The Meanings of Sport: Fun, Health, Beauty or Community?

Abstract

It is well known that sport and physical activity is important for medical health and subjective well-being and thereby functions as a kind of social good. How sport also operates as a social good in light of the meaning athletes attach to their activity is a much less analysed topic. Accordingly, this essay sets out with a theoretical analysis of which meanings people most commonly attach to their sport activity, and seven reasons are identified. Next, the essay interprets these reasons as part of a larger social setting including social background (age, gender, class) and characteristics of the sport activity (team sport versus individual sport, competitive level) itself. The empirical analyses, based on Norwegian data, give a rather complicated picture of how sport carries meaning to different group of people, but three findings stand out. First, social background is more important than aspects of the activity itself. Yet, for five out of seven 'meanings of sport', aspects of the sport itself also have significant implications for how the activity is experienced. Finally, the explanatory factors produce a rather complicated picture of how sport matters to people; gender and age are especially important, but also type of sport and competitive level have significant effects.

Segmentation of Portuguese customers’ expectations from fitness programs

“…These services should be considered by managers of fitness centres. The three segments defined are in line with the theoretical framework proposed by Seippel (2006).…”

Motivations for participation in physical activity across the lifespan

“…In a broad perspective, motivation to engage in physical activity seems to decrease with age (Biddle, 2007;Brunet & Sabiston, 2011;Koslow, 1988;Prochaska, Leventhal, Leventhal, & Keller, 1985;Ransford & Pailisi, 1996;Seippel, 2006;Trujillo et al, 2004). However, not all motives show declines.…”

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