Eccentric decline squat protocol offers superior results at 12 months compared with traditional eccentric protocol for patellar tendinopathy in volleyball players

Background: Conservative treatment of patellar tendinopathy has been minimally investigated. Effective validated treatment protocols are required.

Objectives: To investigate the immediate (12 weeks) and long term (12 months) efficacy of two eccentric exercise programmes for the treatment of patellar tendinopathy.

Methods: This was a prospective randomised controlled trial of 17 elite volleyball players with clinically diagnosed and imaging confirmed patellar tendinopathy. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: a decline group and a step group. The decline group were required to perform single leg squats on a 25° decline board, exercising into tendon pain and progressing their exercises with load. The step group performed single leg squats on a 10 cm step, exercising without tendon pain and progressing their exercises with speed then load. All participants completed a 12 week intervention programme during their preseason. Outcome measures used were the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment (VISA) score for knee function and 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) for tendon pain with activity. Measures were taken throughout the intervention period and at 12 months.

Results: Both groups had improved significantly from baseline at 12 weeks and 12 months. Analysis of the likelihood of a 20 point improvement in VISA score at 12 months revealed a greater likelihood of clinical improvements in the decline group than the step group. VAS scores at 12 months did not differ between the groups.

Conclusions: Both exercise protocols improved pain and sporting function in volleyball players over 12 months. This study indicates that the decline squat protocol offers greater clinical gains during a rehabilitation programme for patellar tendinopathy in athletes who continue to train and play with pain.

Wrestling with `conflict of interest` in sport management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the relationship between sport and business has increased the complexity of ethical issues affecting contemporary sport management. Specifically, this paper seeks to define conflict of interest and how it is manifested in both business and sport.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides a conceptual discussion of the issue of conflict of interest as it relates to the management and governance of sports organizations. Relationships between business ethics, governance and sport management are examined in the quest to understand conflict of interest and its prevalence in and relevance to sport management.
Findings – Conflicts of interest within the sport industry may have the same structural elements as those occurring in mainstream business, such as benefits, obligations and issues of trust, but it is the higher societal expectations and values placed on sport and sporting organizations that provide the key points of difference.
Practical implications – Through collaboration with sport management practitioners, via inductive in-depth research, a clearer definition of conflict of interest and the range of situations in which it may occur can be developed. It is through a continued research effort in this area that sport managers will be better able to both identify and manage conflicts of interest as they occur.
Originality/value – It is the lack of definitive examples or guidelines for recognition of an actual or a potential conflict of interest that appears to cause the greatest confusion within sport management. By drawing together the key concepts found within the extant literature, a clearer understanding of what constitutes a conflict of interest is provided by this paper.

Sun exposure and sun protection behaviours among young adult sport competitors

Objective: To explore the relationship between sun protection and physical activity in young adults (18-30 years) involved in four organised sports.

Methods: Participants (n=237) in field hockey, soccer, tennis and surf sports completed a self-administered survey on demographic and sun-protective behaviours while playing sport. Differences in sun-protective behaviour were explored by sport and by gender.

Results: Sunburn during the previous sporting season was high (69%). There were differences between sports for sunburn, sunscreen use and reapplication of sunscreen. Lifesaving had the highest rates compared with the other three sports. Hats and sunglasses worn by participants varied significantly by sports. A greater proportion of soccer and hockey players indicated they were not allowed to wear a hat or sunglasses during competition. For all sports, competition was played mainly in the open with no shade provision for competitors while they were playing. There were some gender differences within each of the sports. Female soccer and tennis players were more likely to wear sunscreen compared with males. Female hockey players were more likely to wear a hat compared with males.

Conclusions: Our findings highlight that there is still room for improvement in sun-protective behaviours among young adult sport competitors. There is a need for a systematic approach to sun protection in the sporting environments of young adults.

Implications: Health promotion efforts to increase physical activity need to be paired with sun protection messages.

Personal, social and environmental determinants of educational inequalities in walking: a multilevel study

Objective: To investigate the contribution of personal, social and environmental factors to mediating socioeconomic (educational) inequalities in women’s leisure-time walking and walking for transport.
Methods: A community sample of 1282 women provided survey data on walking for leisure and transport; educational level; enjoyment of, and self-efficacy for, walking; physical activity barriers and intentions; social support for physical activity; sporting/recreational club membership; dog ownership; and perceived environmental aesthetics and safety. These data were linked with objective environmental data on the density of public open space and walking tracks in the women’s local neighbourhood, coastal proximity and street connectivity.
Results: Multilevel modelling showed that different personal, social and environmental factors were associated with walking for leisure and walking for transport. Variables from all three domains explained (mediated) educational inequalities in leisure-time walking, including neighbourhood walking tracks; coastal proximity; friends’ social support; dog ownership; self-efficacy, enjoyment and intentions. On the other hand, few of the variables examined explained educational variations in walking for transport, exceptions being neighbourhood, coastal proximity, street connectivity and social support from family.
Conclusions: Public health initiatives aimed at promoting, and reducing educational inequalities in, leisure-time walking should incorporate a focus on environmental strategies, such as advocating for neighbourhood walking tracks, as well as personal and social factors. Further investigation is required to better understand the pathways by which education might influence walking for transport.

The pursuit of muscularity among adolescent boys in Fiji and Tonga

The desire for muscularity is tied to Western views of the male gender role, which prescribe that men be strong, physically fit and athletically successful. Although, these ideals have been primarily studied among Western adolescent boys, there is emerging evidence that the same ideals are valued and promoted among males from the Pacific Islands. The aim of the present study was to examine body image concerns associated with muscularity and the reasons for these concerns among Fijian and Tongan adolescent boys. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 Indigenous Fijian, 24 Indo-Fijian, and 24 Tongan boys aged between 13 and 20 years. A thematic analysis of boys’ narratives showed that the pursuit of muscularity was a dominant theme for many boys. Boys’ reasons for pursing muscularity included the attainment of strength and fitness, sporting performance, physical work, dominance, and health. These findings are examined in relation to previous research with Western adolescent boys.

Effect of six weeks of dura disc and mini-trampoline balance training on postural sway in athletes with functional ankle instability

Lateral ankle sprain (LAS) is one of the most common injuries incurred during sporting activities, and effective rehabilitation programs for this condition are challenging to develop. The purpose of this research was to compare the effect of 6 weeks of balance training on either a mini-trampoline or a dura disc on postural sway and to determine if the mini-trampoline or the dura disc is more effective in improving postural sway. Twenty subjects (11 men, 9 women) with a mean age of 25.4 ± 4.2 years were randomly allocated into a control group, a dura disc training (DT) group, or a mini-trampoline (MT) group. Subjects completed 6 weeks of balance training. Postural sway was measured by subjects performing a single limb stance on a force plate. The disbursement of the center of pressure was obtained from the force plate in the medial-lateral and the anterior-posterior sway path and was subsequently used for pretest and posttest analysis. After the 6-week training intervention, there was a significant (p < 0.05) difference in postural sway between pre- and posttesting for both the MT (pretest = 56.8 ± 20.5 mm, posttest = 33.3 ± 8.5 mm) and DT (pretest = 41.3 ± 2.6 mm, posttest = 27.2 ± 4.8 mm) groups. There was no significant (p > 0.05) difference detected for improvements between the MT and DT groups. These results indicate that not only is the mini-trampoline an effective tool for improving balance after LAS, but it is equally as effective as the dura disc.

Impact of social expectations on ethical governance of sport organisations

Sport business is different; one of these differences is the significant and important cultural role that sport plays in society. This paper investigates the social expectations of sport, and how these expectations impact on the management and governance of sport organisations. Interviews were undertaken with the directors and CEOs of the Australian Football League and its clubs, to examine the concept of social expectations and ethical governance. Five key themes of the social expectations of sport were found: scrutiny, sport business, sport context, social investment, and the historical development of the club. Each of these themes was identified through the data analysis as having a potential impact on the management and ethical governance of sport organisations. A clearer understanding of the social and cultural context within which sport organisations operate, enables sport organisations to implement sound policy and practices for ethical governance.

Football's world cup and its fans - reflections on national styles : a photo essay on Germany 2006

The football World Cup is the greatest multicultural sporting extravaganza of modern times. The notion of post-fandom tries to capture the ways in which fans now participate in and engage in self-aware and reflexive strategies to obtain their desired outcomes from attendance at or viewing such major events. This illustrated photo-essay on the World Cup looks at the experiences and behaviour of fans in three countries, Scotland, Germany and Australia, during the tournament with a view to extending our understanding of the relationships between fans and others temporarily interested in the World Cup and the promoters of such mega-events. It argues that the participants brought a wide range of expectations to the tournament and engaged in highly flexible and innovative approaches to ensure that they gained the maximum benefit, individually and collectively, from the experience.

Rural sports and recreational injuries in Australia: what do we know?

Objective: It is widely recognised that individuals residing in regional or rural areas have poorer health outcomes than those from metropolitan areas. Factors associated with these poorer health outcomes include geographical isolation, population declines, limited health care provision and higher levels of inactivity compared to urban areas. The mental, social and physical health of individuals and communities in rural areas can be improved through active participation in sport and recreation activities. Unfortunately, participation in such activities can potentially lead to injury. There is a suggestion that there is an increased risk of sports injuries in rural areas due to the lack of health professionals and coaching personnel, fewer available volunteers to organise and deliver sport, and the general attitude towards injuries in rural settings.

Results: There is very limited information about the number and types of injuries sustained during participation in sports activities in rural and regional settings. This is largely related to a lack of formal sporting structures and support mechanisms including research funding and trained personnel.

Conclusion: A range of factors need to be implemented to improve safety for sporting and recreational participants in these areas. These include improved monitoring of injury occurrence, stronger promotion of safety initiatives and wider implementation of education strategies.

Low carbohydrate diets: what are the potential short and long term health implications?

Low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss are receiving a lot of attention of late. Reasons for this interest include a plethora of low-carbohydrate diet books, the over-sensationalism of these diets in the media and by celebrities, and the promotion of these diets in fitness centres and health clubs. The re-emergence of low-carbohydrate diets into the spotlight has lead many people in the general public to question whether carbohydrates are inherently 'bad' and should be limited in the diet. Although low-carbohydrate diets were popular in the 1970s they have resurged again yet little scientific fact into the true nature of how these diets work or, more importantly, any potential for serious long-term health risks in adopting this dieting practice appear to have reached the mainstream literature. Evidence abounds that low-carbohydrate diets present no significant advantage over more traditional energy-restricted, nutritionally balanced diets both in terms of weight loss and weight maintenance. Studies examining the efficacy of using low-carbohydrate diets for long-term weight loss are few in number, however few positive benefits exist to promote the adoption of carbohydrate restriction as a realistic, and more importantly, safe means of dieting. While short-term carbohydrate restriction over a period of a week can result in a significant loss of weight (albeit mostly from water and glycogen stores), of serious concern is what potential exists for the following of this type of eating plan for longer periods of months to years. Complications such as heart arrhythmias, cardiac contractile function impairment, sudden death, osteoporosis, kidney damage, increased cancer risk, impairment of physical activity and lipid abnormalities can all be linked to long-term restriction of carbohydrates in the diet. The need to further explore and communicate the untoward side-effects of low-carbohydrate diets should be an important public health message from nutrition professionals.

David v. Goliath: the gay games, the Olympics, and the ownership of language

The Gay Games is firmly established on the contemporary global sports calendar, but is seldom canvassed in mainstream sports media, or considered a model for sports administrators. This is regrettable, as the Games’ ethos offers many clues into the relationships between individual and communal empowerment for homosexual and heterosexual participants alike, while providing a site of resistance against entrenched norms of elitism, nationalism, victory and record-breaking indicative of the modern Olympic movement. Credit for this inclusive ethos rests with the vision of inaugural Gay Games organiser Dr. Tom Waddell. Drawing on Games archives, this paper outlines Waddell’s vision, then discusses the impact of a protracted legal dispute instigated by the United States Olympic Committee in 1982 over the use of the term ‘Olympics’ in association with Gay Games I and II. Four United States Federal court rulings are examined, with particular reference to the contrasting hierarchy of private intellectual property and public civil rights considered under United States law of the time. Domestic and international legacies of the dispute are also briefly examined, focusing on the inherent tensions between the state-sanctioned protection of Olympic terminology, the ideals of free speech, the ownership of common sporting terms, and the potential discriminatory effects of selective trademark enforcement. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of how Waddell’s vision superseded each of these legal technicalities to ensure the Games continues to provide a viable model for inclusive and engaged participation for all people.

Smoking amongst UK Bangladeshi adolescents aged 14-15

This paper reports on an investigation into smoking amongst 14- to 15- year-old Bangladeshis living in an UK inner city locality. A survey using self-completion questionnaires was undertaken in conjunction with focus group discussions. The survey of 316 Bangladeshi adolescents was conducted to determine smoking prevalence. Regular smoking was more common amongst Bangladeshi males (39%) than amongst Bangladeshi females (11%). Thirty-one people (17 females and 14 males) took part in seven focus groups (four female and three male) which were conducted in schools (six) and youth clubs (one). Focus group discussions were conducted to examine what smoking means to Bangladeshi teenagers and factors which influence why they do or do not smoke. Differences between what smoking means to Bangladeshi females and males are identified which arise from perceived social norms and cultural values, and greatly influence smoking uptake. However, many of the reasons why Bangladeshi adolescents continue to smoke, stop smoking or never smoke appear similar to those identified in other studies with largely white adolescents. Factors underpinning adolescent choices together with the implications of the study findings for the development of smoking prevention initiatives for inner city Bangladeshi teenagers are discussed.

Marketing for participation, managing for success: the Louisville Racquet Club

Examines two different perspectives concerning the success of a tennis club. Case of the Louisville Racquet Club; Role of the coaching professional in the club; Elaboration on the equally valid perspective of the club owner; Analysis on data collected at the club.

The body, mind and soul of AFL footballers: tales of identity from the global sports entertainment industry

The paper discusses some of the findings of a research project funded by the Australian Football League (AFL) titled: Getting the Balance Right: Professionalism, Performance, Prudentialism and Playstations in the Life of AFL Footballers. The research explored the emergence and evolution of a professional identity for AFL footballers – an identity that has many facets including the ideas that a professional leads a balanced life, and has a prudent orientation to the future, to life after football. The AFL is a high profile, sports entertainment business in which brand relationships between the industry and its sponsors generate substantial income for the League, for Clubs, and for Coaches and players. In addition the AFL’s equalisation policies tightly regulate the ways in which Clubs can recruit, maintain and develop playing lists. In this context various tools of analysis are used to identify and characterise the particular Body, Mind and Soul elements of the young men who might be recruited to a Club; who might have significant time, money and effort invested in their development (as players, as persons); who might develop an identity as an AFL footballer. Drawing on Foucault’s work on the care of the self we argue that in this situation, narratives of identity necessarily involve a struggle for the Body, Mind and Soul of these young men.

The community takes action : the Carlton residents association.

Since its streets first came to life with a clatter of hooves and rumble of carriage wheels, Carlton has become well known for its diverse ethnic and social character. From the bourgeoisie in the elegant terraces of Drummond Street to the street urchins and prostitutes of a once-seedy Bouverie Street, from student radicals at the University of Melbourne to the tailors and restaurateurs of Lygon, its residents have made the suburb an exciting and distinctive quarter of Melbourne.

Some of the city's greatest political and social controversies were played out here, including the eight-hour-day campaign of the 1850s and the Carlton Association's fight against the Housing Commission in the 1960s. Carlton's passion overflows onto the football field in support of one of Victoria's most successful football clubs.

A celebration of one of the most fascinating suburbs in Melbourne, Carlton: A History richly evokes the vibrant and colourful character of Carlton, today and yesterday.