DOCSLIB.ORG

Sport Parent Sideline Behavior in Youth Baseball and Ice Hockey a Dissertation SUBMITTED to the FACULTY of UNIVERSITY of MINNES

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Sport Parent Sideline Behavior in Youth Baseball and Ice Hockey a Dissertation SUBMITTED to the FACULTY of UNIVERSITY of MINNES Sport Parent Sideline Behavior in Youth Baseball and Ice Hockey A Dissertation SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Julia Kathryn Dutove IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Dr. Mary Jo Kane, Dr. Nicole LaVoi April 2016 © Julia Kathryn Dutove 2016 i Acknowledgements This dissertation would not have been possible without the help of many people. Thank you to my parents, family, and friends for their support throughout this process. Thank you also to my advisors, Dr. Nicole LaVoi and Dr. Mary Jo Kane for their feedback and guidance through all the steps along the way, as well as to my committee members, Dr. Diane Wiese-Bjornstal and Dr. Jen Bhalla for their help in developing this project and providing feedback. Thank you as well to the expert panel who provided feedback on the survey: Dr. Jessica Albers, Dr. Alison Phillips, Dr. Megan Babkes Stellino, Dr. Jen Bhalla, Kari Ornes, Dr. Josh Lupinek, and Dr. Joel Krentz. And finally, a huge thank you to Baseball Alberta and Hockey Alberta for agreeing to participate in this project and to all the parents in these organizations who took the time to fill out survey and be part of this research. ii Abstract Over 75% of children in Canada participate in organized sport (Active Healthy Kids Canada, 2015) and parents are an important source of support in youth sport participation (Omli & Wiese-Bjornstal, 2011). While many parents display good behavior on youth sport sidelines, some poor sideline behavior still exists and can detract from the positive environment desired for youth sport participants (Bowker et al., 2009). This study combined research from the fields of sport psychology and sport management to examine, from the perspective of parents, personal and situational factors that influenced parent behavior on youth sport sidelines. An ecological model (Bronfenbrenner, 1977) of influences on sport parent sideline behavior is presented and was used to create an online survey for ice hockey and baseball parents in provincial sport organizations in western Canada. In total 1040 parents completed the survey, 625 baseball parents and 415 hockey parents. Some differences based on personal (gender and sport experience) and situational (sport type, stakes, and occurrence) factors were found, but overall parents reported poor behavior was low and most poor behaviors were unacceptable, regardless of the situation. Results from this study can be used to educate parents and inform future sport parent sideline behavior studies. iii Table of Contents List of Tables ........................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ......................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review .................................................................................. 6 Youth Sport Participation .............................................................................. 6 Parents in Youth Sport ................................................................................... 8 Parental influence on children’s health ................................................... 9 Parental influence on mental health .............................................. 9 Parental influence on physical health ............................................ 13 Parental influence on social health ................................................ 15 Parent sideline behavior .......................................................................... 17 Youth sport parent behavior, 1930s-1980s .................................... 18 Youth sport parent behavior, 1980s-present .................................. 18 Observational studies ........................................................... 19 Self-report studies ................................................................ 21 Athlete preferences for parent behavior ........................................ 23 Sources of stress and anger for parents on youth sport sidelines .. 24 Sport Spectator Sideline Behavior ................................................................. 28 General aggression model ....................................................................... 28 Frustration-aggression theory ................................................................. 30 Theoretical Framework .................................................................................. 32 Ecological models ................................................................................... 32 Using an ecological model for sport parent behavior ............................. 34 Sport Parent Sideline Behavior Model ................................................... 37 Individual ....................................................................................... 41 Interpersonal .................................................................................. 43 Influences of child ................................................................ 44 Influences of other adults ..................................................... 45 Organizational ............................................................................... 45 Sociocultural context ..................................................................... 48 Youth sport parents as spectators ............................................................ 49 Purpose ........................................................................................................... 51 Significance .................................................................................................... 52 Research Questions ........................................................................................ 55 Hypotheses ..................................................................................................... 56 Personal factors ....................................................................................... 56 Gender of parent ............................................................................ 56 Sport experience ............................................................................ 58 Situational factors ................................................................................... 60 Type of sport ................................................................................. 60 The stakes ...................................................................................... 61 Type of occurrence ........................................................................ 63 iv Chapter 3: Methods ................................................................................................. 65 Survey design ................................................................................................. 65 Research paradigm .................................................................................. 65 Type of survey ........................................................................................ 67 Procedure ................................................................................................ 68 Participants ..................................................................................................... 69 Baseball parent demographics ................................................................ 70 Ice hockey parent demographics ............................................................. 71 Instrumentation .............................................................................................. 73 Validity and reliability ............................................................................ 75 Expert panel and pilot testing ................................................................. 76 Variables ........................................................................................................ 77 Chapter 4: Results ................................................................................................... 78 Data Analysis ................................................................................................. 78 Personal Factors ............................................................................................. 80 Gender ..................................................................................................... 80 Hypothesis 1 .................................................................................. 81 Baseball participants ............................................................ 81 Ice hockey participants ........................................................ 82 Hypothesis 2a ................................................................................ 83 Baseball participants ............................................................ 83 Ice hockey participants ........................................................ 84 Hypothesis 2b ................................................................................ 85 Baseball participants ............................................................ 85 Ice hockey participants ........................................................ 85 Sport experience ..................................................................................... 86 Hypothesis 3a ................................................................................ 88 Baseball participants ...........................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Baseball in North-West England 1 Baseball in Canada 2 Baseball In
    Issue 33 http://www.projectcobb.org.uk/mercury.html July 1983 Baseball in north-west England 1 Baseball in Canada 2 Baseball in Nottingham 4 International softball 4 English/Welsh baseball 6 Olympic recognition for AINBA 7 Baseball in China 8 .EDIrOR ------­ WILLIAM MORGAN, otB), STEVENAGE RD., &AfEBALL LCNDON,SWo. \\1'fC,U.tlJ· ~ . No. 33. JULY 1983. NORTH W~T AMERICAN BASEBAlL - SOFrBALL ASSOCIATION We star~ed the 198} season with the discovery of a group of base -ball players in the Manchester area; they had been playing among themselves for a few years. The group consists of about thirty Venezuelan st', .;;nte. Un.fortun -ately for us, as their examinations take place in."J"une, they could not playas a team in. the early part of our season. However, several signed for the Monarchs, and will play ·ror that club un -til such time that they can form their own squad. This should be late July. By that time we will have completed the competition for the North west League. So Ule Venezuelan. squad will be included in a round robin Special Trophy. The group does get together to play AII-~tar games. To date we have played one such game, the North West All-Stars winning by one run.. For the rest of us, we have still maitained a six team league. The Skelmersdale Buffaloes have been replaced by the Skelmersdale Giants. All clubs are looking a lot stronger than last year, and seem to be more even in. strength.. Burtonwood Braves thanks to a new pitcher, J.
    [Show full text]
  • Analyzing the Parallelism Between the Rise and Fall of Baseball in Quebec and the Quebec Secession Movement Daniel S
    Union College Union | Digital Works Honors Theses Student Work 6-2011 Analyzing the Parallelism between the Rise and Fall of Baseball in Quebec and the Quebec Secession Movement Daniel S. Greene Union College - Schenectady, NY Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses Part of the Canadian History Commons, and the Sports Studies Commons Recommended Citation Greene, Daniel S., "Analyzing the Parallelism between the Rise and Fall of Baseball in Quebec and the Quebec Secession Movement" (2011). Honors Theses. 988. https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/988 This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Work at Union | Digital Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of Union | Digital Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Analyzing the Parallelism between the Rise and Fall of Baseball in Quebec and the Quebec Secession Movement By Daniel Greene Senior Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation Department of History Union College June, 2011 i Greene, Daniel Analyzing the Parallelism between the Rise and Fall of Baseball in Quebec and the Quebec Secession Movement My Senior Project examines the parallelism between the movement to bring baseball to Quebec and the Quebec secession movement in Canada. Through my research I have found that both entities follow a very similar timeline with highs and lows coming around the same time in the same province; although, I have not found any direct linkage between the two. My analysis begins around 1837 and continues through present day, and by analyzing the histories of each movement demonstrates clearly that both movements followed a unique and similar timeline.
    [Show full text]
  • C:\Documents and Settings\Kenneth Walcott\Desktop\Baseball Facts And
    By Tony Parker 2005 Baseball Canada Senior Championship- August 28-28th, 2005 Welcome to the web site of the 2005 Baseball Canada Senior Baseball Championship. Baseball history doesn’t always have to be boring statistical analysis. This is a game that began somewhere in the early 1800’s and was increasingly documented after the first major professional league was founded in the United States in 1876 and Canada has been very much a part of that game as you will find below. In addition to this section we have also created a series of baseball trivia and informationals that will allow you to learn more about the game in what we hope is an entertaining fashion. As few boring stats as possible , because few of us are bookkeepers or accountants. Foxy & Tip Marchildon Too Canadian Baseball is alive and well and has contributed greatly to the Major League game, even if Ferguson Jenkins remains the only Canadian born player enshrined at Cooperstown. You may think that Larry Walker is the lone Canadian to win a Major League batting crown and if so, you would be wrong, but if you weren’t alive in 1887 then you didn’t see a Canadian lad named Tip O’Neill become the first ever triple crown winner in professional baseball history or that legendary U.S. Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill was named after that same Canadian triple crown winner. And did you know that the first player to use a padded glove (Foxy Irwin), the first retired player to start broadcasting games on radio (Jack Graney) and the first no-hitter recorded after the top players returned from service in WW II (Dick Fowler) were also Canadians? Graney also played in the same starting outfield with baseball legend Shoeless Joe Jackson as well as Hall of Fame player Tris Speaker and batted behind Cy Young in his final big league season when Cy was wrapping up his career record of 51 1 wins (Unquestionably baseball’s most unbreakable Major League mark).
    [Show full text]
  • Building an Appraisal Strategy for Curling Archives in Manitoba
    FILLING UP THE HOUSE: BUILDING AN APPRAISAL STRATEGY FOR CURLING ARCHIVES IN MANITOBA by Allan Neyedly A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Joint Master’s Program Department of History (Archival Studies) University of Manitoba / University of Winnipeg Winnipeg, Manitoba Copyright © 2011 by Allan Neyedly Library and Archives Bibliothèque et Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l'édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-92695-6 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-92695-6 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant à la Bibliothèque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par télécommunication ou par l'Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans le loan, distrbute and sell theses monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, électronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriété du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette thèse. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation.
    [Show full text]
  • Baseball in Canada
    Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies Volume 8 Issue 1 Article 4 Fall 2000 Baseball in Canada Samuel R. Hill Scocan RSA Limited Follow this and additional works at: https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ijgls Part of the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons, and the International Law Commons Recommended Citation Hill, Samuel R. (2000) "Baseball in Canada," Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies: Vol. 8 : Iss. 1 , Article 4. Available at: https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ijgls/vol8/iss1/4 This Symposium is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School Journals at Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies by an authorized editor of Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Baseball in Canada SAMUEL R. HILL* INTRODUCTION Baseball scholars and historians have long accepted that Abner Doubleday did not invent baseball in Cooperstown, New York in 1839.' Doubleday's baseball legend survives, however, as part of baseball folklore; Americans would likely deride the suggestion that a foreign country created baseball. Yet, Canadians recorded a "baseball" game played in 1838 in Beachville, Ontario.' Does the Canadian record debunk the Doubleday baseball legend? The answer, in all likelihood, is no. The modem-day game of baseball most resembles the form of baseball developed in New York in the early nineteenth century.' Canadian baseball, however, developed on a parallel and often intertwined path with that of its American counterpart, and played an instrumental role in shaping baseball as we know it today.
    [Show full text]
  • Made in America the Blue Jays Land in Toronto, April 1977
    EMMA PLATOFF MADE IN AMERICA THE BLUE JAYS LAND IN TORONTO, APRIL 1977 In 1977, Toronto embarked on the ambitious project of bringing baseball to the Great White North. So eager was Hogtown to host baseball, that, having settled for a subpar stadium, city leaders took care to spell out the game’s rules, lingo, and mathematics to the newspaper-reading public, hoping to convert thousands of Torontonians into baseball’s first Canadian fanbase. The trappings of baseball culture in the States were an integral part of the move—from the songs to the drinks in the stands—all of which became incor- porated into a new synthesis of baseball and Canadian culture. Graham Ambrose, BR ’18, colorfully captures the Toronto Blue Jays’ thrilling first season and popular success. Visiting the machinators behind baseball’s rise to success as well as public’s reactions, the follow- ing pages are an immersive look into the pastime’s often-surprising first years in Canada. By Graham Ambrose, JE ’18 Written for “Quebec and Canada, 1791-Present” Professor Jay Gitlin Faculty Advisor: Jay Gitlin Edited by Christine Wang, Gillian Page, and Heidi Katter 29 MADE IN AMERICA Toronto alderman George Ben had earned a reputation for sternness. A veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War,1 Ben exhibited little patience for the more frivolous ventures of the Toronto City Council. Across fifteen years in public ser- vice, few such ventures proved more frivolous to the Spartan, Slovakian-born lawyer2 than the arrival of Major League Baseball in Toronto.
    [Show full text]
  • BC Minor Baseball 2020 Coaches Conference Speakers Bios
    www.bcminorbaseball.org/[email protected] www.bcminorbaseball.org/[email protected] 2020 BC Minor Baseball Coaches Conference & High Performance Players Camps February 7th - 9th, 2020 - Langley Event Centre, Langley BC Table of Contents Welcome Messages 4. Grant Butler - President BCMBA Mike Kelly - Co-founder BCMBA Coaches Conference Speakers Schedule - Conference Hall 5. Speakers Schedule - Field House 7. High Performance Players Camp Schedule 8. Speakers and Trainers Bios 10. Facilities Map 17. Speakers Presentations and Notes Ways to practice that help skills transfer into the Game - Pete Caliendo 18. Bunting Fundamentals for Run Production - Rick Johnston 21. Better athletes, better Coaches - Jeff Krushell 23. Baserunning - Ernie Young 26. Catching - Receiving, Blocking, Throwing - Kevin Hussey 27. First base play, what is Needed - Rick Johnston 28. NCCP maintenance of Certification & Professional Development - Wayne Parro 30. (See NCCP insert for presentation content) Maximizing your teaching for optimal skills Development - Andre Lachance 31. First Steps to Successful Teams - Bruce Brown 32. Part 1 Visual skills & Drills/Part 2 Playing the game with your Eyes - Ryan Harrison 34. Outfield Play - Ernie Young 35. Lefties, we’re different, now what? - Shawn Schaefer 36. Appearance & Performance Enhancing Substances - Don Hooton Jr. 38. Hitting Approach, Making Adjustments - Kevin Hussey 42. Pitch Recognition - Ryan Harrison 43. Bullpen Preparation for Games & Practices - Grant Rimer 44. Defensive Drills - Ernie Young 46. Baserunning made fun for players and coaches - Al Forman 49. Pitching Grips and Arm Care - Aaron Myette 52. Coaching T-Ball / Tadpole / Mosquito Players - Grant Rimer 53. Pitching Mechanics and Drills - Aaron Myette 54. Managing Your Arm Care - Brad Robinson 54.
    [Show full text]
  • Baseball in Canada Samuel R
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies Volume 8 | Issue 1 Article 4 Fall 2000 Baseball in Canada Samuel R. Hill Scocan RSA Limited Follow this and additional works at: http://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ijgls Part of the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons, and the International Law Commons Recommended Citation Hill, Samuel R. (2000) "Baseball in Canada," Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies: Vol. 8: Iss. 1, Article 4. Available at: http://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ijgls/vol8/iss1/4 This Symposium is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School Journals at Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies by an authorized administrator of Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Baseball in Canada SAMUEL R. HILL* INTRODUCTION Baseball scholars and historians have long accepted that Abner Doubleday did not invent baseball in Cooperstown, New York in 1839.' Doubleday's baseball legend survives, however, as part of baseball folklore; Americans would likely deride the suggestion that a foreign country created baseball. Yet, Canadians recorded a "baseball" game played in 1838 in Beachville, Ontario.' Does the Canadian record debunk the Doubleday baseball legend? The answer, in all likelihood, is no. The modem-day game of baseball most resembles the form of baseball developed in New York in the early nineteenth century.' Canadian baseball, however, developed on a parallel and often intertwined path with that of its American counterpart, and played an instrumental role in shaping baseball as we know it today.
    [Show full text]
  • 2021 Baseball Alberta Handbook
    2021 BASEBALL ALBERTA HANDBOOK WWW.BASEBALLALBERTA.CA Ross Hennigar Field | Fort McMurray, Alberta Photo by Graham Whatmough TABLE OF CONTENTS 2021 5 Message from Baseball Alberta 13 Baseball Alberta Fees HANDBOOK 5 Message from Baseball Canada 15 2021 Provincial League Rules, Regulations & Requirements 7 Board of Directors 26 NCCP Certification Requirements Publisher: Suggitt Publishing 7 Umpire Committee Editor: Brendan Smith 70 Baseball Alberta Awards Graphic Designers: 8 Baseball Diamond Dimensions 74 Scholarships Cailey Welk & Kate Suggitt 9 About Baseball Canada Printer: RR Donnelley 77 EIBF Bursaries 10 Baseball Alberta Zone Map 79 Grassroots Development Program BASEBALL ALBERTA 11759 Groat Road | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | T5M 3K6 Phone: (780) 427-8943 | www.baseballalberta.com Message from the President - Jon Oko I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Board of Directors, associations, coaches, umpires and life members for the support to serve as your President for the next two years. I am looking forward to growing the sport in Alberta and strongly believe in investing in our players, our coaches and our umpires. It goes without saying that 2020 was a year of many challenges on a variety of levels. We witnessed how a global pandemic changed our daily routines, severely impacted our economy and the way businesses operate, and shifted our focus from simply living a healthy and happy lifestyle to strictly obeying new and changing health and safety protocols. Baseball, and sport in general, was not immune to these effects. However Baseball Alberta, as a result of strong leadership and stewardship by past Boards of Directors, was able to weather this storm and will continue to be a leader in developing and furthering the sport in Alberta for years to come.
    [Show full text]
  • Filling up the House: Building an Appraisal Strategy for Curling Archives in Manitoba
    FILLING UP THE HOUSE: BUILDING AN APPRAISAL STRATEGY FOR CURLING ARCHIVES IN MANITOBA by Allan Neyedly A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Joint Master’s Program Department of History (Archival Studies) University of Manitoba / University of Winnipeg Winnipeg, Manitoba Copyright © 2011 by Allan Neyedly Abstract Curling is an important part of the Canadian cultural landscape, and nowhere is this more evident than in Manitoba. However, the documentation of curling records within archival repositories in the province has occurred without a strategic plan. This thesis first explores the modern archival appraisal theories and then proposes an appraisal model that utilizes a combination of the documentation strategy and macroappraisal in order to develop a strategy for the documentation of curling in Manitoba. Using this model, this thesis first examines the historical and contemporary context of Canadian sport in order to determine curling’s place within it, and then identifies five key functions of curling in order to evaluate, using function-based appraisal methodologies, the quality of the records that have been collected in archival repositories. The functions, structures, and records of two urban curling clubs and one rural curling club in Manitoba are then examined as case studies, and an appraisal strategy is suggested in order to better ensure that the records documenting curling in Manitoba are preserved. This strategy can be used as a template not only for appraising the records of curling, but for all sports. i Acknowledgements My class work in the University of Manitoba’s archival studies programme allowed me to quickly get a full-time position in my field, even without the completion of this thesis.
    [Show full text]
  • Baseball and the Canadian Forces During the First World War
    Canadian Military History Volume 10 Issue 2 Article 3 2001 “Keep-A-Fighting! Play the Game!” Baseball and the Canadian Forces during the First World War Andrew Horrall Library and Archives Canada, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh Recommended Citation Horrall, Andrew "“Keep-A-Fighting! Play the Game!” Baseball and the Canadian Forces during the First World War." Canadian Military History 10, 2 (2001) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Canadian Military History by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Horrall: Baseball and the Canadian Forces Andrew Horrall ester B. Pearson wrote the examination for and brothels. Canadian soldiers played a Lthe Department of External Affairs in June number of different sports during the war. Of 1928. Having passed, Pearson was interviewed the most popular, baseball was the most by a committee that included a representative distinctly North American. It had thrice failed of the War Veterans' Association, whose job it to take hold in Britain during the 40 years before was to ensure that returned servicemen received the war, was never seen as an allegory for virtue preferential treatment in federal government and honour and therefore provides a distinct hiring. When asked by this panellist to expound way in which Canadian forces differed from on his wartime service, Pearson could think only those representing other parts of the empire.3 of fatigue duties and "my home run at Bramshott Camp when I was playing third base for the 4th A short summary of Victorian sport is Reserve Battalion team." According to Pearson, necessary in order to understand the context of these anecdotes impressed his questioners and, First World War baseball.
    [Show full text]
  • Football, Nationalism, and Protectionism: the Federal Defence of the Canadian Football League
    Football, Nationalism, and Protectionism: The Federal Defence of the Canadian Football League by John Valentine A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Canadian Studies Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2016 John Valentine ii Abstract In 1974, Canada’s Liberal minority government acted to protect the Canadian Football League (CFL) from competition by introducing Bill C-22, which promised harsh penalties for anyone operating a football franchise connected to a foreign-based league or team. This legislation was the culmination of a series of measures by which the government had protected the CFL in the early 1960s and 1970s. A number of factors combined to prompt government involvement. From its earliest days, Canadian football was a nationalist concern. The desire to create a distinctly Canadian pastime led early organizers to differentiate it from English rugby and American football by developing and defending distinctive rules for the game. Football associations developed as domestic rather than cross-border organizations, fostering a congruence of the national territory and the Canadian version of the game. The organizational structure of Canadian football reinforced the east-west axis of transcontinental transportation and communications infrastructure fostered by the state since Confederation. Team and regional rivalries became a staple of print and radio news and commentary, integrating football into the national discourse. Following the Second World War, the identification of Canadian football with the Canadian nation intensified as televised games provided fans with more shared experiences of the only Canadian sports league.
    [Show full text]