Discussion Questions: Some Considerations

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Chapter 1 Introduction to Sport and Leisure

Discussion Questions: Some Considerations

Discussion question If you were studying sport and leisure management and a fellow student, who is studying a more traditional subject (e.g. history, maths or engineering), accused you of studying a 'Mickey Mouse' subject, how would you reply?Consider different ways of demonstrating the importance of sport and leisure, e.g. to people’s lives, to the economy, to the media. Consider the breadth of academic disciplines required to study sport and leisure management.Discussion question Is there such a thing as sport or leisure that does not need management to help it? Discuss examples such as a walk in the countryside, reading a book or chatting with friends.Consider the places where specific leisure activities take place. Do they and their leisure use need to be managed? Consider the physical items that are needed to consume leisure, e.g. clothing, footwear, equipment. Does their production need to be managed?Discussion question What is the difference between leisure and free time? Give examples of people with one but not the other.Consider the various definitions of leisure in the chapter. Compare each of them with free time. Consider whether leisure time is the same as free time.Consider people with the same amount of free time but different obligations to family members.Solutions Manual for Torkildsen's Sport and Leisure Management, 7e by Rob Wilson, Chris Platts, Daniel Plumley (All Chapters) 1 / 4

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Discussion question Is it possible to have leisure as a way of life? Discuss what types of people might be able to do this.Consider the conditions required for leisure to be a way of life. Would work have to be missing? Is it more a matter of personal priorities? Consider different types of people, e.g. full-time workers, part-time workers, unemployed, retired, living on state benefits.

Additional Question Discussion question What leisure activities could be leisure or work, depending on the circumstances? For example, what about volunteering?Consider the key characteristics of leisure and work. Consider whether any of these characteristics may be present in both leisure and work. Consider volunteering for care, such as of old people, either through an organisation or for a family member.

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Information Classification: General

Chapter 2

Sport and Leisure: A Historical Perspective

Discussion Questions: Some Considerations

Discussion question What are the parallels between perceived boredom in the 1400s and perceived boredom in modern society?Consider the working environment between then and now. Should we define “leisure time” differently depending on what era we look at.Discussion question What changes do you think will happen in leisure due to more people working from home and more ‘zero-hour contracts’?Consider how we access leisure activities and whether those change depending on the working environment. Does the working environment change depending on the type of employment an individual is in? Consider the historical perspectives on the relationship between work and leisure. 3 / 4

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Chapter 3 Trends in the Sport and Leisure Industry

Discussion Questions: Some Considerations

Discussion question Why do you think participation rates in swimming fell in Britain in the fifteen years prior to 2018?Consider the types of sports that increased in the same period. How is swimming different from these? What image does swimming have and how might this not have fitted in with the times? Consider supply effects such as the availability of swimming and the prices of participation.Discussion question What are the main factors which determine how much you spend on leisure in a typical month? To what extent do you think the same factors are important in determining leisure spending at a national level?Consider such factors as income, time availability, available supply, other commitments in time and expenditure, such as the cost of living and housing costs. Consider what affects regular small expenditures and what affects spending on ‘big ticket’ items such as holidays or purchase of major leisure equipment.Discussion question If leisure time is increasing over time in many countries, why do people feel under such time pressures?Consider the difference between contracted working hours and actual working hours, particularly in white collar jobs. Consider the amount of choice there is regarding how to spend your leisure time. Consider the ‘increasing pace of life’ and increasing expectations by employers, customers, citizens, etc. Consider other factors such as increasing congestion and the increasingly fragmented

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