Experts in Sport

Dr Tom Webb, Associate Professor in the Centre for Business in Society at Coventry University, joins Dr Stuart McErlain-Naylor to discuss officiating within sports and the challenges that face referees and other officials across the landscape. 

Throughout the episode, conversations around the role and purpose of a sports official are centred, alongside the perception of sports officials as athletes, embracing the introduction of technologies such as VAR, and debating what constitutes a successful outcome.

Timestamps:

0.00-4.30 - Introduction and background

4.31-7.49 - How does lack of research affect the representation of sports officials

7.50-13.45 - Referee and Sports Official Research Network and further projects

13.46-23.50 - Role and purpose of a sports official

23.51-27.15 - Embracing and working with technology to officiate

27.16-33.00 - Perception of the official as an athlete

33.01-36.02 - What does a successful outcome look like? 

36.03-40.40 - Errors, re-refereeing and the introduction of VAR

40.41-47.47 - Issue of recruitment and retention within sports and solutions

47.48-50.53 - Examples outside of sport to improve experience

50.54-54.04 - Outro and further work

Dr Verity Postlethwaite, a doctoral prize fellow at Loughborough University, Ruth Hollis, and Amy Finch join Experts in Sport host Martin Foster to discuss Spirit of 2012 and the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games on UK populations.

Timestamps:

0.00-5.04 - Introduction

5.05-8.14 - Formation of Spirit of 2012 

8.15-10.43 - Providing opportunities for societal change

10.44-14.42 - Catering to different demographics during the event

14.43-21.38 - Achievements since 2012 and convening people from different sectors

21.39-29.04 - Biggest challenges within the landscape

29.05-32.00 - Lasting legacy on the UK population

32.01-37.00 - Should every event attempt to achieve societal change

37.01-45.35 - Partnerships including Loughborough University and others

45.36-47.49 - Advice for future event organiser

47.50-49.55 - Conclusion and outros

Racism is an integral issue in the arena of sport, but how can its history and mediated culture assist in breaking down barriers for athletes moving forward?

In this episode of the Experts in Sport podcast, hosted by Martin Foster, Dr Nik Dickerson, from Loughborough University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, features as a guest to discuss the wider issues surrounding racism and its entwinement with masculinity in sport media.

Highly contested issues within sport are decoded, including Colin Kaepernick’s explicit protest (taking the knee during the national anthem at an NFL game) to highlight racial injustices facing African American men, as well as incidences of police brutality.

Dr Enora Le Flao (Postdoctoral Scholar, The Ohio State University), Dr Lizzy Williams (Senior Lecturer, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Swansea University) and David Powell (PhD student, Swansea University) discuss concussions in Rugby Union and instrumented mouth-guards, which have embedded sensors to measure linear and angular kinematics of the head.

Time Stamps:

0:00-4:20 Intros

4:20-5:09 What is the rationale behind all this?

5:09-11:23 How has this been previously done and where are we now?

11:23-12:59 Is the mouthguard a replacement for visual monitoring – medical threshold?

12:59-14:44 False positives and negatives

14:44-17:59 What causes concussion?

17:59-22:58 How do the mouth guards work? What are they monitoring?

22:58-26:17 Training and workload

26:17-30:25 Sex differences

30:25-32:03 Misconceptions and eventual aims

32:03-40:00 Further research

40:00-42:52 Other sports

42:53-46:20 Further information

46:20-47:28 Outro and goodbyes

Joanna Czutkowna, a Doctoral Researcher at Loughborough University, joins Experts in Sport host Martin Foster to discuss sustainability of the fashion and sport industries and the big problems that future generations will potentially face as a result of waste.

Timestamps:

0.00-2.30 – Introduction to guest & work

2.31-5.32 – Overview of sustainability

5.33-6.54 – Issues within the fashion industry

6.55-8.54 – Charity shops, markets and clothing waste

8.55-13.20 – Sports industry’s contribution

13.21-16.51 – UEFA leading the way

16.52-21.45 – Scope 3 emissions

21.46-24.09 – What are the most sustainable materials?

24.10-26.15 – Circular business models

26.16-28.28 – Grassroots sport

28.29-33.50 – Culture of repair & the modern education system

33.51-37.00 – Neurodiversity’s part in sustainability

37.01-39.26 – Cricket kitting out

39.27-44.52 – Fans & participants facilitating change

44.53-45.28 – Outro & goodbyes

Dr Rob Gray (Associate Professor in Human Systems Engineering at Arizona State University) talks about coaching in sport as well as skill acquisition in baseball and the future of virtual reality in sport

Timestamps

00:00 - 03:41 - Introduction to guest, background and topic

03:42 - 09:49 - What is skill acquisition?

09:50 - 14:08 - Consistency vs improvement

14:09 - 20:39 - The role of the coach in skill acquisition

20:40 - 24:19 - What would a typical study consist of?

24:20 - 35:10 - Virtual reality in coaching and skill acquisition

35:11 - 41:15 - The variability of the virtual world compared to the real world

41:16 - 48:35 - Where is research and coaching going in the next few years

48:36 - 51:42 - Where to find out more about the topic in the episode

Jo Maher (Pro Vice-chancellor for Sport), Lamonte Winston (Head of NFL Academy at Loughborough) and Steve Hagan (Head Coach at the NFL Academy at Loughborough) talk about the NFL Academy, Super Bowl and the future of American football in the UK.

Timestamps

00:00 - 02:24 - Introductions to guests, topic and backgrounds

02:25 - 09:25 - How did the partnership between Loughborough and the NFL Academy start?

09:26 - 12:21 - The transferable skills from other sports

12:22 - 24:33 - Where are we today with the standard of the NFL Academy?

24:34 - 28:59 - When will we see a Loughborough student at the Super Bowl?

29:00 - 41:19 - How is the partnership going and what can be achieved in the future? 41:20 - 42:27 - Final thoughts, thank you and goodbyes.

Dr Mark Doidge (Reader in Sociology of Sport), Katie Cross (Founder of Pledgeball) and Jenny Amann (PhD student at Loughborough University talk about the impact of climate change on sport.

Timestamps

00:00 - 06:03 - Introduction to guests, background and topic of the episode

06:04 - 09:02 - What is Pledgeball now and how do people get involved?

09:03 - 15:06 - Loughborough University's involvement in this topic

15:07 - 17:00 - Personal appreciation of the sport and reasons for involvement

17:01 - 20:39 - How does Pledgeball attempt to mobilise fans into making climate-related changes?

20:40 - 39:54 - What are common pledges and types of pledges

39:55 - 51:47 - “I hadn’t realised change is NOT a difficult thing, mobilising football fans on climate change”

51:48 - 54:32 - Cultural change in football

54:33 - 58:28 - Where is research regarding climate action and nature?

58:29 - 01:01:09 - The power of sport to be agents of change, Thank you to the guests and final thoughts

Abdul Faisal Chibsah (FIFA High Performance Specialist) talks about the Africa Cup Of Nations (AFCON) and the importance of the development of football in Africa.

Timestamps

00:00 - 07:52 - Introduction to guest, background, and the topic of the episode

07:53 - 16:46 - Africa Cup of Nations and issues of football in Africa

16:47 - 22:34 - Talent development in Africa

22:35 - 26:17 – Women’s game in Africa

26:18 - 41:48 - What infrastructure is being put in place?

41:48 - 48:36 - Player pathways

48:37 - 52:50 - What does the future of football in Africa look like and which nations are the driving force behind this development?

52:51 - 54:40 - Predictions for AFCON

54:41 - 55:53 - First African nation to win the World Cup

55:54 - 57:55 - Final comments, thank you and goodbyes

Dr Laurence Warren-Westgate (Assistant Professor in Sport, Exercise and Health Psychology at the University of Nottingham talks about deception, anticipation, psychology and biomechanics in rugby with host Stuart McErlain-Naylor. 

Timestamps

00:00 - 04:23 - Introduction to guest, background and the topic of the episode

04:24 - 08:33 - Anticipation in sport: Why is it important?

08:33 - 13:59 - How have anticipation and deception been studied before?

14:00 - 19:40 - How do we recreate this in realistic scenarios?

19:41 - 28:58 - Why are the successful players looking at certain areas?

28:59 - 35:11 - Can you create context-specific actions to lure opponents into traps?

35:12 - 41:36 - Are professionals actually better at deception than amateurs?

41:36 - 43:06 - Are visual elements the same in both phases of play?

43:07- 45:26 - How does bias come into play with deception and interception?

45:27 - 47:47 - What is next?

47:48 - 49:48 - Links, thank yous and goodbyes from the guest.