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Specialization in sports: A theoretical approach
Anne C Wunderlich1, Florian Follert2, Frank Daumann3
1Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
Plos One
|May 5, 2021
Summary
This study explores factors influencing national sports specialization patterns. It introduces a lobbying theory-based model to explain variations at the meso-level, offering an economic perspective on elite sports success.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Economics
- Sociology
Background:
- National sports success has historically been linked to geographical factors and macro-level determinants like Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
- Existing research primarily focuses on macro-level factors, overlooking variations in sports specialization among countries with similar macro-level characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify meso-level determinants influencing sports specialization patterns.
- To propose a model explaining diverse specialization patterns within and between countries, even those with similar macro-level factors.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on sports science, economics, and lobbying theory.
- Development of a conceptual model based on lobbying theory to explain sports specialization.
Main Results:
- Macro-level factors alone do not fully explain national sports specialization patterns.
- A lobbying theory-based model can elucidate variations in sports specialization at both continental and national levels, considering meso-level influences.
Conclusions:
- Meso-level factors, particularly those explained by lobbying theory, are crucial for understanding sports specialization.
- This economic perspective contributes to elite sports research and calls for empirical testing of the proposed model.
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