Researchers are learning more and more about the impact of social dynamics on behavior, especially when it comes to health. This study, out of the University of Southern California, showed the significant relationship between social networks and fitness.
The overlap between sports science and social science has mostly been in the area of human performance psychology. The opportunity to do social research will gain prominence as more teams are used as laboratories. This matters most with regard to how teams and organizations make decisions and seek to improve performance. A lot of social science applies to sports, but more of the application is indirect, as the links show:
Why predicting the future is more than just horseplay (Christian Science Monitor, Daniel B. Larremore and Aaron Clauset)
Meditation, Mindfulness and the Rise of Baseball Shrinks (OZY, Matt Foley)
Why brain stimulation isn’t what it’s cracked up to be (The Conversation, Martin Héroux, Colleen Loo and Simon Gandevia)
Marginal gains matter but gamechangers transform (Tim Harford)
A Revolution in Analytical Technology (DataInformed, Thomas H. Davenport)
How disinformation spreads in a network (FlowingData, Nathan Yau)
‘Junk food’ and the consumer blame game (The Conversation, Hayley Janssen)
Outsmart Your Own Biases (Harvard Business Review, Jack B. Soll, Katherine L. Milkman and John W. Payne)
Does Keeping Salaries Secret Hurt Team Performance? (Association for Psychological Science)
Sports organizations are well known for copying their peers’ strategy and tactics, whether that’s in front offices or by coaches on the field. That overarching norm contributes to a wide range of other social norms that pervade sports:
Support System (Training & Conditioning, Dr. Ryan Mizner)
New consensus published on preventing and treating sport-related concussions (University of Calgary, UToday)
History of Baseball Strength Training in Professional Baseball, Part 6: Future Consideration of the “Strength Coaching” Profession in Baseball (Professional Baseball Strength & Conditioning Coaches Society, Tim Rodmaker)
How the NFL Uses Data Analytics in the Draft (Athlete Intelligence blog, Lidia Harding)
MLB commissioner Manfred has faith in drug-testing program (TribLIVE , Rob Biertempfel)
The N.F.L. Draft Is Here. Let’s Talk About Explosive Hips. (The New York Times, John Branch)
The 10-Day DL Effect (The Ringer, Ben Lindbergh)
Steven Gerrard: ‘There’s a showboating mentality in academies. My teams will be physical’ (The Guardian, Andy Hunter)
Why does the MLS Players Union release salary information? A Q&A with Bob Foose (US Soccer Players, Charles Boehm)
What Happens When Soccer Bans Heading? (The Ringer, Noah Davis)
NFL players grab a data equalizer in era of wearable technology (ESPN NFL, Kevin Seifert)
Exploring the Science Behind Resting Athletes (Jo Clubb, Sports Discovery blog)
From Combine to Draft, N.F.L. Prospects Are Treated Like Pieces of Meat (The New York Times, Michael Powell)
The last point to raise is the emergence of new measurement and data capture technologies that will be used throughout sports. The advances will initially help to better understand physiology and biomechanics, but they will also, in time, help social scientists interested in sports.
Modern Metabolic Science Yields Better Way to Calculate Indoor CO2 (NIST)
Special Issue on the ‘Biomedical basis of elite performance’ (Journal of Physiology)
How This Wearable Smart Patch Analyzes Your Sweat To Monitor Your Body (Forbes, Jennifer Kite-Powell)
Running with power: A look at Stryd’s footpod power meter (Triathlon Magazine Canada)
Science & Medicine in Sports: The evolution of training load monitoring (George Nassis)
Nanofilm Acts as Electronic-Device Tattoo for Wearables Apps (Design News, Elizabeth Montalbano)
Flexible Electronics Update: We Have a Solution to the Fragility Issue (Edgy Labs, Zayan Guedim)
Wearable monitor offers Nordic-powered multiprotocol wireless connectivity to provide detailed heart rate and activity analytics (Nordic Semiconductor)
Practising to be perfect: an inside look at Manchester City’s youth academy (The Guardian, Jamie Jackson)
ECG chest straps are not as accurate as you might think (Valencell)
More things that I read and liked last week:
How Chelsea’s incredibly fortunate injury record has swung the title race (April 25, The Telegraph (UK), Alastair Tweedale)
Goold: Cardinals seek edge at baseball’s newest frontier — training (April 24, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Derek Goold)
Nike Ease Challenge Winner Announced (April 25, Nike News)
Nike News – Meet the Man Behind Breaking2 (April 24, Nike News)
Aging Patterns (April 24, Bill James Online)
What Do Electrolytes Actually Do? (April 25, YouTube, Reactions)