ECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH16
This study examined the emotional experiences of elite athletes in Taiwan through the lens of Raymond Williams’ concept of structures of feeling. While emotions such as motivation, anxiety, and pressure are often treated as individualized psychological states, this research situated them within the broader dynamics of organizational culture. For Williams, structures of feeling refer to emergent, lived experiences that precede formal articulation as ideology. Unlike stabilized notions of worldview or doctrine, he argued that thought itself is affectively constituted and that social meanings are mediated through embodied, relational experience. The term “structure” does not imply rigidity; rather, it highlights the patterned tensions and interrelations among cultural elements that generate both coherence and contradiction. Extending this framework to elite sport, this study conceptualized sport organizations not merely as administrative systems of policy and resource distribution, but as formative cultural sites in which emotional attachments, tensions, and negotiations are produced and reproduced. Because Williams devoted limited attention to organizational processes, his framework was complemented by Joanne Martin’s (1992) three perspectives on organizational culture—integration, differentiation, and fragmentation. Martin’s model provides an analytic vocabulary for operationalizing Williams’ insights by specifying how emotions are structured through shared values, subcultural divisions, and cultural ambiguity. Together, these frameworks enabled a multi-layered analysis of how affect circulates within institutional settings. Based on three years of ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews with eight current elite athletes (five women and three men), the study examined how athletes’ affective lives were shaped and negotiated within Taiwan’s sport institutions. Guided by Martin’s three perspectives, the findings revealed the tensions and contradictions that organized athletes’ emotional attachments and dislocations. Specifically, the analysis identified: (1) an integrative discourse of national glory and collective excellence that fostered pride and obligation; (2) conflicts and ruptures across organizational subcultures that generated strain and ambivalence; and (3) fragmented and shifting cultural practices that produced unstable forms of emotional support. By situating athletes’ narratives within the politics of sport governance, this study demonstrates how organizational culture mediates both flourishing and vulnerability in elite sport. In doing so, it contributes to sociological debates on affect and culture by showing how structures of feeling are formed, contested, and reconfigured within the institutional ecology of competitive sport. Reference: Martin, J. (1992). Cultures in organizations: Three perspectives. New York: Oxford University Press. Williams, R. (1977). Marxism and literature. New York: Oxford University Press.
Read CV SHAN-HUI HSUECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH16
Introduction The occurrence of match-fixing in sports has attracted significant academic attention, with most scholarly discourse centering on European football. However, scholars have noted that match-fixing is also prevalent in Asia, where several scandals have occurred in various sports. Match-fixing does not take place solely at the individual level nor does it involve individuals acting in isolation. Rather, the actors involved are embedded in a given organizational context. Little has been done to examine how a corrupt sports context is governed, specifically the governing mechanisms of sports corruption. Objectives This study aims to understand how professional sports have developed in Asian Chinese societies alongside the advancement of match-fixing. Specifically, it aims to understand the governance system of professional football in Singapore, where sports organizations and national governments have implemented measures to combat match manipulation. Materials & Methods A case study was implemented to collect information on the professional football system in Singapore through semi-structured interviews and documentary sources. Interviews were conducted with administrators from the FAS, NGB staff, academic experts, and football fans. Interview data was supplemented with analyses of documentary materials, including government documents, FAS documents, NGB statements, academic journals, media, and press commentaries. Results & Discussion The results are threefold. First, the connection between match-fixing and the socio-cultural structure is recognized. Second, the relationship between match-fixing and social networks and financial incentives is identified. Third, various agencies, including the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), initiated a collaborative effort overseen by the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) and the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 (CDSA) to address the issue of match-fixing. Conclusions This study examines the development of anti-match-fixing strategies for professional sports in Singapore. The study concluded that relational arguments can reflect the practical occurrence of match-fixing from the perspective of social networks. Financial incentives have also been shown to play a pivotal role in forming match-fixing relationships within these networks. Finally, a zero-tolerance policy against the match-fixing guanxi network is implemented.
Read CV PING-CHAO LEEECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH16
Introduction Dual career competencies support student-athletes in managing sports, academic, and future careers. Existing research has largely examined these competencies within stable contexts. Less is known about how they emerge during transition. Transfer represents a critical career transition in which routines and identity positions are challenged. This study explored how student-athletes understand and enact dual career competencies during transfer and how these competencies extend across academic, sports, and career domains. Methods A qualitative narrative inquiry was conducted with four university student-athletes who had experienced transfer. Semi-structured interviews focused on transfer processes and dual career challenges. Analysis emphasized temporal development, contextual meaning, and cross-domain enactment, with the GEES framework used as a reference for supplementary content analysis. Results The findings illustrate that transfer experiences functioned as a critical disruption through which dual career competencies became visible and actively constructed. Participants’ narratives revealed a developmental shift from compliance and passivity toward heightened self-awareness and agency. Experiences of institutional misalignment, loss of trust, and perceived marginalization prompted reflective evaluation of educational values, athletic commitment, and future directions. Throughout the transfer process and subsequent adjustment, participants demonstrated key competencies, including self-discipline, self-responsibility, career vision, and stress regulation. These competencies were not only enacted within academic and sports contexts but were further extended to emerging career roles, indicating the transferability of dual career competencies across life domains. Discussion These findings suggest that transfer is not merely an institutional decision but a meaningful career transition through which student-athletes reconfigure their identities and future pathways. In contrast to static interpretations of dual career competencies, the present study highlights their dynamic and context-sensitive nature, particularly during periods of instability. While the competencies identified resonate with the GEES framework, this study extends existing literature by illustrating when and how such competencies emerge and are enacted across academic, sports, and post-athletic career contexts. The results underscore the importance of attending to student-athletes’ subjective experiences in dual career support and emphasize dual career competency development as a longitudinal, cross-contextual process rather than a fixed set of skills.
Read CV Mei Chien HuangECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH16