The Spread of a Rumour – the Growth and Diffusion of Golf in Norway

Bibliographic Data

ID6145178
AuthorsJan Ove Tangen (0000-0002-0259-6368, Telemark Research Institute), Roy M Istad (Telemark Research Institute)
Year2012
Volume9
Issue1-2
Pages81-104
Publication date2012-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Journal for Sport and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1613-8171 • E-ISSN: 2380-5919
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/16138171.2012.11687890
OpenAlexW217662295
LanguageEN
References cited15

This article discusses the spread and growth of Norwegian golf from 1985 to 2005. Finding that the number of golf players is following a shape that resembles a logistic growth curve, we look at the governing processes behind this development. We use the metaphor of ‘spreading the rumour’ to symbolise this development, seeing golf as an innovation that has been diffused in Norwegian society mostly via word of mouth.However, in order to explain the growth and diffusion, this metaphor needed sociological support. Concepts like social distinction, cultural imperialism, globalisation, and innovation diffusion were discussed in relation to the empirical data. The empirical data shows the closest fit to the mechanisms that Rogers (2003) claims determine the diffusion of innovations in a society.First, the decision process behind adopting golf consists of five stages: knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation and confirmation. The decision to start playing golf seems to correspond to these stages. Second, there are certain attributes of golf that determine golf’s rate of adoption. We present and discuss findings that specify which attributes appeal to prospective golf players. Third, the tendency of adopting innovations is assumed to be normally distributed in a society. Findings indicate that three of five adopter categories have already been recruited in Norwegian golf. Fourth, the spread of the innovations takes place within certain diffusion networks. In Norway these networks are both homophilous and heterophilous.In addition, some factors in the Norwegian society, like social class, political and economic institutions, values and norms, worked as constraints against the “spread of the rumour” (i.e. the game of golf). In this paper we also point at some important implications for sport management and sport policy, golf organisations, golf clubs and golf investors

Appeal · Business · Economic geography · Economics · Empirical research · Epistemology · Innovation diffusion · Metaphor · Norwegian · Order (exchange · Political science · Positive economics · Sociology · Law · Sports Analytics and Performance · Marketing

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