Syfte Syftet med denna uppsats är att identifiera skillnader mellan manliga professionella svenska ishockeyspelare från säsongen 2017/2018 när det handlar om deltagande inom TV-pucken, ungdoms och juniorlandslag samt studier vid RIG. Vidare avses att undersöka Relative Age Effect (RAE) med syfte att identifiera födelsekvartal bland individerna. Metod I detta arbete har en statistisk analys utförts. Informationen har inhämtats från diverse hemsidor. Eliteprospects och SCB är arbetets största informationskällor. Tillvägagångsättet har bestått av en kvantitativ metod där statistik inhämtats och bearbetats samt kategoriserats, vidare har Chi2-tester genomförts för att undersöka om det fanns statistiskt signifikanta skillnader mellan grupperna. Resultat Utifrån en kvantitativ undersökning har resultat angående skillnaderna när det handlar om deltagande inom TV-pucken, ungdoms- och juniorlandslag samt studerande vid RIG tagits fram. Utifrån resultaten syns att NHL är den liga som har flest deltagare inom de sammanhang som undersökts procentuellt. Vidare har SHL en större procentandel som deltagit i sammanhangen än vad HA har förutom i TV-pucken där ligorna i princip är likvärdiga. Frågeställningen kring RAE visar att det finns indikationer på att det förekommer i SHL samt HA, dock inte i NHL bland spelarna i urvalsgruppen. Även genomfördes Chi2 tester som utgått från signifikansnivån 0.05 med ett critical value på 7,82 samt 3, 84 beroende på om det använts fyra eller två variabler i uträkningen. Av femton tester har åtta tester varit statistiskt signifikanta i skillnaderna mellan grupperna som jämförts. Slutsatser Utifrån resultaten som tagits fram är det tydligt att det finns statistiskt signifikanta skillnader mellan ligorna som undersökts. För att nå professionell nivå är det en tydlig fördel att delta i TV-pucken, ungdoms- och juniorlandslag samt studera vid RIG, framförallt om sannolikheten för att ha möjlighet att spela i NHL ska vara hög. Även syns tecken på RAE i SHL och HA, dock skulle en studie med ett större urval där fler idrotter involveras ge möjlighet att generalisera kring hur åldersfördelning ser ut inom professionell idrott generellt. / Purpose The purpose with this essay is to identify the differences between professional Swedish male hockey players from the 2017/2018 season which have played in the NHL, SHL and HA. The compression consists of looking at the differences in participation concerning TV-pucken, youth- and junior national-teams and studies at RIG. Furthermore, it refers to explore if there is any sign of Relative Age Effect (RAE) among the participants. Methods In this essay a statistical investigation has been done. The information has been collected from different websites with open registers. Eliteprospects and SCB is the biggest sources of information for the investigation. Results By a quantitative investigation concerning participation in TV-pucken, youth-and junior national-teams and studies at RIG results has been produced. From that it´s visible that the NHL is the league which have the most participants in the examined contexts based on percentage. Furthermore, the SHL have a bigger percentage which have participated in the examined contexts then HA, with exception for TV-pucken where the results where similar. The issue concerning RAE shows indications of it in SHL and HA, but not in the NHL when looking at the selected group. Also, performed where Chi-2 tests that where compared to a significance level of 0.05 which means a critical value of 7,82 or 3,64 depending on if two or four variables parted in the calculation. Out of fifteen tests, eight of them showed out to be statistically significant. Conclusion By the results which have been brought out its visible that there are statistical significant differences between the examined leagues. To be able the reach professional level there is a clear advantage to participate in the examined contexts, especially if a possibility to play in the NHL will appear. Also, it shows signs of RAE in the SHL and HA, though a study on a larger group of individuals performing different sport would give the possibility to generalize the group of professional athletes.

The diploma thesis deals with geographical aspect of an origin of ice hockey players in selected countries (Czechia, Finland, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland) The aim of the thesis is to find out how succesful is the training of professional players in these countries on municipal and club level and a consecutive identification of ice hockey hotbeds. The thesis is divided to the theoretical and the practical part. The theoretical part is focused on the geography of sport and the issue of ice hockey, its history, organization and spreading. The figures of the players, trained in the above mentioned countries, their wages in the NHL, the number of starts at the Olympics and points and the number of the highest league titles are the basis of the analytic part. The figures were used for correlation analysis and comparison. The results show that a territorial diversification of ice hockey players production appears in the most of the countries and the traditional hotbeds prevails, but new ones are developed.

Bakgrund: Inom både dam- och herrishockey är hjärnskakningar vanligt förekommande. Definitionen av hjärnskakning är att hjärnan hamnar i rörelse av direkt eller indirekt våld mot huvudet. Riktlinjer finns framtagna över hur hjärnskakningar ska hanteras och rehabiliteras och bör tas på allvar då det finns risk för blödning eller kvarstående symtom. SCAT-3 är ett värderingsverktyg vid hjärnskakningar, där ingår en symtomskattning. En hög poängsumma innebär stora symtomatiska besvär. Inga studier har påträffats över förekomst av hjärnskakningar samt hjärnskakningslikande symtom för spelare i Svenska damhockeyligan (SDHL).Syfte: Att beskriva förekomst av hjärnskakningar samt hjärnskakningsliknade symtom hos ishockeyspelare i SDHL jämfört med en kontrollgrupp.Metod: Kvantitativ, deskriptiv samt komparativ tvärsnittsdesign. Ett internetbaserat testformulär byggt på SCAT-3. Totalt 92 deltagare, n=48 hockeyspelare, n=44 kontrollgrupp.Resultat: Förekomsten av hjärnskakningar var 64,6 % bland ishockeyspelare, och signifikant högre jämfört med kontrollgruppen 38,6 % (p=0,013). Totalsumma av hjärnskakningsliknande symtom bland hockeyspelarna (17,6 poäng) jämfört med kontrollgruppen (16,4 poäng) skiljde sig inte signifikant. Vanligaste symtomen bland hockeyspelarna var känsla av trötthet/brist på energi, nackont samt irritation. Vanligaste symtomen för kontrollgruppen var känsla av trötthet/brist på energi, mer känslosam än vanligt och koncentrationssvårigheter. Konklusion: 64,6 % av spelarna i SDHL har fått minst en hjärnskakning. Hjärnskakningar var vanligare bland spelare i SDHL än i kontrollgruppen. Ingen signifikant skillnad av hjärnskakningsliknade symtom sågs mellan grupperna. Symtomen var inte tillräckligt specifika för att jämföra grupper emellan, utan bör enbart jämföras individuellt. / Background: Concussions are frequently occurring in ice hockey, both women and men hockey. A concussion appears from direct or indirect violence against the head, that will cause brain movement, and in worse case a bleeding on the brain. There are guidelines for concussion management and rehabilitation that needs to take seriously as there are risks of retaining symptoms. SCAT-3 is a concussion tool, with a symptom scale. A higher score means bigger issues of the symptoms. No studies have been done on the concussion frequency and concussion-similar symptoms for players in the Svenska damhockeyligan (SDHL).Purpose: Find out frequency of concussion and concussion-similar symptoms compared to a control group. Method: Quantitative descriptive and comparative cross-sectional design. An internet based test, based on SCAT-3, with total 92 participants, n=48 hockey players, n=44 control group.Results: Concussion frequency was 64.6 % for hockey players, and significant higher compared to the control group 38.6% (p=0.013). In total, concussion-similar symptom score for hockey players was 17.6 points and for control group 16.4 points. No significant difference between the groups. The most common symptoms among hockey players were fatigue or low energy, neck pain and irritation. In the control group, fatigue or low energy, more emotional and concentration difficulties was the most common.Conclusion: 64.6 % of the players in SDHL had received at least one concussion. Concussions are more common among players in SDHL than a control group. No significant difference of concussion-similar symptoms. The symptoms are not specific

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, Durban, 2017. / Background: Ice hockey is a fast paced team sport, played on an ice surface in an enclosed arena. As a result of the high contact, aggressive nature of the sport, players are susceptible to injury. Ice hockey is not a popular sport in South Africa and the environment is unique in comparison to international ice hockey countries. The playing surfaces and ice rink arenas differ across South Africa, which may affect the risk of injury in this population. Protective equipment is not easily accessible to ice hockey players in South Africa and therefore they may be at a higher risk of injury. Participation in ice hockey is developing in South Africa; however there is a paucity in the literature relating to injuries in the South African context. This study aimed to determine a profile of ice hockey injuries in South African players. Methodology: This study was a quantitative, descriptive study that used a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to 187 ice hockey players (141 male and 46 female) who were registered with the South African Ice Hockey Association. Players were required to sign the letter of information and informed consent form, following which, questionnaires were distributed to the participants who met the study criteria. The researcher was present to supervise and collect all forms and completed questionnaires directly after completion. The questionnaire contained sections on demographics, injuries sustained over the previous season as well as the use of protective equipment. The results were analysed using SPSS version 24 and a p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The response rate met the minimum requirement of 138 males and 45 females. Of the 187 participants, 110 (58.8%) of the participants sustained at least one injury due to ice hockey. Age was considered to be a risk factor in this study as those participants in the youngest age group of 18-27 were at a higher risk of all injuries (χ2 p-value < 0.0001). Although gender was not a risk factor for the total number of injuries, female players in this study were at a greater risk of head and knee injuries (χ2 p-value = 0.0196 and χ2 p-value = 0.0046 respectively). The most severe injury affected the head (10.2%, n = 19) and overall the knee was the most commonly affected area of injury (n = 30). The majority of the injuries were sustained during a game and resulted from contact with another player. The results of this study showed that the use of protective equipment does not prevent all injuries in ice hockey. The type of facial protection worn was a risk factor for facial injuries and the lack of a mouthguard was a risk factor for head injuries. Conclusion: The aim of this study was to determine a profile of ice hockey injuries in South African players. The South African demographic profile of ice hockey players showed similarities to international profiles with respect to age, gender, BMI and player position. The profile of injuries in this study was similar to international injury profiles in terms of site, type, severity, onset and mechanism of injury and regarding the majority of injuries being sustained during a game. Ice hockey players in the younger age groups were at a higher risk of injury both in South Africa and internationally. Females were at a higher risk of head injuries in comparison to males which is congruent with international literature. In South Africa, and internationally, the use of full facial protection and a mouthguard was shown to decrease the risk of facial and head injuries respectively. The South African demographic profile differed from international findings in terms of experience level, total hours of training per week and number of games played in a season. The injury profile of South African ice hockey players showed that this population is at a higher risk of muscular injuries than international players. Larger ice surfaces and flexible boards and glass did not reduce the risk of injury in South African ice hockey players in the same way as it has internationally. / M

Diploma thesis "Media as an Agent of National Self-Confidence: Analysis of the Victory of the Czechoslovak Ice Hockey Players at the 1947 World Championship" deals with the reflection of the major sport event in the Czechoslovak media and how this reflection inspired the audience. The goal of this diploma thesis is to describe the dependance between the media coverage and the national self-confidence, which results from the national identity. Therefore, I focused on the chosen newspaper titles to analyze the content they produced during the 1947 Ice Hockey World Championship. I defined a hypothesis, based on observation and scholarly literature, that the media used the coverage to strengthen the national self-confidence and redefine the national identity. My second hypothesis was the idea, that this kind of coverage led to an active response among the audience. Before I started analyzing the three chosen titles (Lidova demokracie, Rude Pravo, Prace), I delivered complex structure of theoretical concepts, describing the influence media have towards the audience and also reasons why the members of the audience use media in their everyday life. I also focused on the historical and political context, as well as the media landscape that shaped the content of that time. I conducted the analysis and...

Background: The ice hockey community is founded on masculine norms and values, and the hockey rink is often described as “the home of men’s ice hockey”. Despite a growing popularity, women’s ice hockey has low priority in comparison to the men’s game. On top of that, the women’s game does not allow body checking, which makes it deviant from what some see as “the real game of ice hockey”. The checking prohibition causes physiological requirements to differ from the men’s game, and since women are underrepresented in ice hockey research, not much is known regarding the physiological- and socio-cultural conditions of women’s ice hockey. The overall aim of this doctoral thesis is to investigate physiological- and socio-cultural conditions important for performance in women’s ice hockey. Methods: This thesis is unique in terms of the interdisciplinary approach between physiology and gender science, and the inclusion of studies based on both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Qualitative thematic interviews with ice hockey coaches from Sweden, Canada, and the United States were used to explore socio-cultural conditions in relation to performance and sport development (Paper I). Relative age effect (RAE) in relation to maturity status was examined through anthropometric measurements and a player questionnaire (Paper II). Physiological field- and laboratory assessments were used to investigate physiological conditions and performance in female competitive ice hockey players from Sweden (Paper III-IV), and players from Canada (Paper IV). Results: The findings from Paper I suggest that coaches need to maintain a holistic approach to coaching to be able to coordinate and optimize the effects based on available conditions. Socio-cultural conditions, such as structural and financial support, are mentioned as important to support opportunities in women’s ice hockey. Furthermore, the results (Paper I) show that female players in Canada and the United States have superior opportunities compared to female players in Sweden. These advantages are mainly attributed to the support provided by the North American education systems. The findings from Paper II suggest that the relative age effect (RAEs) in women’s hockey are also influenced by socio-cultural conditions. Significant RAE (p&lt;.05) was found for Swedish players born in the third quartile (Q3) and for Canadian player born in the second quartile (Q2). Players born in the fourth quartile (Q4) are significantly (p&lt;.05) underrepresentated in both countries. Players tend to be average or late maturers, but no differences can be found by country or position. The findings from Paper III show that field-based assessments are comparable to laboratory assessments with the purpose of predicting skating performance. The Prediction models accounted for 13.6 % to 42 % (laboratory-based models) and 24.4 to 66.3 % (field-based models) of the variance in skating time. Regardless of assessment method, uni-lateral assessments are superior to bi-lateral assessments. The results support the use of field-based assessments in Paper IV. The findings from Paper IV show various physiological profiles for female Swedish and Canadian players. Swedish players had less body fat (p=.007), more lean mass (p=.005), and greater aerobic fitness measured with the20-meter shuttle run beep test (p=&lt;.001). Canadian players had greater maximal isometric leg strength (p=.026), exhibit a greater running acceleration (p=&lt;.001), performed better in single leg standing long jumps (right leg p=.002, left leg p=.030), and showed better anaerobic endurance (p=.029) on- ice. No significant differences can be found between forwards and defenders. Conclusion: The findings of this study show that physiological- and socio-cultural conditions should both be considered in relation to performance in women’s ice hockey. For example, the various physiological profiles are probably an effect of the different socio-cultural conditions in Sweden and Canada. The Canadian profile may be better adapted to performance in ice hockey, but further research is needed to establish a relationship. Since women’s ice hockey often has somewhat limited resources, this knowledge may help optimize the effect of the available resources, and thus improve performance. Improved performance may have a positive long-term effect on the symbolic view of women’s ice hockey. Women can probably further optimize their physical performance in relation to their current conditions. But for permanent changes to occur, power structures in sport must also change. Women themselves have limited opportunities to affect the dominating gender norms and values in ice hockey. / Bakgrund: Ishockeysamhället är grundat på maskulina normer och värderingar, och hockeyrinken beskrivs ofta som "herrishockeyns hem ". Trots en växande popularitet är damishockey lågt prioriterad i jämförelse med herrishockey. Tacklingar är inte tillåtna i damishockey, vilket gör att den skiljer sig från herrishockey som ofta benämns som "riktig ishockey". Tacklingsförbudet innebär att de fysiologiska kraven förändras gentemot om tacklingar skulle vara tillåtna, och det medför att studier gjorda på herrishockey inte är generaliserbara till damishockey. Eftersom kvinnor är underrepresenterade i ishockeyforskning så saknas det kunskap om de fysiologiska såväl som sociokulturella förutsättningarna inom damishockey. Det övergripande syftet med denna doktorsavhandling är att undersöka fysiologiska och sociokulturella förhållanden som är viktiga för prestation i damishockey. Metod: Denna avhandling är unik när det gäller det tvärvetenskapliga tillvägagångssättet mellan fysiologi och genus, samt att den inkluderar studier gjorda med både kvalitativa och kvantitativa metoder. Kvalitativa tematiska intervjuer med ishockeytränare från Sverige, Kanada och USA användes för att utforska sociokulturella förhållanden i förhållande till prestation och idrottsutveckling (Studie I). Relativ ålderseffekt (RAE) i förhållande till mognadsstatus undersöktes genom antropometriska mätningar och en spelarenkät (Studie II). Fysiologiska fält- och laboratorietester användes för att undersöka fysiologiska förhållanden och prestation hos kvinnliga ishockeyspelare från Sverige (Studie III-IV) samt Kanada (Studie IV). Resultat: Resultaten från Studie I visar att tränare måste försöka ha ett helhetsperspektiv för att kunna samordna resurser och optimera effekterna av dessa utifrån sina förutsättningar. Sociokulturella förhållanden, såsom strukturellt och ekonomiskt stöd, nämns som viktiga faktorer för att skapa utvecklingsmöjligheter inom damishockey. Dessutom visar resultaten (Studie I) att kvinnliga ishockeyspelare i Kanada och USA har överlägsna förutsättningar jämfört med kvinnliga ishockeyspelare i Sverige. Dessa fördelar uppkommer främst på grund av det ekonomiska och strukturella stöd som de nordamerikanska utbildningssystemen bidrar med. Resultaten från Studie II föreslår att även relativ ålderseffekt (RAE) i damishockey påverkas av sociokulturella förhållanden. Signifikant RAE (p &lt;.05) hittades för svenska spelare födda i tredje kvartilen (Q3) och för kanadensiska spelare födda i andra kvartilen (Q2). Spelare födda i fjärde kvartilen (Q4) är signifikant (p &lt;0,05) underrepresenterade i båda länderna. Mognadsstatusen på spelarna uppmättes till medel eller sen utifrån tid för första menstruation, men inga skillnader hittades mellan länderna eller mellan positioner. Resultaten från Studie III visar att fälttester är jämförbara med laboratorietester när syftet är att prediktera skridskoåkningsförmåga. Prediktionsmodellerna förklarade 13.6 % to 42 % (laboratoriebaserade modeller) och 24.4 % to 66.3 % (fältbaserade modeller) av variansen i åktid. Oavsett bedömningsmetod visar sig unilaterala tester överlägsna bilaterala tester att prediktera skridskoåkningsförmåga. Resultaten stöder valet av fälttester i Studie IV. Resultaten från Studie IV visar att de svenska och kanadensiska spelarna hade olika fysiologiska profiler. De svenska spelare hade mindre kroppsfett (p = .007), mer fettfri massa (p = .005) och högre aerob kapacitet mätt genom beeptest (p = &lt;.001). De kanadensiska spelare hade högre maximal isometrisk benstyrka (p = .026), bättre löpacceleration (p = &lt;. 001), bättre hoppkapacitet i stående längdhopp på ett ben (höger ben p = .002, vänster ben p = .030) och högre anaerob uthållighet (p = 0,29) på MRSS. Inga signifikanta skillnader hittades mellan forwards och backar. Slutsats: Resultaten från denna avhandling visar att såväl fysiologiska som sociokulturella förhållanden bör beaktas i förhållande till prestation i damishockey. Till exempel är de olika fysiologiska profilerna troligen en effekt av de olika sociokulturella förhållandena i Sverige och Kanada. Den kanadensiska profilen kan vara bättre anpassad till prestation i ishockey men ytterligare forskning behövs för att fastställa om det finns ett verkligt samband. Eftersom damishockeyn ofta har begränsade resurser kan den här kunskapen bidra till att damlag kan nyttja sina resurser på ett mer effektivt sätt och därmed förbättra sin prestation. En förbättrad prestation skulle kunna ha en positiv effekt på damishockeyns symboliska värde, men för att permanenta förändringar ska uppstå måste maktstrukturerna i sporten också förändras. Kvinnorna själva har begränsade möjligheter att påverka den dominerande könsnormen i ishockey.

The aim of this thesis is the impact analysis of hosting the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Prague and Ostrava in 2015.The first part of thesis is about sport events, event marketing and event tourism. The second part of thesis is the analysis of impacts of hosting IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship on tourism in Prague and Ostrava.

In the first part of this final thesis the theory of tourism events and their impact on the host destination is discussed, with particular focus on major sport events. Impacts are divided into two categories: economic and non-economic (socio-cultural, environmental, marketing impact and impact on infrastructure). These break into sub-categories and are described in detail. The second part of the thesis uses the theoretical knowledge outlined in part one to analyse the impact of a specific major sporting event -- the 2011 IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship that took place in Bratislava and Kosice in Slovakia. Emphasis is placed on analysing the effects the event had on the tourism sector in Slovakia. Having analysed both economic and non-economic impacts of the event, the thesis concludes that the overall impact of the event on the Slovak tourism sector was positive and the Slovak Republic can use this momentum in favour of further development of Slovak tourism sector.

Vinna eller försvinna. Så lyder talesättet och så lyder den stora grundmentaliteten när det kommer till sport. När du kliver ut på planen eller åker ut på isen gäller det att prestera. Men den prestation som dagens elitidrottare står för består av långt mycket mer än vad man vid första anblick kan tro. Sportens värld har vuxit till att bli en av världens största industrier och det tillsammans med ett förändrat samhällsklimat och medielandskap ställer allt större krav på elitidrottarna att prestera även inom utomsportsliga områden. Det gäller allt från att hantera publikförväntningar till att slå sig fram på en marknad där konkurrensen ökar och ställer högre krav på att profilera sig. I denna studie har elitidrottares yrkesroll studerats utifrån ett marknadsperspektiv med syfte att undersöka yrkesutövandets utomsportsliga delar och dess roll för elitidrottaren. Underliggande faktorer som studeras är förhållandet mellan sport och politik genom elitidrottares engagemang i samhällsfrågor men också genom upplevda publikförväntningar och ett förändrat medielandskap. Studien syftar även till att undersöka varumärkesbyggandets roll inom olika nivåer av sportens värld. De teoretiska utgångspunkter vi har haft är forskning kring varumärkesbyggande, sportjournalistik, impression management, Sports Social Responsibility, SSR, och publikförväntningar. I studien har vi genomfört semistrukturerade intervjuer med nio manliga elitidrottare som är aktiva i de fyra högsta ligorna inom fotboll och ishockey i Sverige. De slutsatser som kan urskiljas från vår analys är att elitidrottarna anser att det är en hel del som ingår i deras yrke utöver sportslig prestation. De teman vi har tagit fram speglar de utomsportsliga företeelser som elitidrottare måste hantera som en del av sitt yrkesutövande. Dessa är: medierelationer, medieträning, publikförväntningar, varumärkesbyggande och samhällsengagemang. På ett övergripande plan handlar det om att hantera och förvalta relationer med olika intressentgrupper. Våra informanter ser varumärkesbyggande i allmänhet och personligt varumärkesbyggande i synnerhet som en viktig del av det utomsportsliga yrkesutövandet. De ser tendenser av en individualisering inom lagidrotten, där det personliga varumärket kommer att spela en allt större roll. Informanterna ser att idrottares engagemang i samhället är ett allt mer vanligt förekommande fenomen. De ser främst att man som elitidrottare har en stor plattform som man kan utnyttja för att göra skillnad i samhället men de ser även att socialt ansvar och samhällsengagemang kan få varumärkesbyggande effekter. De ser tendenser av att de utomsportsliga delarna av yrket kommer att spela allt större roll i framtiden och att området kommer att professionaliseras. / All or nothing. This is the saying and this is also the general mentality within sports. When you step out on the football field or go out on the hockey rink it’s all about performance. But the performance that today’s elite athletes stand for consists of far much more than you might think at first glance. The world of sports has grown to become one of the world's largest industries and this, together with a changing social climate and media landscape, creates increasing demands on elite athletes to perform in non-sporting areas as well. This applies to everything from managing audience expectations to establishing oneself in a market where competition is increasing and there are increasing demands on self profiling. In this study, the professional role of elite athletes has been studied from a market perspective with the aim of examining the non-sporting parts of professional practice and its role for the elite athlete. Underlying factors that are studied are the relationship between sports and politics through elite athletes' involvement in societal issues but also through perceived audience expectations and a changed media landscape. The study also aims to examine the role of brand building within different levels of the world of sport. The theoretical starting points we have had are research on brand building, sports journalism, impression management, SSR and audience expectations. In our study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with nine male elite athletes who are active in the four highest leagues in football and ice hockey in Sweden. The conclusions that can be distinguished from our analysis are that the elite athletes believe that there are a lot of different parts of their profession in addition to sporting performance. The themes we have read out reflects the non-sporting areas that elite athletes must deal with as part of their professional practice. These are: media relations, media training, audience expectations, brand building and advocacy. On an overall level, it is all about managing relationships with different stakeholder and shareholder groups. Our informants see branding in general and personal branding in particular as an important part of the non-sporting parts of the profession. They see tendencies of an individualization in team sports, where the personal brand will play an increasing role. The informants see that athletes' involvement in society as an increasingly common phenomenon. They mainly see that as an elite athlete you have a large platform that you can use to make a difference in society, but they also see that social responsibility and advocacy can have brand-building effects. They see tendencies that the non- sporting parts of the profession will play an increasing role in the future and that the area will be professionalized.

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