Top-5 Sports Role models


Note:  The article is taken from Barclays Media website.
Research reveals sportsmanship is key

Global research released today reveals that winning is not the most important thing when it comes to playing sport.

Sportsmanship (66%), health and fitness benefits (57%), teaching discipline and abiding by rules (60%) are all considered more significant benefits of playing sport than actually winning (22%), in a poll of more than 1,400 worldwide sports fans by Barclays Spaces for Sports, the programme that uses sport to revitalise disadvantaged communities and tackle key social issues around the world.

In the week of the Australian Open, tennis is recognised as producing the most positive global sporting role models. Current world number one Roger Federer has been voted the top male sports role model taking 18% of votes from a shortlist of 15. Interestingly, tennis also produces the top female role model, with Steffi Graf (20%) top.

The top 10 moments of sportsmanship across global professional sports over the last 50 years emerged from a shortlist of 15. Formula One produced the favourite moment, which was when Graham Hill stopped during the 1965 Belgian Grand Prix to get Jackie Stewart out of his crashed car.

The vast majority (81%) of fans see sport as ‘very important to society’, although there is still a consensus that there are not enough communal places to play sport. Less than a fifth (18%) of respondents felt sport was ‘very accessible in their local area’. Both responses underline the need for more local facilities that are easily accessible, which has been addressed by Barclays Spaces for Sports since its launch in 2004.

Barclays Spaces for Sports is a community sport programme which has created 200 sustainable sports sites across the UK in partnership with the Football Foundation, as well as sites and projects in South Africa, Zambia, the United States and Spain. More will follow in other territories around the world where Barclays operates, including China. The programme aims to revitalise disadvantaged communities and tackle key social issues in those areas.

Ex-Chelsea and Holland footballer Ruud Gullit comments: “The professional side is just a small part of what makes sport so important right across the world. Health and fitness benefits, social skills, how to be a good person, sport can provide all these things to people in all walks of life. Programmes like Barclays Spaces for Sports show how, for communities worldwide, taking part is far more important than winning.”

Alistair Smith, Barclays, comments: “An overwhelming majority (89%) of global fans feel sports stars are in a powerful position to be positive role models, underlining the influence sport has in so many communities across the world. This is at the heart of Barclays Spaces for Sports and we believe that playing sport is also an important tool for learning key life skills and breaking down barriers between different groups, something we’re seeing from our sites and projects around the world.”

RESULTS (top 15 for each are available upon request):

Top Five Women

1. Steffi Graf (tennis) 20%
2. Nadia Comaneci (gymnastics) 12%
3. Martina Navratilova (tennis) 9%
4. Venus Williams (tennis) 9%
5. Dame Kelly Holmes (athletics) 9%

Top Five Men

1. Roger Federer (tennis) 18%
2. Michael Jordan (basketball) 13%
3. Lance Armstrong (cycling) 12%
4. Sachin Tendulkar (cricket) 11%
5. Yao Ming (basketball) 9%

Top Five Sporting Moments

1. Graham Hill stopped during the 1965 Belgian Grand Prix to get Jackie Stewart out of his crashed car

2. In the 1976 German Grand Prix, Niki Lauda was badly burnt in a crash but saved by the actions of fellow drivers

3. Pele and Bobby Moore swapped shirts at the end of the 1970 World Cup match in a manner which demonstrated their respect for each other

4. In December 2000, playing against Everton, West Ham player Paulo Di Canio shunned a goal-scoring opportunity and instead caught the ball when the goalkeeper was lying injured

5. England's five-minute standing ovation in appreciation for playing Ireland at Landsdown Road in the 1973 Five Nations Championship during the troubles in Northern Ireland, after Scotland and Wales had refused to play there.

More than 1,400 sports fans were questioned across seven territories in January 2010.
Source: Barclays

Related Posts :



0 comments:

Post a Comment