The Influence Of Sociocultural Contexts On Elite South Korean Amateur Athletes With Respect To Sport Match Fixing

Abstract

This research questions how South Korean sociocultural contexts influence elite amateur athletes with respect to sport match fixing. Utilizing a qualitative-based empirical design, purposeful and snowball sampling was used in this research. The participants for this study were selected from current or previous South Korean elite amateur athletes who play or have played at the national team level for at least three years. The data findings of this project were divided into three parts. The first is historical and cultural contexts influenced by Neo-Confucianism’s demand for individuals to have an excessive loyalty to authority figures, and to emphasize mutual help for each other. Another significant feature shown in this research is collectivism. These historical and cultural contexts have played major roles in causing match fixing in South Korean elite amateur sports settings. The second demonstrates that rapid societal changes led South Korea to experience both negative and positive outcomes. Causing negative effects, this societal environment brought about a ‘win at all cost society’ and ‘societal polarization’ between the haves and have-nots. The negative effects of societal changes led to unfair sport environments in South Korean elite amateur sport settings. A positive effect of social change led society to become more mature, and individuals and social institutions have become more transparent. The third demonstrates how South Korean elite amateur athletes’ perception and understanding of sport match fixing are subject to their sport settings that are influenced by sociocultural contexts. In macro perspectives, South Korean elite amateur athletes have perceived match fixing as a very normalized practice via processes of socialization and institutionalization. Also, they recognized sport match fixing occurs due to a struggle for power among groups and due to authority figures’ abuse of power in competitions. As micro perspectives, South Korean elite amateur athletes understood that match fixing occurs due to very personal reasons such as finances or job promotion benefits. Also, they pointed out a lack of individuals’ ethical consciousness as one of the major factors causing sport match fixing. However, one of the most common understandings for South Korean elite amateur athletes was that corrupt sport settings are getting better.