Athletes drink more during off-season, study says
VICTORIA (CUP) -- Not every academic essay has to be boring. In the world of sports, there are many fascinating studies from a variety of disciplines. Here are some recent highlights.
Falling off wagon in off-season
College athletes drink more during the summer than during their sports season, according to a new study in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.
The average male athlete has 11.1 drinks per week during the sports season, while consuming 18.7 drinks per week during the off-season. Females are more conservative drinkers -- they down 5.8 drinks per week during the season, compared with 9.1 during the break.
The researchers suggested that the difference may be due to limited free time during the sports season, but that during the off-season, “athletes may feel like they have the opportunity to socialize like a ‘normal student,' resulting in increased use of alcohol.” The study examined data from 160 NCAA Division I athletes from 11 sports.
Why ride a bike?
A research paper in December's Journal of Sport Behavior has tried to decipher the age-old question of why anyone would want to ride a bike.
The answer? Most people ride bikes to achieve goals: to lose weight or alleviate other health concerns.
Comparing men and women, the study of 1,239 cyclists found that women were much more likely than men to ride bikes to lose weight, to feel part of a group and to better their self-esteem.
But if there's more to cycling than meets the eye, it's the mountain bikers who are discovering it. According to the study, “mountain bikers were significantly more likely than road cyclists to endorse life meaning . . . as a motivation for cycling.”
He shoots up, he scores!
Almost half of college hockey players have taken ephedra, a substance banned by the NCAA, according to a study published in December's International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.
Ephedra is a stimulant that, like adrenaline, increases heart rate and blood pressure and makes breathing easier. It can also cause seizures and heart attacks and was blamed for the deaths of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Belcher in 2003 and football player Korey Stringer in 2001.
The survey of 139 NCAA Division I hockey players found that 48.5 per cent had taken ephedra at some point, but that 61.7 per cent of users had not taken ephedra in the past year.
While the majority of users started taking ephedra while playing junior hockey, one-third started taking it during high school.
The authors suggested, “a more visible, credible testing program that spans all college sports may be necessary.” Currently, only 15 per cent of players surveyed are tested by the NCAA for the drug.
Smart working men buy sports
Highly educated white-collar men spend the most money on sport-related expenses, according to a study in this month's Journal of Sport Management.
“Sport managers aiming to boost their profits should focus their attention primarily on men in the highest educational levels and workers in certain professional status categories,” said the Spanish researchers.
The paper also found that while 16 - to 25-year-olds spend more money on sports than 56 - to 60 -year-olds, older people spend more time playing sports. Income levels had no effect on athletic participation.
Breaking the gender barrier
A study of 11- to 13-year-olds found that boys who compete in stereotypically female sports as well as stereotypically male sports feel better about themselves than boys who only compete in traditionally male sports.
According to the researchers, “boys who participated in both sports types experienced higher perceived co-ordination, physical activity, sports competence, physical appearance, strength and endurance.”
Meanwhile, girls who compete in “male” sports think they're strong, according the study in December's Journal of Sport Behavior. According to the researchers, “girls who participated in both sports types reported significantly higher perceived strength than girls who participated only in [female] sports.”
The study suggested that only people with high self-esteem would be confident enough to participate in sports associated with the opposite gender.
Falling off wagon in off-season
College athletes drink more during the summer than during their sports season, according to a new study in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.
The average male athlete has 11.1 drinks per week during the sports season, while consuming 18.7 drinks per week during the off-season. Females are more conservative drinkers -- they down 5.8 drinks per week during the season, compared with 9.1 during the break.
The researchers suggested that the difference may be due to limited free time during the sports season, but that during the off-season, “athletes may feel like they have the opportunity to socialize like a ‘normal student,' resulting in increased use of alcohol.” The study examined data from 160 NCAA Division I athletes from 11 sports.
Why ride a bike?
A research paper in December's Journal of Sport Behavior has tried to decipher the age-old question of why anyone would want to ride a bike.
The answer? Most people ride bikes to achieve goals: to lose weight or alleviate other health concerns.
Comparing men and women, the study of 1,239 cyclists found that women were much more likely than men to ride bikes to lose weight, to feel part of a group and to better their self-esteem.
But if there's more to cycling than meets the eye, it's the mountain bikers who are discovering it. According to the study, “mountain bikers were significantly more likely than road cyclists to endorse life meaning . . . as a motivation for cycling.”
He shoots up, he scores!
Almost half of college hockey players have taken ephedra, a substance banned by the NCAA, according to a study published in December's International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.
Ephedra is a stimulant that, like adrenaline, increases heart rate and blood pressure and makes breathing easier. It can also cause seizures and heart attacks and was blamed for the deaths of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Belcher in 2003 and football player Korey Stringer in 2001.
The survey of 139 NCAA Division I hockey players found that 48.5 per cent had taken ephedra at some point, but that 61.7 per cent of users had not taken ephedra in the past year.
While the majority of users started taking ephedra while playing junior hockey, one-third started taking it during high school.
The authors suggested, “a more visible, credible testing program that spans all college sports may be necessary.” Currently, only 15 per cent of players surveyed are tested by the NCAA for the drug.
Smart working men buy sports
Highly educated white-collar men spend the most money on sport-related expenses, according to a study in this month's Journal of Sport Management.
“Sport managers aiming to boost their profits should focus their attention primarily on men in the highest educational levels and workers in certain professional status categories,” said the Spanish researchers.
The paper also found that while 16 - to 25-year-olds spend more money on sports than 56 - to 60 -year-olds, older people spend more time playing sports. Income levels had no effect on athletic participation.
Breaking the gender barrier
A study of 11- to 13-year-olds found that boys who compete in stereotypically female sports as well as stereotypically male sports feel better about themselves than boys who only compete in traditionally male sports.
According to the researchers, “boys who participated in both sports types experienced higher perceived co-ordination, physical activity, sports competence, physical appearance, strength and endurance.”
Meanwhile, girls who compete in “male” sports think they're strong, according the study in December's Journal of Sport Behavior. According to the researchers, “girls who participated in both sports types reported significantly higher perceived strength than girls who participated only in [female] sports.”
The study suggested that only people with high self-esteem would be confident enough to participate in sports associated with the opposite gender.
