Sports context of the original families of three generations of national football team players

摘要

Background : Family context is considered to be an important phenomenon influencing life-span sports careers. In spite of this fact,the role of family as related to different historical changes is rarely investigated. The research concept of the study is based on the "theory of transition" (early sports socialization) and on the principle of "generation transfer" (parent-child interaction) within various micro (family) and macro (socio-economic) contexts. Objective : The aim of the presented study is to find out the relationship between family context and early sports socialization in families of national football team players in the Czech Republic in three different socio-economic periods. Methods : Three generations of national football team players were investigated. The research sample P (n = 69) was made up of subsamples: P1 (n = 23) - the current generation of national football team players from the year 1991, P2 (n = 23) - the generation playing in the years 1981-2001 and P3 (n = 23) - the generation playing in the years 1965-1987. Data were gained by means of semistructured interview oriented to family background in the period of the players' early sports socialization. Responses were analysed and classified on a categorical scale (5 domains per 4 categories), then processed using descriptive statistics. Comparisons of selected categories were processed using the non-parametric Chi-Square test at a significance level of p < 0.05. Results : The equal role of fathers was found in all three generations in equal categories (type of education, involvement in football, the motivation approach). The role of mothers became different related to the progress in women's emancipation, but was supportive for sports career development of the children. Conclusions : The results emphasized the importance of early sports socialization in the family, the importance of generation transfer, the function of the father, mother and siblings as motivators, regardless of participation in any of the three different generations.