The impact of environmental barriers on attendance of outdoor and indoor professional sports: the case of the South Korean soccer, baseball and basketball leagues

PurposeThis study sought to determine if environmental barriers (i.e. air pollution, temperature and precipitation) affect outdoor (i.e. soccer and baseball) and indoor (i.e. basketball) professional sport attendance in South Korea.Design/methodology/approachBy including actual air quality, temperature and precipitation data collected from each place where the sporting events take place, this study conducted a regression analysis to examine factors that influenced outdoor and indoor sport attendance.FindingsIn outdoor sports, the estimated results suggested that soccer and baseball attendance were not affected by air pollution. Indoor sport consumers did not change their consumption behaviors in attending sports despite the presence of air pollution. In addition, there was mixed evidence on the effect of weather-related variables on attendance. Average temperature had a positive effect on baseball (outdoor) and basketball (indoor) sport attendance, indicating that the warmer the temperature, the more likely those fans were to attend the games. Average precipitation was negatively associated with outdoor (soccer) sport spectators.Originality/valueThe present study contributes to the sport environment literature by examining the impact of environmental barriers on spectators' behaviors in the context of outdoor and indoor professional sports.

Participation in Sports Activities before and after the Outbreak of COVID-19: Analysis of Data from the 2020 Korea National Sports Participation Survey

The present study aimed to describe the characteristics and rate of participation in sports activities, changes in sports, and the causes of these changes before and after the COVID-19 out-break in Korea using data from the 2020 Korea National Sports Participation Survey (KNSPS). Furthermore, evidence from this study could be used as basic data to maintain and promote sports activities given the current situation, in which the continued spread of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, is likely. The KNSPS is an annual survey of subjective health and fitness, sports activities and conditions, and participation in sports activities, conducted among a sample comprising the entire Korean population. The current study analyzed data for 9000 participants, and descriptive statistical analysis was performed to calculate the frequency of each item and sample weight. The rate of regular participation in sports activities at least once a week was found to be 60.10% in 2020, representing a decrease of 6.48% from the rate observed in 2019. Among the types of sports facilities frequently used within the residential area, the most common facilities were private sports facilities (22.97%), other sports facilities (20.60%), and public sports facilities (18.97%), although the utilization rate for other sports facilities increased after the COVID-19 outbreak. After the COVID-19 outbreak, 34.12% of men and 29.72% of women responded that there had been a change in their participation in regular sports activities. Both before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, walking was the most common activity, although the participation rate increased from 29.23% in 2019 to 35.70% in 2020. The rankings and participation rates for indoor sports activities (bodybuilding, swimming, etc.) tended to decrease, while those for outdoor sports activities (climbing, cycling, etc.) tended to increase. These changes may be explained in part by the increasing concern regarding infection with increasing age, except among teenagers, and by economic factors. While participation in physical activity provides numerous health benefits, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on regular participation in sports activities. The results of this survey suggest that government action is required to enhance participation in sports activities, even in the face of a pandemic.

Battery Efficiency in Outdoor Sports Environments for Mobile Pervasive Augmented Reality Systems

This work analyses energy expenditure in outdoor sport environments with augmented reality technology. Battery efficiency is becoming a relevant topic in the context of the varied outdoor end-user services, among other realms. It is a key to the acceptance and use of mobile technology. In outdoor environments, battery efficiency can be low, especially when information based on close-to-real-time requires internet access and the use of sensors. Such requirement is today evident with the growth of internet dependence and multiple sensors, which perform both actively and passively via fitness gadgets, smartphones, pervasive systems, and other personal mobile gadgets. In this context, it is relevant to understand how energy is spent with the accelerometer, global position system, and internet access (Wi-Fi or mobile data) providing smart data for outdoor sports activities. Through a prototype, an analysis is made based on the current battery autonomy, and an algorithm model for better battery efficiency is proposed.

The Value of Meteorological Data in Optimizing the Pattern of Physical Load—A Forecast Model of Rowing Pacing Strategy

Mastering the information of arena environment is the premise for athletes to optimize their patterns of physical load. Therefore, improving the forecast accuracy of the arena conditions is an urgent task in competitive sports. This paper excavates the meteorological features that have great influence on outdoor events such as rowing and their influence on the pacing strategy. We selected the meteorological data of Tokyo from 1979 to 2020 to forecast the meteorology during the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games, analyzed the athletes’ pacing choice under different temperatures, humidity and sports levels, and then recommend the best pacing strategy for rowing teams of China. The model proposed in this paper complements the absence of meteorological features in the arena environment assessment and provides an algorithm basis for improving the forecast performance of pacing strategies in outdoor sports.

ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ОПТОВОЛОКНА ЯК СКЛАДОВОЇ ЗАГАЛЬНОГО ЗОВНІШНЬОГО ОСВІТЛЕННЯДЛЯ СТВОРЕННЯ МАКСИМАЛЬНОГО РІВНЯ ЕНЕРГОЕФЕКТИВНОСТІ

Purpose. To develop a new lighting system for children's sports complexes. The introduction of the developed technology will improve the state of illumination of outdoor sports grounds without creating light pollution and increasing additional energy-efficient costs.Methodology. The combined technique of the technology of using two types of light sources, namely: low-power LED floodlights and optical fiber with a single light source, allows you to create an energy-efficient field illumination system. The proposed solution can be used for full illumination of street children's complexes. The selection of the parameters of the lighting system was carried out on the example of a real sports and children's complex.Findings. The performed measurements of the real parameters of the existing sports ground and taking into account its geometry allowed us to calculate the light parameters of light sources, select the appropriate materials and create a complete lighting model. A new lighting technology for sports and children's complexes has been developed, the level of lighting of sports facilities has been improved without creating light pollution.Originality. For the first time, a combined technology of illumination of sports and children's playgrounds was proposed using optical fiber and LED floodlights. The introduction of the developed technology will improve the state of illumination of such structures without creating an unnecessary light load on residents who are near the site. Moreover, such lighting will not lead to an increase in additional energy costs.Practical value. Today, most outdoor sports and entertainment venues are devoid of any lighting. The proposed complex solution can be used in any existing field lighting system. It is the most efficient and electrically safe because the optical fiber does not conduct electricity, but light. The light source itself can be located remotely and protected from vandals.

Turbans vs. Helmets: A Systematic Narrative Review of the Literature on Head Injuries and Impact Loci of Cranial Trauma in Several Recreational Outdoor Sports

When in public, faith-based mandates require practising Sikh men to wear a turban which may not be covered by hats or caps. This makes it impossible for practising Sikhs to wear helmets and other protective headwear, mandatory in many countries and facilities for engagement in recreational pursuits (e.g., skiing) and on adventure outdoor recreation camps mandatorily run for school groups. The result is often social exclusion and ostracisation in the case of school children. Despite studies into the efficacy of protective helmets in some recreational outdoor activity settings, virtually nothing is known about the protective potential of turbans. This paper systematically reviews the extant literature on head injuries in several recreational outdoor activities and sports sectors (aerial, water, winter, wheeled and animal-based sports) and finds that the extant literature is of limited value when trying to understand the spatial distribution of trauma on the cranial surface. As the data do not permit to make inferences on the protective potential of turbans, future systematic, evidence-based epidemiological studies derived from hospital admissions and forensic examinations are required. Failure to do so perpetuates social exclusion and discrimination of religious grounds without an evidentiary basis for defensible public health measures.

Where to hike? Mobile application for guiding tourists in the Bükkalja Region, Hungary

Hiking is one of the most popular outdoor sports activities in Hungary. Despite not having many mountainous areas, a wide network of hiking trails crosses the country’s landscapes. As online tourist maps and thematic mobile applications become more and more popular among hikers, the role of paper-based, analogue tourist maps decreases. However, no thematic application has been issued that contains detailed surveyed (or crowdsourced) data on attractions or the natural circumstances (coverage, difficulty) for a certain area in Hungary yet. Nature tourism in the Bükkalja Region, Hungary is mostly based on geological-geomorphological features that are completed with cultural facilities. The length of the hiking trail system is more than 370 km in the examined 354 km2 large sample area. We have developed an OS mobile application that offers guidance for tourists based on four basic pillars: the physical condition of the trails, the attractions along a trail, dangerous trail segments and hiking trail marking quality. These pillars are visualized with an OpenLayers-based online map. The result is a multi-purpose smartphone application. Its main aim is to offer a planning platform for tourists by examining the difficulty of the trails and designating the attractions to visit. There is information on the most important attractions of the area: cultural and geoscientific sites are also presented. We also encourage users to report changes to the map data content via the crowdsourcing menu. These comments and remarks are continuously checked for validity and the database is modified with the use of them.

Effect of Ecological Environment on Outdoor Sports

The quality of ecological environment directly affects the effect of outdoor exercise and outdoor physical education. In this study, the principles of integrity, dynamic, systematic and difference of ecology are integrated into the process of outdoor exercise and outdoor physical education in Colleges and universities. This paper attempts to comprehensively reflect on the impact of the current ecological environment on outdoor physical exercise and teaching effect from the perspective of ecology, so as to reform and improve the current outdoor sports mode. Based on the theories of physical education, pedagogy, ecology and other related disciplines, this paper studies the influence of ecological environment on outdoor exercise and outdoor physical education teaching mode in Colleges and universities. This paper analyzes the above problems from the perspective of ecology, and draws the following conclusions: innovation and optimization of outdoor physical exercise and teaching mode in Colleges and universities from the perspective of ecology should adhere to the guiding ideology of lifelong physical education and people's all-round development. It is necessary to establish the concept of ecological evaluation, give full play to the subjective initiative of evaluation objects, and establish multiple evaluation standards. By comprehensively innovating and optimizing the college physical exercise teaching mode from the various elements of the teaching mode, we can build an ecological college outdoor physical exercise and teaching mode that is more suitable for the construction of ecological civilization.

Environmental Factors of College Students' Outdoor Sports Participation from the Perspective of Ecosystem Theory

With the rapid development of urbanization and industrialization, there are a series of ecological environment problems. Ecological environment is one of the basic environmental elements for human survival, and physical exercise also needs to be carried out in a certain appropriate environment. In particular, outdoor physical exercise, more need to have a good ecological environment as a guarantee. This paper discusses the feasibility of outdoor sports as a means of education from the perspectives of ecosystem and behavior. In terms of theoretical analysis, on the basis of fully understanding the research status of outdoor sports at home and abroad, this paper summarizes the concepts and theories related to outdoor sports, and makes an in-depth discussion on the content of outdoor sports. This paper makes a theoretical analysis on the development of outdoor sports in Colleges and universities. At the same time, this paper discusses that carrying out outdoor sports among college students is in line with the needs of cultivating all-round development people in higher physical education. This paper holds that outdoor sports are closely related to environmental factors. Improving the ecological environment is conducive to the cultivation of a good and positive way of life for college students of physical education.

MTBalance

Mountain Biking (MTB) is an increasingly popular outdoors activity which offers a unqiue connection to nature along with the health benefits of cardiovascular exercise. Yet, complex MTB technique is an entry barrier that often prevent novices from enjoying the sport. Developing interactive systems, which can support developing MTB proficiency can augment the outdoor experience and make the sport available to a larger group of users. To that end, we designed, implemented and evaluate MTBalance - a system which provides body posture feedback for beginner mountain bikers. Based on inertial tracking, MTBalance informs the user about how to correct their posture to improve MTB performance. We conducted a study in which we compared different feedback modalities for MTBalance. We observed that the system increased perceived balance awareness. Our work provides insights for designing body awareness systems for outdoor sports.