Social Issues in Sport Management
Masumeh Fadaeidehcheshmeh; Seyed Reza Hosseini Nia; Mohammad Mahdi Rahmati; Hadi Bagheri
Abstract
Objective: The present research was conducted with the aim of investigating the role of sport in women's identity formation in Iran.Methodology: This study was conducted using an exploratory mixed-methods approach. In the qualitative phase, a constructivist grounded theory approach (Charmaz) was employed, ...
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Objective: The present research was conducted with the aim of investigating the role of sport in women's identity formation in Iran.Methodology: This study was conducted using an exploratory mixed-methods approach. In the qualitative phase, a constructivist grounded theory approach (Charmaz) was employed, while the quantitative phase utilized Fuzzy DANP, a technique within multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM). The qualitative sample included female athletes at amateur, championship, and professional levels, as well as national team coaches and academic experts in sports management and sociology specializing in women’s sports research, until theoretical saturation was reached. In the quantitative phase, 15 experts knowledgeable about women’s sports and professional female athletes were selected. The research instruments comprised semi-structured interviews for the qualitative phase and a Fuzzy DANP pairwise comparison questionnaire for the quantitative phase.Results: The analysis of 380 initial codes in this study resulted in 41 focused codes (concepts), which were ultimately reduced to 9 main categories. Eight of these primary categories were identified as influential factors in women’s identity formation and subsequently prioritized using the Fuzzy DANP pairwise comparison method. The results of the Fuzzy DANP analysis indicate that these factors do not have equal influence. Among them, the role of coaches (0.1317) emerged as the most influential factor in the identity formation process, followed by empowerment of women in other aspects of life through sports (0.1302), gender stereotypes (0.1293), and enhancement of women’s psychological strength through sports (0.1287). In contrast, factors such as overt gender discrimination (0.1269), gendered perspectives on sports disciplines (0.1212), obstacles created through regulations (0.1177), and low levels of women’s physical literacy (0.1141) ranked lower in terms of influence.Conclusion: The process of women’s identity formation through sports is primarily influenced by supportive and empowering factors, particularly the role of coaches, whereas structural barriers and gender-based discrimination exert a comparatively lesser impact. Therefore, strengthening the role of coaches, enhancing empowering sports opportunities, and reforming discriminatory policies can facilitate the identity development of women in the athletic context.
Social Issues in Sport Management
Khdijeh Javanbakht; Mohammad Sadegh Afroozeh; Ebrahim Khoshnam; Hosein Dast Barhagh
Abstract
Objective: Many female athletes at some point feel that they have to make difficult decisions between Motherhood and continuing their sports career. Considering the growing trend of women's participation in championship sports and the simultaneous maternal expectations from them, this article examined ...
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Objective: Many female athletes at some point feel that they have to make difficult decisions between Motherhood and continuing their sports career. Considering the growing trend of women's participation in championship sports and the simultaneous maternal expectations from them, this article examined the challenges and facilitators of the motherhood process in Iranian sports.Methodology: This research was conducted based on a qualitative approach and using thematic analysis. Participants included female athletes and experts in the field, with whom 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted. Data analysis was conducted in three stages of open, axial, and selective coding.Results: Data analysis led to the identification of 104 basic themes. Also, overarching themes including legalism, lifestyle, protectionism, Risk-taking, maternal biology, Financial capability, common discourses, multiple identities, and value were identified, which were divided into three sections: before, during, and after pregnancy.Conclusion: It seems that policies and governance in women's sports should be proportionate to the four dimensions of context, opportunity, expectations and actions from the perspective of Iranian female athletes in the three stages before, during and after pregnancy. The interpretation of actions should be proportionate to the characteristics of the athlete, the structure of women's sports and clubs. In this regard, in addition to efforts to improve the cultural situation of athletes' motherhood, it is necessary to support and educate women, clubs and society in all three stages.
Social Issues in Sport Management
Seyyedeh Zahra Mirzamani; Shahram Shafiee; Mohammad Mahdi Rahmati
Abstract
Objective: This study aims to conduct a meta-synthesis of the mechanisms of corruption in Iranian football based on a sociological approach.Methodology: Employing a qualitative approach, this study followed Sandelowski and Barroso's (2007) meta-synthesis framework. Data were derived from 29 peer-reviewed ...
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Objective: This study aims to conduct a meta-synthesis of the mechanisms of corruption in Iranian football based on a sociological approach.Methodology: Employing a qualitative approach, this study followed Sandelowski and Barroso's (2007) meta-synthesis framework. Data were derived from 29 peer-reviewed scientific articles published between 2015 and 2025, identified through a systematic search of reputable Persian-language (n=23) and English-language (n=6) databases. Thematic coding was employed for data analysis.Results: Based on the data analysis, the mechanisms of corruption in sport were identified and classified into 63 initial codes, 21 sub-themes, and 6 overarching themes, including structural and governance deficiencies, an opaque and rentier economy, a corruption-prone culture and unhealthy norms, an inefficient legal and judicial system, informal and relationship-based networks, and international factors and globalization.Conclusion: In light of the findings, corruption in Iranian football stems from dysfunctional governance frameworks, a rent-seeking economy, and a culture of informal relations. Unless these deeply embedded institutional and cultural vicious cycles are rectified, intermittent and individual-level enforcement actions will prove futile. Lasting reform can only be achieved through institutional reconstruction, full transparency, and the substitution of informal patronage networks with genuine merit-based systems.
Social Issues in Sport Management
Ehsan Kargar; Ali Afrouzeh; Mohammad Pourkiani
Abstract
Objective: The present study aimed to identify and explain the psychological, social, and structural factors influencing football dropout among Iranian adolescents, with a particular emphasis on the lived experiences of former youth academy players.
Methodology: This study employed a qualitative approach ...
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Objective: The present study aimed to identify and explain the psychological, social, and structural factors influencing football dropout among Iranian adolescents, with a particular emphasis on the lived experiences of former youth academy players.
Methodology: This study employed a qualitative approach using a phenomenological design. Participants included 13 former youth football players who had previously competed at professional academy levels and had either decided to drop out of football or withdrawn from elite pathways. Participants were selected through purposive sampling combined with snowball recruitment. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews lasting between 30 and 45 minutes. The interviews were analyzed using Braun & Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis framework. To enhance the trustworthiness of the findings, the criteria proposed by Guba & Lincoln (1994)—including credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability—were applied.
Results: The analysis yielded five main themes: (1) motivational and emotional erosion within the football pathway, (2) structural ambiguity and instability in career progression, (3) diminished perceived competence within the competitive football context, (4) disruptions in professional relationships and experiences of perceived injustice, and (5) psychological, social, and future-oriented pressures. The findings indicate that football dropout in adolescence is not a single-cause phenomenon but rather the result of a complex interaction between reduced enjoyment, coaching style, structural insecurity, perceived injustice, social comparison, and concerns about future professional prospects.
Conclusion: Football dropout during adolescence is a gradual and multidimensional process emerging from the interaction of individual, interpersonal, and structural factors. Developing supportive training environments, enhancing transparency in developmental pathways, improving coach–athlete relationships, and implementing structured transition support mechanisms at critical exit points may play a decisive role in reducing youth football dropout. The findings provide a foundation for designing evidence-based interventions within the Iranian youth football system.
Social Issues in Sport Management
Amirhesam Rahimi; Kourosh Ghahreman Tabrizi; Mohammad Sadegh Zaeifi
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to explore the dimensions of beliefs in superstition and witchcraft within Iranian football and to examine their perceived behavioral consequences for fans.
Methodology: This research employed a qualitative design based on thematic analysis and was exploratory and applied ...
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Objective: This study aimed to explore the dimensions of beliefs in superstition and witchcraft within Iranian football and to examine their perceived behavioral consequences for fans.
Methodology: This research employed a qualitative design based on thematic analysis and was exploratory and applied in nature. Eighteen participants, including coaches, players, referees, fans, and football veterans with relevant experience, were selected through purposive and snowball sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed in two stages. First, thematic coding was conducted to identify the dimensions of the phenomenon. Second, the behavioral consequences for fans were inferred through an integrative analysis drawing on interview data, theoretical foundations, and previous research. The trustworthiness of the findings was established using Guba and Lincoln’s criteria, while reliability was confirmed through a test–retest procedure (coefficient = 0.81). Results: The analysis revealed two overarching themes—psychological and socio-cultural—comprising eight subthemes and 33 primary concepts that characterize beliefs in superstition and witchcraft in Iranian football. The findings further indicated that these beliefs may contribute to imitation and emulation among fans, social tensions, and various psychological and financial costs.
Conclusion: Beliefs in superstition and witchcraft in Iranian football represent an institutionalized and multidimensional phenomenon shaped by the interaction of psychological and socio-cultural factors. This interaction reinforces a self-perpetuating cycle whose most significant consequence is the erosion of a healthy and sustainable fan culture. Addressing this phenomenon requires coordinated and targeted interventions across institutional, educational, media, and psychological domains.
Social Issues in Sport Management
Ali Jamshidi; Amin Khatibi; Seyed Hossein Marashian; Esmaeil Veisia
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to explore the factors affecting transgender people’s participation in physical activities and the consequences of such participation.
Methodology: This study was conducted with a qualitative approach and using thematic analysis method. In order to collect data, in-depth ...
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Objective: This study aimed to explore the factors affecting transgender people’s participation in physical activities and the consequences of such participation.
Methodology: This study was conducted with a qualitative approach and using thematic analysis method. In order to collect data, in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 experts in sport management and social sciences. Thematic analysis method of Braun & Clarke (2006) and MAXQDA software were used to analyze the data, and 218 initial statements were obtained.
Results: In the section of factors influencing the sports activities of transgender people, eight main themes were identified, the most important of which were security concerns and privacy, cultural and social restrictions, and the role of family and their support. The consequences section had five main themes: improved mental and physical health, positive social development and interactions, enhanced gender identity and self-recognition, post-participation psychological challenges and pressures, and new social and employment opportunities. The study's findings showed that various individual and structural factors affect transgender individuals' participation in sports. This involvement can also have a positive impact on the quality of life, gender identity, and social development of this group.
Conclusion: These findings indicate that sports are a key tool for improving the quality of life for transgender individuals, but achieving this requires macro-level planning, policy reform, and the creation of safe and inclusive environments in society.
Social Issues in Sport Management
Fateme Ghane; Hamidreza Goharrostami; Mostafa MolaeiNejad
Abstract
Objective: The goal of the research was to determine the perceived social impacts of championship sports and the degree of relationship with the desire to support.Methodology: The research method was descriptive correlational. The statistical population was students of universities in Rasht, of which ...
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Objective: The goal of the research was to determine the perceived social impacts of championship sports and the degree of relationship with the desire to support.Methodology: The research method was descriptive correlational. The statistical population was students of universities in Rasht, of which 456 students were selected as a sample based on the Morgan table using a stratified random method. The data collection tool was standard questionnaires. The face and content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by sports management professors and reliability was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha (ɑ=0.87). Friedman test and logistic regression were used to analyze the data using SPSS20 software.Results: According to the results of the Friedman test, the highest perceived social impact was related to international credibility and political power with an average rank of (7.21) and the lowest was related to the ability and quality of life of athletes with an average rank of (2.52). Also, the results of logistic regression showed that there is a significant relationship between the dimensions of perceived social impact (dimensions of good feeling and enthusiasm, sports participation and health) and support in the form of willingness to spend taxes paid in championship sports. Also, there was a significant relationship between the dimensions of perceived social impact (dimensions of equality and social inclusion, good feeling and enthusiasm and local consumption and living conditions) and support in the form of willingness to follow sports news and information; Similarly, there was a positive and significant relationship between the dimensions of perceived social impact (dimensions of equality and social inclusion, good feeling and enthusiasm, sports participation and health, local consumption and living conditions) and support in the form of willingness to watch sports competitions and events on television.Conclusion: Therefore, it is concluded that the dimensions of feeling good and enthusiasm, sports participation and health, equality and social inclusion, local consumption and living conditions, respectively, cause support for championship sports. Therefore, paying attention to these effects at different levels is a basis for paying attention to championship sports and government investment in championship sports based on the intended goals.
Social Issues in Sport Management
Mojtaba Ghasemi Siani; Hossein Mansouri; Maryam Vafakhah
Abstract
Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of media consumption in students' attitudes and their intentions to participate in sports activities.Methodology: The present study was descriptive, survey-type, and conducted in the field. The statistical population of the study included ...
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Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of media consumption in students' attitudes and their intentions to participate in sports activities.Methodology: The present study was descriptive, survey-type, and conducted in the field. The statistical population of the study included all middle and high school students in Isfahan. According to Morgan's table, the sample size was determined to be 450 people, of which 378 valid questionnaires were analyzed. The sampling method was multi-stage random cluster sampling. The research data were collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire consisting of items measuring media consumption, attitudes, and intentions. The descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage frequency, Variance, skewness, kurtosis, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (structural equation model) were used to analyze the data.Results: The findings indicated that all three types of media (social networks, the Internet, and local media) influence students' attitudes towards sports activities, with social networks having the greatest impact, followed by the Internet and local media. The findings also showed that attitudes toward sports activities have an impact on students' intention to participate in sports activities.Conclusion: Parents, counselors, and teachers are advised to guide students in the proper use of social media and the Internet so that they can benefit from its positive effects, including an inclination toward sports, while staying away from its harmful effects. Responsible guardians are also advised to plan to make domestic media more attractive so that teenagers can benefit from the positive effects of this media.
