“I am not too old to play” – The Past, Present and Future of 50 and Over Organized Sport Leagues

Abstract

IntroductionA few decades ago, ageism was seen as an unpleasant social problem in many countries around the world, and the sight of a group of older men or women playing sports or jogging down the street would have been strikingly unusual (Butler 1969; Lagacé 2015). Prevailing socio-cultural attitude at the time reinforced the perception that older adults near, or at, retirement, were expected to retreat into a quiet and inactive life

Psychological and social outcomes of sport participation for older adults: a systematic review

“…Several scholars highlight the over-emphasis on individual behaviour, overlooking the importance of factors relevant to social exclusion such as gender, race and age (Katz and Calasanti, 2015; Rubinstein and de Medeiros, 2015), failing to acknowledge historical and cultural context (Stowe and Cooney, 2015) or environments (Golant, 2015), and failing to provide policy agenda strategies for the social and cultural change (Rubinstein and de Medeiros, 2015). While these various views of ageing have been developed, the empirical studies on the psychological and social benefits of sport participation for older adults have been fragmented (Webb et al ., 2017). In this study, the term psychological is used as a synonym for mental and psycho-social, i.e.…”

“…Using active sport participation by sport organisations and governments across the world without clear-cut empirical evidence can disregard people who are not or cannot actively participate in sport unattended and are left out from the public health policy (Gilleard and Higgs, 2002; Dionigi, 2006 a ; Gard and Dionigi, 2016). Even though it has been argued that team sport participation tends to be linked with positive health outcomes compared to individual physical activity or exercise because of the social nature of the participation (Berg et al ., 2015), few studies have been conducted (Dionigi et al ., 2011; Gayman et al ., 2017) and the findings of the psychological and social benefits of sport participation for older adults are still fragmented (Webb et al ., 2017).…”

“…As Kirby and Kluge (2013: 292) stated, ‘the creation and growth of organizations that sponsor competitive events for older adults has enabled older adults to challenge social stereotypes and remain in the world of competitive sports or joining a world once thought exclusive to the elite, young, and fit’. Regardless of the label, continuously increased participation has been recognised by entries in regional, national and international events (Cardenas et al ., 2009; Pfister, 2012; Webb et al ., 2017). Despite substantial public investment in sport development for older adults, there has been no clear understanding of the best way to achieve maximum psychological and social health (Webb et al ., 2017).…”

“…Regardless of the label, continuously increased participation has been recognised by entries in regional, national and international events (Cardenas et al ., 2009; Pfister, 2012; Webb et al ., 2017). Despite substantial public investment in sport development for older adults, there has been no clear understanding of the best way to achieve maximum psychological and social health (Webb et al ., 2017).…”

A social epidemiological perspective on local tennis league participation: a multigroup moderated-mediation structural analysis using PLS-SEM

“…If a local sport league participant obtains more social support from the league members, one is more likely to take advantage of opportunities and resources in the pursuit of a desired psychological state being IJSMS 23,2 happier or less depressed. Notably, the findings are still inconsistent and fragmented due to the lack of empirical studies on the relationship between social and psychological factors in sport participation settings (Webb et al, 2017). Nevertheless, in nonsport settings, previous studies confirmed the significant relationship of social support with depressive symptoms (Fowler et al, 2013) and with happiness (Zhu et al, 2013).…”