|  | Feature: Sport and Leisure | No.50 May 2007 |

The Synergy between Sport and Leisure Paul Singh |
The fields of sport and leisure require a uniform and consistent description and conceptual clarification, mainly because most people are rather confused about them and offer diverse interpretations. Quite often, these terms have been used interchangeably, as if they were one and the same. These are not only fields that provide occupations but also specialisations in areas of academic study. Both practitioners and academics should appreciate and respect the full meaning and depth of sport and recreation and how these have synergy with leisure. It is important for practitioners and scholars to arrive at a common understanding and a cooperative spirit of knowing and appreciating their fields. Such basic understanding of concepts forms the foundation of these career fields. To do this, we should examine three key subject areas, namely leisure, recreation and sport, and identify what is the relationship between them. This would enable us to recognise their interdependence and synergies with each other. Leisure has traditionally been described in quantitative and qualitative terms. The quantitative perspective regards leisure as discretionary use of free time. This view separates human activities into work, personal upkeep or maintenance, and leisure. Thus leisure would represent that slice of available free time after the demands of work and personal or family care have been met. This would be the time that permits people the opportunity to choose to do nothing (relaxing), or to participate in some form of activity. Some people choose leisure activities that are constructive (such as music, crafts, dance or games), whereas others choose activities that are socially undesirable or detrimental to themselves and/or society as a whole (such as thieving, vandalism, gangsterism or drug abuse). The qualitative view regards leisure as a state of being or experience in which individuals are free from biological or work constraints. This perspective sees leisure as an expression of superior, spiritual activities or experiences of the body and mind. Such experiences or activities were once reserved for people who were highly educated or from the upper class. Class barriers have largely crumbled in most countries today and education is no longer the privilege of the upper class. Thus this view is not as popular as it used to be in earlier times. Recreation is mostly seen as voluntary participation in any activity or experience that occurs in leisure time and that is undertaken for the purpose of fun and enjoyment. It is supposed to refresh or reinvigorate one and lead to a diversion from the world of work. This kind of activity is regarded as socially acceptable, positive and constructive. Thus, recreation is a leisure activity or experience where the choice of activity, companions, venue and benefits of participation are largely left to the individual to decide. The nature of recreation is such that it is flexible and multi-dimensional. Recreation is obviously a broad term used worldwide to cover participation in a diverse range of leisure time activities. These activities may be placed in categories such as social activities, cultural activities, outdoor activities, gardening activities, fitness activities, religious activities, hobby activities, special-events activities and sport activities. For convenience, people have further categorised recreation activities into indoor and outdoor forms. Indoor recreation activities refer to those that occur within buildings or man-made structures. Some examples of indoor recreation could be playing baking, knitting, board games, play-station games, indoor rock climbing, ballet dancing, etc. Outdoor recreation takes place outside of buildings and structures and is dependent on some aspect of the natural environment. It could include activities such as fishing, swimming, hiking, gardening, mountain climbing, adventure activities, diving, etc. Further, people have also used the terms active or physical recreation and passive recreation, where the main difference lies in the level of physical activity involved. Physical/active recreation could include activities such as participation in games involving strength and/or endurance, sailing, surfing, walking, running, dancing, etc. Passive recreation activities could include sewing, cooking, reading, card games, photography, chess, etc. It should become evident that recreation describes participation in a wide variety of activities and therefore one cannot provide a fixed list of recreational activities. It is largely the context that differentiates activities from being recreational or not. Further, recreational activities change with time and new forms of activities are developed as societies change. Hence, in the modern context, one can find people engaging in activities like pop idols, survivor, spinning, sand boarding, kite skiing, play-station games, model car/air plane racing, extreme adventure activities, etc. Sport has been defined for centuries in a variety of ways, by different schools of thought, organisations and scholars. The result has been considerable confusion arising in semantic and conceptual inconsistencies. This has resulted in a rather narrow view of sport that has restricted the development of sport as a discipline and the professional preparation of sport personnel. Many of these definitions may have been applicable in the past when sport was mostly a voluntary and amateur activity, largely run by volunteers. However, with the evolution of sport into a professional and commercial activity, many features of modern day commercialised and professionalised sport render the traditional definitions outdated and inapplicable. In fact modern sport defies definition, because no single definition can capture the concept of sport in its entirety. What is perhaps more worthwhile is to describe the characteristics of sport. These would include the following: playing, facilities and equipment, human resources, cooperative-competition, finances and external rewards. Now that the basic understanding of the concepts of leisure, recreation and sport has been achieved, we should be able to focus on what are the similarities or synergies between leisure and sport. The word synergy refers to the working together of two or more things, people or organisations, especially when the result is greater than the sum of their individual efforts or capabilities. In other words, by working co-operatively and in harmony with one another, organisations, agencies and people involved in offering leisure, recreational and sport activities would collectively be able to achieve far greater purposes than if they were to operate in isolation and independently of each other. From our clarification of the previous concepts, it should be clear that there are far more overlaps or similarities than differences between the concepts or fields of leisure, recreation and sport. Let us examine what these common areas are. Then we may be able to suggest closer cooperation to achieve the kind of outcomes that modern day human beings worldwide are seriously in need of. From a developmental perspective, the fields of leisure, recreation and sport need or in fact feed each other and therefore cannot be isolated. All activities, be they recreational or sport activities, occur in our leisure time. The exception would be professional sportspersons (including players, officials, administrators, coaches) whose work is to provide entertainment through the medium of sport, and professional recreationists (including recreation officers, programmers, administrators, instructors/leaders, therapists) whose work is to provide and facilitate participation opportunities in quality activity programs. Further, the goal of humankind is the pursuit of happiness, freedom and enjoyment of life. Thus, the purpose of leisure, recreation and sport is to improve the quality of life of people. As such, having such a common broad goal as improving the well-being of humankind, already points to the interconnectedness of these three fields. Figure 1 should help in clarifying how these phenomena operate in society. The horizontal arrows pointing inwards represent people in their leisure time entering the recreation system that has evolved in most countries. For a variety of reasons, influences and motivations, by interacting with other people and responding to stimuli in society, people begin to attend, observe and try out some or other recreational activity. So people could be responding to messages or images created on television or films, or to the advice and encouragement of family and friends. Because they may have the urge to improve their image or personal well-being, they set out on a journey of discovery, to try out the potentially beneficial new activity. The circles represent social interaction, where these recreational participants engage in activities, initially in the company of those who may have introduced or encouraged them, in leisurely environments and the activities are mostly informal and enjoyable. As these people participate in such activities, they also interact with other participants, socialize with them, encourage and learn from each other and begin to appreciate the benefits of the activity. If the activities are more formalised, they could be exposed to activity leaders or instructors that facilitate participation in such leisure time activities, eg. aerobics instructors, hiking guides, music players, volunteers etc. They may indirectly develop a liking for the particular activity or activities because of the perceived benefits they derive, or they may experience the activity as a negative one, because of any one or more factor, such as the activities were too strenuous, demanding, boring, humiliating, or just not to their liking, etc. In such circumstances, these novice participants or observers are most likely to end their participation and exit the system, as indicated by the horizontal arrows pointing outwards. This process of entering and leaving the system is not everlasting, as humans undergo growth, development and change. For any one of several reasons, they may decide to drop off from participating in an activity, or begin participating in a new activity. Thus, recreational participation is depicted as a dynamic, cyclical process. This is quite a normal phenomenon in the life of human beings. At the level of recreational participation, the focus is on having fun and enjoyment. Therefore, the rewards being sought are more internal and personal. Rules and regulations are minimal and they could also be introduced, modified or developed as the activity progresses. With repeated participation at this level, knowledge of the activity and its requirements, basic rules, basic life-skills, basic motor skills, hand-eye coordination, basic fitness, etc. are improved. As this happens, the participants’ inherent need for experiencing success and acceptance in society is satisfied, and this provides further incentive to continue. This level of social activity involves approximately 90% of the population in most countries. The vertical green arrow pointing upwards indicates that when the circumstances are favorable for some of the recreational participants, they will enter into the lowest level of what is known as the sport development continuum, depicted in a triangle. Such reasons could include for example, having talent, having access to necessary resources like money, transport, equipment and time, instruction, family approval and support and a growing love of the activity. This continuum shows that sport development is also a dynamic and multi-dimensional process. The triangle represents the pathway of development for sport participants, inclusive of players, coaches, administrators and technical officials. At the foundational level, emphasis is based on developing the basic competencies and capabilities of participants. Training and coaching in the activity are provided. Involvement is still casual and mostly not too regular. If there is competition, it is usually informal. Up to this level, the participation is still regarded as recreational, as indicated by the dashed horizontal line. When the individual becomes a regular participant in the activity, a basic level of dedication to the activity becomes evident, and usually s/he joins a club and enjoys the support of the sport club’s infrastructure. At this level (above the dashed line), they transcend into the world of sport. The foundational level is found at the base of the triangle, also signifying that the greatest number of people in the development continuum is to be found participating at this level. Approximately 10% of the people in most countries participate in sport from this level upwards. Thus, it is quite clear that recreation, apart from being inherently good and beneficial for people, also gives people the necessary attributes required to initiate participation in sport. Recreation provides people with exposure to a variety of activities and also the necessary experiences and basic competencies that allows them the freedom to choose a sport type that they would potentially enjoy participating in as their favorite leisure pursuit. In this sense, sport is dependent on recreation, as it feeds entrants into the sport development system. These more talented and skillful participants also serve to inspire and motivate other recreational participants to achieve greater fulfillment and success in their activities. The synergy between recreation and sport is thus undeniable. Those individuals who develop the required foundational competencies in their sport and have the necessary attributes and resources have the choice of progressing to the next higher level of the continuum. Most often, the urge to improve and do better spurs them into the participation level. Here, these people participate in scheduled practice sessions, leagues and other entry level tournaments. Their interest and dedication grows to the extent that they appear seriously committed to the sport. The hierarchical structure of sport and sport competitions is such that those who show potential and achieve good results in their activities become selected to represent their clubs at association or regional levels of participation. Again, the desire to achieve and the personal and external benefits associated with higher levels of sport participation provide the urge to rise to even greater heights. As at the previous level, those with the talent, attributes, necessary resources and support will be selected to participate in the performance level of the continuum. Here the keyword is high performance. Coaching, compulsory practice sessions, discipline, game/match fitness and strategy all combine to make the participant a finely tuned individual sportsman or team member. Participation is regular and mostly culminates in regional and provincial championships. As the physical, mental, emotional and financial demands increase, it becomes clear that fewer people are able to meet the requirements and thus there are incrementally fewer people that progress to this level. The highest level of participation in the sport continuum is characterised by a small band of people who excel in high performance sport. They could be amateur or professional sport persons, participating in Olympic or non-Olympic sports. They obviously possess the required attributes, resources and personality to survive and compete at this level. National and international competitors, coaches, administrators and officials comprise this level. The use of modern scientific training methods, sport nutrition, sport technology, sport psychology, sport medicine, sport law and strategy provide the basis for intense levels of practice and competition. These sports persons today are highly valued commercially and also serve as role models and ambassadors of their countries and sports. They represent the ‘crème de la crème’ of sport and lead demanding but lucrative and highly desirable lifestyles. They are often seen as trend-setters by their supporters and the youth in general. So people would imitate their behaviors such mannerisms, walk, dress, speech, hair styles, etc. The fame and glory associated with these stars depends on their successful performances. However, as no individual can remain performing and achieving at top level forever (mainly because of injuries, age, fitness demands, new competitors, etc.), they do not simply disappear from the sportscape. The downward arrows represent the downward slide in participation from elite to performance to participation to foundational and recreational levels again. Quite often because of the high level of experience, knowledge, skills and personal contacts in the sports world, such people are a valuable resource in the development continuum. When their active competitive days are over, several sports persons owe it to their sports or countries to ‘give back’ to sport and community development initiatives. They assist with guest performances, guest appearances, fund-raisers, endorsing bids for mega-events, coaching clinics, officiating, administration, etc. In their leisure time, they naturally pursue their chosen activities or other less demanding activities that are possible over their lifetime. They could also learn or take up new, more personally rewarding activities that are appropriate to their changed circumstances. Such people also serve as ‘professional volunteers’ in sport and related industries. They have gone full cycle and possess the depth and breadth of experience that all societies require and should latch onto. Again, the synergy between leisure, recreation and sport becomes obvious. They all collectively contribute to the overall well-being and happiness of our peoples, communities and societies. In a world with several challenges, such as high levels of mechanisation, automation and technology, sedentary lifestyles, dwindling natural resources, highly stressful living and leisure environments, high incidences of hypokinetic diseases, unemployment and poverty, the contribution that leisure, recreation and sport can make toward alleviating the effects on human well-being cannot be over-emphasised. The already scarce resources and rising demands and challenges make it essential for personnel in the fields of leisure, recreation and sport to work co-operatively together by developing an understanding of each discipline, providing common solutions, strategies and practices that place the greater good of human kind first and foremost. It is with such a philosophy and commitment that communal efforts can be made to resurrect the missing link in many societies around the world, and that is satisfying leisure time experiences and activities that balance our needs for work and relaxation, exercise and sleep, places and times to pray and to play. Contact Prof. Paul Singh Department of Sport & Movement Studies University of Johannesburg Johannesburg SOUTH AFRICA Email: psingh@uj.ac.za http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5 The Synergy between Sport and Leisure Paul Singh