How Sports Policies Reflect Society's Values

Sports are more than just games. They mirror the values and beliefs of societies. A recent study dug into how different cultures and religions shape the impact of sports policies. The focus was on two main goals: national pride and social cohesion. The study looked at data from 1994 to 2024. It measured success through Olympic medals. Two types of policies were examined: one for social cohesion and another for national pride. The research considered both individual and collective factors. Interestingly, the study found that when governments aim for social cohesion, policies work better in societies with communitarian religions. This means religions that emphasize community over individualism. On the other hand, individualistic religions showed less alignment with these policies. For national pride, the type of religion didn't seem to matter. But the study found that secular approaches to the body, which focus less on the mind, aligned better with policies at an individual level. The research also looked at different philosophical views on the body. Policies aimed at social cohesion worked well with the ideas of Deleuze, Heidegger, and Descartes. However, they clashed with Husserl's views. Income levels and inequality were also considered. The study used GDP and the Gini index to depict different social contexts. Country-specific factors were taken into account to represent historical and institutional differences. In short, the study shows that sports policies are not one-size-fits-all. They are influenced by a complex mix of cultural, religious, and philosophical factors. This highlights the need for tailored approaches in sports policy-making.