ABSTRACT

Investments in elite sport and major sporting events are often justified in sport policy by various rationales, one of which is a ‘trickle-down’ effect whereby successful athletes have a positive impact on general sport participation rates. This effect is likely to be greater when hosting events, as home advantage can contribute to sporting success. The purpose of this research is to explore the possibility of a trickle-down effect on sports club membership in the United Kingdom in the context of the 2012 London Olympic Games. Secondary data were collected on sports club membership levels in 33 sports, over a ten-year period, from 2007–2016 (n = 330). Sporting success was measured by the number of gold medals won in international competitions, the number of major sport events hosted in the UK, and the results of the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award (SPOTY). The outcomes of a dynamic panel regression analysis show a causal relationship between the trickle-down effect and sports club membership over a four-year period.

摘要

在体育政策中，通常通过各种理由来证明对精英体育和重大体育赛事进行投资的合理性，其中之一就是“滴灌”效应，成功的运动员对这种效应具有普遍的体育参与率的积极影响。当举办赛事时，这种效果可能会更大，因为主场优势可以促进体育运动的成功。这项研究的目的是探讨在2012年伦敦奥运会的背景下，对英国体育俱乐部会员制产生trick滴效应的可能性。从2007年至2016年的十年中，收集了33个体育项目中体育俱乐部会员资格的二级数据（n = 330）。通过在国际比赛中获得的金牌数量，在英国举办的重大体育赛事的数量来衡量运动的成功与否，以及BBC年度最佳体育人物奖（SPOTY）的结果。动态面板回归分析的结果表明，在四年期间，trick流效应与体育俱乐部会员资格之间存在因果关系。