United States Sports Academy - "America's Sports University"

This
is an historical, descriptive analysis of sport in Turkiye
from the earliest available records to the present day. In
order to present a complete picture, the development of sport
in Turkiye was divided into three periods: the pre-Islamic,
Islamic and post-Islamic-Republican. In the Pre-Islamic period,
evidence suggests that the Turkish physical culture is immensely
rich, and various forms of games and physical activities were
essential and in many respects, a way of life. In an environment
where often only the strongest and the fittest were able to
survive, warlike forms of physical activities and games, such
as archery horse-back-riding, cirit and wrestling were practiced,
by men and women alike. In the relaxed moral and social climate
of the pre-Islamic period Turkish people were free to practice
and express themselves through physical cultural activities.

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of professional wrestling
on children. Elementary and middle school teachers (n = 370)
were surveyed and asked to indicate 1) the popularity of professional
wrestling among their students; 2) any “preconceived
notions” they hold of students who are fans of professional
wrestling; 3) their beliefs regarding the harmfulness of professional
wrestling; and 4) the extent and specific nature of verbal
and behavioral imitation attributable to professional wrestling
observed in their students. Survey results combined with prior
literature and research on marketing ethics raise questions
about the appropriateness of professional wrestling as sport-entertainment
for children.

Introduction

Although many aspects of sport related research including
history, psychology, sociology, and philosophy were discussed
and studied, few studies on the environmental motivation factors
(e.g., crowd control, quality of concession services, parking
spaces) of sport fans for particular sports have been conducted.
The reason to conduct a study on the environmental motivation
factors of sport fans is based on the premise that each fan
has different motivations and reasons to follow a certain
sport team. Based on the Neo-Marxist critique of spectator
sports in capitalist society, sports spectators are more likely
than non-spectators to be actively involved not only in sports
but in cultural activities of all kinds, including politics.
Also, many spectator sports actually tend to increase the
fan’s hostility and aggressiveness rather than to render
them apathetic or to provide them with the lucid equivalent
of an Aristotelian catharsis (Guttmann, 1981). From ancient
times to the present, individuals who have allegiance or devotion
to a particular sport, team, and/or player were classified
as sport fans.

Abstract

Introduction

One question that many dancers ask is, “How can I get
my jumps higher?” The repetitive execution of demi-plie
is used to improve timing, alignment, strength, torso stability,
coordination of joint movement, and finally, as a first component
of other movements such as pirouette, releve’, and all
aerial movements (Trepman, et al., 1998). There are four principles
that must be applied when executing jumps of any kind (Kraines
& Pryor, 2001): (1) all jumps must begin in demi-plie,
(2) in order to get the jump into the air, dancers must press
off the floor by fully pointing the foot, (3) the dancer must
land on the balls of the feet and roll through to the heels,
and (4) the jump must end in demi-plie.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a significant
difference existed between the perception of the National
Collegiate Athletic Association male and female athletes regarding
various types of abusive behaviors by their coaches. This
research examined whether or not athletic departments in the
United States of America should develop policies and procedures
to educate all persons involved in the athletic setting, as
well as the prosecution of coaches who sexually harass or
emotionally abuse student-athletes.

Abstract

The area of Olympic Volunteerism is a relatively new one for
researchers and the Olympic Movement. It was not until the
1980 Lake Placid Olympics that that the “Olympic Volunteer
Movement” commenced. To date, the Olympic Movement has
not established a policy on volunteerism and multiculturalism.
Moreover, none of the main IOC Commissions has a primary mandate
for volunteerism and multiculturalism, while the responsibility
for the recruiting and training of volunteers falls within
the hands of the National Olympic Committees. This paper examines
the linkage between volunteerism and multiculturalism for
the Olympic Movement. While reflecting upon the experiences
of Canada’s Multiculturalism Policy, a policy for volunteerism
and multiculturalism is developed for the Olympic Movement.
This policy emphasizes (1) equal recognition of all volunteers,
(2) equal opportunity for personal growth through the volunteer
experience, (3) a chance to experience the “spirit of
the Olympics”, (4) an avenue of cultural exchange and
interchange amongst each other, and (5) a “common cultural
environment.” It is concluded that such a policy should
be implemented in an IOC main commission (i.e., Commission
for Culture and Olympic Education) and/or in the Olympic Charter.

Introduction

Self-confidence and sport confidence (SC) have been viewed
as some of the most important factors that influence the sport
performance. Many studies had shown that athletes with high
sport confidence would possess better concentration, game
strategies, healthy emotions, control of tempos, and performance
(Chi, 1996; Gould, 1981; Mahoney, Gabriel & Perkin, 1987).
Therefore, the relationship between sport confidence and performance
should be a critical topic for sport psychologists to investigate.