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Background: In an unprecedented situation of interruption of the sporting dynamics, the world of sport is going through a series of adaptations necessary to continue functioning despite coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). More than ever, athletes are facing a different challenge, a source of discomfort and uncertainty, and one that absolutely alters not only sports calendars, but also trajectories, progressions, and approaches to sports life. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the levels of psychological vulnerability that may have been generated in the athletes, because of the coexistence with dysfunctional responses during the COVID-19 experience, and which directly influence the decrease of their mental health.Methods: With a descriptive and transversal design, the study aims to identify the state of the dysfunctional psychological response of a sample of Spanish athletes (N = 284). The DASS-21 (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale), Toronto-20 (alexithymia), and Distress Tolerance Scale questionnaires were administered to a sample of high-level Spanish athletes in Olympic programs.Results: The results suggest that the analyzed athletes indicate high levels of dysfunctional response (e.g., anxiety, stress, depression, and alexithymia) when their tolerance is low. In addition, the variables show less relational strength, when the capacity of tolerance to distress is worse and age is lower. At the same time, the greater the anxiety and uncertainty are, leading to more catastrophic and negative thoughts, the younger the athletes are.Conclusions: It is clear that both age and tolerance to distress are considered adequate protective factors for psychological vulnerability in general and for associated dysfunctional responses in particular. Moreover, the psychological resources offered by more experienced athletes are also a guarantee of protection against negativity and catastrophism.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the stadiums in Turkey within the scope of sustainability and evaluate their impact on sustainable urban development.Design/methodology/approachIn the study, at first, the “Sustainable Stadium Assessment Tool”, where the final score ranges from 0 to 100 and the evaluation is made as bronze, silver, gold and platinum according to the score ranges, is developed. With this assessment tool, a total of 20 stadiums built or renovated/restored between 2008 and 2018 in Turkey is examined in social, environmental, economic dimensions within the scope of sustainability, and the current situation is revealed within the frame of sustainable urban development.FindingsAs a result of the study, it was determined that among the stadiums evaluated, only two stadiums have sustainability properties at platinum level, three stadiums at gold level while the remaining stadiums mainly at silver level.Originality/valueTo date, no assessment tool has been created in the field of sports management that can assess the sustainable properties of stadiums. Therefore, the “Sustainable Stadium Assessment Tool” created within the scope of the study is the foremost in the field of sports sciences and sports management with its different qualities in national and international terms. In addition, the examination of the stadiums in the social, environmental, economic dimensions within the scope of sustainability and revealed the current situation is also the first, and it contains information that will make very significant scientific contributions to the relevant field.

The concept of sustainable production/consumption is one of the key points that need to be addressed in terms of measures and alternatives. As one of the most important industries today, the sports industry appeals to a wide range of consumers through various goods and services offered to consumers. The present view is that it is important to look out for sustainable production/consumption and to implement sustainability strategies both in terms of enterprises and of products and services offered to consumers. In this context, the main purpose of this study is to describe and examine the sustainability strategies of enterprises that produce goods and services in the sports sector. Within the scope of this inquiry, this study utilized the qualitative research technique of semi-structured interviewing. The interviews with senior managers in the sports sector were conducted in the Turkish city of Eskişehir. The results showed that the awareness levels of the companies regarding sustainability are lacking and that the corresponding strategies implemented were also insufficient.

<em><span>Defined as an easy and automated way of expressing emotions in the digital age, emojis are emerging as a new language in the social media world and sports clubs also. For sports clubs, it is of vital importance to communicate and establish effective relations with fans or followers. Hence, almost all professional sports clubs use social media and shape their social media accounts to interact with fans/followers and effectively maintain marketing communication efforts.</span></em><span> <em>The aim of this study was to determine the content of emoji usage in tweets of Turkish sports clubs (Besiktas JK, Fenerbahce SK, Galatasaray SK, Istanbul Başakşehir FK, Trabzonspor SK). Since Twitter is one of the most heavily used social media networks of sports clubs, so in this study was preferred</em>. <em>Content analysis method was used to examine emojis used by sports clubs. The study found that sports clubs use emojis that create positive and neutral connotations. Emojis used are heavily determined to be visuals depicting the colors and symbols of sports clubs. The study is the first to examine sports clubs' emojis used. Hence, the study included important results for the management of communication and marketing strategies of sports clubs on social media.</em></span>