifies The Grand Prix event is no stranger to countries with unfavourable human rights records as it has previously been hosted by the likes of Abu Dhabi, Russia, and China, but it attempts to deflect criticism by insisting that it is politically neutral. Part of the “vision 2030” plan includes Saudi Arabia holding the desert round of the new Extreme E championships -electric off-road SUV (Auto sport 2019). Criticism to holding it here is defended by its founder, Alejandro Agag, who supports the positive changes occurring in Saudi Arabia, and how it can help strengthen the sporting pillar of vison 2030.

With a variety of perspectives to consider, we may justifiably ponder if the Saudi government is heart-felt in redeeming itself from past mistakes, or if they are leveraging their great wealth to simply ‘gloss over’ its most fundamental flaws. Regarding the athletes themselves, do we judge them as aiding a possibly dishonest regime change, or do we praise them for attempting to bring positivity, and culture to a troubled country?

Reference list

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