William Crossan | Charles University, Prague (original) (raw)

Papers by William Crossan

Acta Gymnica, Apr 19, 2022

Background: Increases in early sport specialization, professionalization of youth sports, and lei... more Background: Increases in early sport specialization, professionalization of youth sports, and leisure opportunities have led to growing numbers of youth dropping out of competitive sport. Understanding youth sport motivation and reasons for dropout is essential to crafting national federation policy, finance, and strategy decisions, as well as for clubs in aiding youth to reach their maximum potential. Objective: The study explored the leisure constraints perceived by former Czech youth football players as their main reasons for dropout. Based on leisure constraints theory, the hierarchical relationship between structural, intrapersonal, and interpersonal constraints was analyzed. Methods: A modified Czech version of Gould et al.'s Questionnaire of Reasons for Attrition (1982) was used to survey former Czech football players who dropped out between the ages of 13 and 18 years old. Data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to determine the relative prevalence of, and hierarchical relationship between, leisure constraints. Results: The participants' reasons for attrition were grouped into six factors corresponding to intrapersonal constraints (Low interest, Perceived low skills), interpersonal constraints (Team climate and the coach, Peer relationships) and structural constraints (Lacking family resources, External costs/low rewards). The participants most frequently reported interpersonal constraints (Team climate and the coach) and intrapersonal constraints (Low interest and Perceived low skills). Peer relationships significantly predicted intrapersonal constraints, including Perceived low skills (β = .482, p = .050) and Low interest (β = .914, p = .013); and Team climate and the coach significantly predicted Perceived low skills (β = .245, p = .036). Conclusions: Our results emphasize the importance of intrapersonal constraints and interpersonal constraints related to the team climate as the most significant reasons for dropout in Czech youth football. Based on these findings, we conclude that the coach, including coaching education, is the best place for the federation and clubs to address attrition in Czech football.

Acta Universitatis Carolinae. Kinanthropologica, Sep 26, 2016

This study examines the effects of the sport migration that occurred over a 12 year period in the... more This study examines the effects of the sport migration that occurred over a 12 year period in the secondary sport of basketball in the Czech Republic, in terms of its effect on the popularity of the sport within the culture. The factors of fan attendance and youth membership are isolated and measured quantitatively, using multi-level analysis within teams, between teams and at a federation level. The study was carried out in order to measure the effect of the use of immigrant athletes from an individual team management perspective and from a league growth perspective. It was found that while foreigners displace national athletes, fans were attracted to the use of foreigners and youth were attracted to play the game. The use of foreigners had the most significant correlations at the between team level to home attendance and final placement in the league. Multi-level analysis was used to show that the use of foreigners can be a facilitator for federations and team management to build the popularity of secondary sports in a culture, with certain limitations. This quantitative study of a secondary sport is an addition to the majority of the literature on sport migration, which has been largely conducted on primary sports from a qualitative, sociological perspective.

European Journal for Sport and Society, Jan 2, 2017

The use of foreigners in Czech basketball is examined as per its response to globalization using ... more The use of foreigners in Czech basketball is examined as per its response to globalization using an analysis of print media. Basketball is a secondary sport in Czech culture and thus the globalization responses are less contested than might be expected based on previous sport migration studies in primary sports, and previous research showing Czech homogeny. The study parallels methodology initially outlined by Alan Klein, using a review of print media to study sport globalization; the results from a secondary sport are compared with those observed by Klein in a primary sport. The response to the phenomena of sport migration in the secondary sport of basketball in the semi-periphery country of the Czech Republic is shown to be one of commodification or passive cultural acceptance. This finding differs from the broader observations of rejection of foreigners in Czech identified by others, but is explained by the secondary position of basketball freeing it from ties to nationalism, collective identity and protected space in Czech culture. The cultural response found in Czech basketball also differs to that found in Dominican baseball by Klein, but the patterns of print media coverage demonstrate a high degree of similarity.

Acta Gymnica, Apr 13, 2021

Background: Sport media coverage of women's participation has long been viewed as perpetuating he... more Background: Sport media coverage of women's participation has long been viewed as perpetuating hegemonic masculinity. Yet several authors have found recent coverage of mega, multi-sport events, such as the Summer Olympic Games, to be more equitable towards women, particularly when examined proportionally to participation. The Czech Republic for various reasons has traditionally been resistant to feminist ideology, marking its unique positioning in providing an equitable presentation of women's participation. Objective: To examine the influence of hegemonic masculinity in an Eastern European culture, portrayed through Czech online media coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Methods: Online media coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games was examined for gendered differences of Czech athletes. Analysis of number of articles, length of articles, type of sport, and whether the article was about domestic or foreign athletes, was evaluated over 17 days of media coverage on two dominant Czech sport media websites. Results were compared in relation to gender, participation rates and medal success. Results: A total of 860 articles were reviewed, with 49.7% favoring male athletes, and 38.6% female. Articles about female athletes were largely composed of reporting on female medal winners (medal winning: media coverage correlation .845, p < .001), while those on male athletes were predominantly from the cultural dominant sport of men's ice hockey (25.1%). Conclusions: The findings suggest that success is more important than perpetuations of hegemonic masculinity when men and women are competing in mega, multi-sport events. Implications of these findings are also provided in terms of type of media coverage and influences of equity in media coverage for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

Studia sportiva, Jul 13, 2015

Acta Universitatis Carolinae. Kinanthropologica, Dec 17, 2020

This study is focused on the issue of sport service validation in the fitness domain; it aims to ... more This study is focused on the issue of sport service validation in the fitness domain; it aims to propose a systematic procedure for evaluating the quality of services in the Czech fitness industry. Cross-cultural transfer and validation of the SERVQUAL method (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, Berry, 1988), which was originally validated for American customers, is discussed practically. The modified Czech version of the SERVQUAL questionnaire was the main tool of data collection in the market research of six fitness centers chosen randomly with a sum of 697 participants. Upon completion of data collection, the reliability of the model was repeatedly evaluated by means of SEM-Structural Equation Modelling. Based on the SEM results a hierarchical structured model was designed with a general factor and four factors corresponding to questionnaire subscales.

Acta kinesiologica, 2009

Multilevel analysis is used to evaluate the elements which compose fan attendance in Czech basket... more Multilevel analysis is used to evaluate the elements which compose fan attendance in Czech basketball. The data set analyzed is comprised of a ten year study of 18 teams which played in the highest Czech basketball league. This study differs from other demand studies which evaluate fan attendance in that a cultural secondary sport, basketball, is studied in a globally semi-periphery country, the Czech Republic. Previous studies have focused on primary sports in globally core countries. The study shows multilevel analysis to be a useful methodology for demand studies of fan attendance. It was shown that there is a slightly increasing linear tendency in attendance across time. The independent variables of final place and number of foreigners and are measured across time as the time-varying predictors of the dependent variable of fan attendance within teams. The independent variable of hall capacity was considered as the time-invariant predictor of growth rates and attendance initial statuses between teams. It was shown that final place is and number of foreigner players is not a good single predictor of attendance, respectively. Finally, the findings confirmed that the growth rate within teams is limited by the team's hall capacity.

Title: Sporting immigrants and their effect on sport growth and popularity in a culture: A case s... more Title: Sporting immigrants and their effect on sport growth and popularity in a culture: A case study in Czech basketball Keywords: Sport migration, globalization, figurational theory, basketball Statement of the Problem: This study will examine the influence that immigrant athletes have on attendance and youth development in the Czech basketball league. This study is a descriptive, non- experimental, longitudinal case study in the genre of globalization in sport. This study examines the use of immigrant athletes to build non-primary sport popularity at the micro level (team, club, entity) and macro level (league, federation and nation). Purpose of the Study: This study is being undertaken to evaluate the practice of using immigrant athletes in the Czech basketball league as a cornerstone of the club business plan and sport growth. The long-term growth of the sport both to be consumed and to be partaken needs to be examined in light of the globalization which is taking place. Increa...

Acta Gymnica

Background: Sport media coverage of women’s participation has long been viewed as perpetuating he... more Background: Sport media coverage of women’s participation has long been viewed as perpetuating hegemonic masculinity. Yet several authors have found recent coverage of mega, multi-sport events, such as the Summer Olympic Games, to be more equitable towards women, particularly when examined proportionally to participation. The Czech Republic for various reasons has traditionally been resistant to feminist ideology, marking its unique positioning in providing an equitable presentation of women’s participation. Objective: To examine the influence of hegemonic masculinity in an Eastern European culture, portrayed through Czech online media coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Methods: Online media coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games was examined for gendered differences of Czech athletes. Analysis of number of articles, length of articles, type of sport, and whether the article was about domestic or foreign athletes, was evaluated over 17 days of media coverage on two domina...

Studia sportiva

Hlavním cílem stati je seznámit české sportovní prostředí s fenoménem kaplanství, které pomáhá ji... more Hlavním cílem stati je seznámit české sportovní prostředí s fenoménem kaplanství, které pomáhá již několik desetiletí zejména v anglosaském prostředí formovat osobnosti sportovců a řešit jejich osobní problémy. Další intencí je ukázat důležitost skutečně všestranného rozvoje sportovců, a to včetně zložky duchovní. Autoři volí nejprve metodu širšího průzkumu profese kaplana i v dalších oblastech, kde se již v České republice etablovala – jde o prostředí nemocniční, vojenské a univerzitní. U sportovního kaplanství jde zejména o analýzu zkušeností anglosaského světa sportu, kde má tato specifická profese nejdelší tradici a je nejvíce propracována. Interpretována byla situace v olympijském hnutí, v severoamerických profesionálních ligách (americký fotbal, baseball a hokej) a v Anglii (fotbal, kriket a golf). V závěru jsou ukázána dvě obsahová jádra kaplanství a naznačena využitelnost zahraničních zkušeností pro české sportovní prostředí.

Journal of Sport Behavior, 2021

Without deliberate reflection on and implementation of values in the coaching process, coaches ar... more Without deliberate reflection on and implementation of values in the coaching process, coaches are unlikely to emphasize moral values and may miss opportunities for their instrumental use. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the values which coaches desired to be guided by in their coaching practice, and the values which they hoped to develop in the athletes entrusted to their care. Participants were 571 coaches from seven sports in the Czech Republic who were asked to complete a survey containing open and closed responses concerning coaching values. Specifically, they were asked to identify the values that guided their coaching and the values they sought to develop on their teams. Results indicated that values of Hard Work and Respect for Others were the most important, regardless of gender, age coached, experience, licensing, or level coached. We suggest that Eastern coaches, who are largely still heavily influenced by the coaching methodology of the former Soviet Bloc, would benefit from the intentional implementation of instrumental development values that align with the developmental needs of the athletes they coach.

Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research, 2021

A philosophical framework for success in coaching is established, upon which the results of 571 c... more A philosophical framework for success in coaching is established, upon which the results of 571 coaches’ views of success in coaching is consequently evaluated. The coaches are Czech nationals from seven sports, who coach all age groups from U8 to adult professional teams, with length of experience ranging from 1 to 26 years (mean 7.1). Success definitions were coded and categorized before being analyzed across sport, age group coached, experience and licensing level. Hal-lowell’s success cycle is used as a standard of evaluation. Results were also assessed in terms of modern coaching philosophies. Overall, it was shown that the most common definition of success by coaches fell into the Sport Growth domain (31.7%), by which they primarily meant Player Development (20.6% of these coaches). The second most common domain for defining success was Performance (28.2%), primarily defined in terms of Winning (15.5%). Emotional Growth (21.1%) and Personal Growth (7.6%), though emphasized in ...