Towards a Model of Olympic Social Capital: Theory and Early Evidence

Abstract

Towards a model of Olympic social capital: Theory and early evidence Social capital in sports has become an increasingly studied topic. In particular, it has been argued that social capital is created by value-based cultural practices and social exchanges with respect to sport participation and sporting events. However, empirical evidence is scarce and does not capture causal relationships in the process of social capital creation. A general criticism in the social capital literature is that the existing theory falls short of modelling causalities in more detail. Therefore, this paper attempts to develop a causal model of social capital formation within the Olympic movement. It is an exemplary case because of the global esteem of the Olympic Games and their value foundation in Olympism. The worldwide awareness of the Olympics moreover creates social capital among spectators. However, the process of how the perception of Olympic values by spectators is transformed into Olympic social capital is not well understood. Thus, the theoretical modelling focuses on the so-called bridging capital accumulated by Olympic spectators. It is reasoned that the interrelationship of the three Olympic key values of respect, friendship and excellence is perceived and adopted by live spectators via a cyclic process of simultaneous experience resulting in a sustainable episodic memory. In contrast, broadcast spectators develop a dichotomous semantic memory, more influenced by socio-economic tensions caused by the commodification of the Olympic value of excellence. Hence, the live Olympic capital tends to be larger than the broadcast Olympic capital. The plausibility of the model’s propositions is illustrated by data from a cluster sample (N=1,703) of German broadcast spectators of and visitors to the 2016 Summer Olympics and 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games. The basic proposition of the larger live Olympic capital is confirmed, while the evidence for the emotional exposure and socio-economic environment when experiencing the event is mixed.

Exploring the Games’ Intangible Legacy on Individuals: A Longitudinal Study of Teacher’s Community

“…In comparison with similar education initiatives, Schnitzer et al (2018) found an increase in local interest in the Olympic Movement in Singapore, while Grammatikopoulos et al (2005) noted positive effects in teacher relationships and training as a result of the Olympic education program in Greece. This is also consistent with recent studies in which knowledge about teaching Olympism , simultaneous experience, and social exchange (Prüschenk and Kurscheidt 2020) contribute to the development of social capital as a particularly suitable platform to leverage the Games' intangible legacy (Griffiths and Armour 2013). In this sense, one may argue that when the Olympic Games are embedded in educational practices, social capital formation occurs over time, leading to a positive and intangible outcome.…”

“…The current approach to the Olympics legacy includes education as a way to promote the social capital created by cultural practices and social exchanges (Prüschenk and Kurscheidt 2020) such as education programs. Every host city commits to carrying out Olympic education programs as part of their responsibilities for organizing the Games (Binder and Naul 2017) and as a long-term social development process (Maya 2017), with three assumptions underlying these programs: First, Olympism should be used as an educational tool to influence behaviors based on cognitive (intellectual), affective (social/emotional), and kinesthetic (physical) learning (IOC 2016).…”

“…For Schnitzer et al (2018), the perceptions about Olympic values depend mainly on the social capital created (norms, institutional trust) provided by the Youth Olympic Games (YOG). Prüschenk and Kurscheidt (2020) formed detailed reasoning on the formation of social capital on the basis of the Olympic values among spectators, and demonstrated that when Olympism is embedded in pedagogical practices, social capital formation occurs, leading to a positive education impact among teachers. As defined by Coleman (1988), social capital is created by the quality of the interactions between different social networks.…”

The Olympic Games’ impact on the development of teachers: the case of Rio 2016 Official Olympic Education Programme

“…Coleman (1988) highlights the importance of increased social capital as part of educational outcomes, referring to a set of attributes (education, skills, knowledge, and personal experiences) as ways to enhancing the productivity and competitive advantages. The social capital of individuals is enhanced when using and transferring Olympic knowledge (Prüschenk & Kurscheidt, 2020).…”

“…The social capital generated by the Olympic Games can be explored on the basis of three attributes (Prüschenk & Kurscheidt, 2017): bonding, bridging, and linking capital. Bonding is typically found in smaller, strongly interconnected, and homogeneous communities (Prüschenk & Kurscheidt, 2020), which may apply to the teachers of the Olympic education programmes because they have shared the same experiences, have met the same requirements, and have pursued the same objectives of teaching the Olympic values. Bridging is linked to the interrelations that stem from the Olympic Games and associated social ties driven by delivering the Olympic education programmes.…”