Competition, Gender Equality, and Doping in Sports in the Red Queen Effect Perspective

Yalcin Uyar, Ambra Gentile, Hamza Uyar, Övünç Erdeveciler, Hakan Sunay, Veronica Mîndrescu, Dino Mujkic and Antonino Bianco
Additional contact information
Yalcin Uyar: Faculty of Sport Science, Ankara University, Ankara 06560, Turkey
Ambra Gentile: Sport and Exercise Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Sciences and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy
Hamza Uyar: Faculty of Sport Science, Gazi University, Ankara 06560, Turkey
Övünç Erdeveciler: Faculty of Sport Science, Ankara University, Ankara 06560, Turkey
Hakan Sunay: Faculty of Sport Science, Ankara University, Ankara 06560, Turkey
Veronica Mîndrescu: Faculty of Physical Education and Mountain Sports, Department of Motor Performance, Transivania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Dino Mujkic: Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Sarajevo, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Antonino Bianco: Sport and Exercise Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Educational Sciences and Human Movement, University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-8

Abstract: The nature of sports is characterized by a strong competitive component that generates inequalities among athletes at different levels, specifically in relation to gender, technology, and doping. These inequalities can be represented according to the Red Queen effect perspective, which has been previously hypothesized in other competitive environments (evolutionary biology and economics, for instance). The Red Queen effect considers each competitive environment to require a constant effort to maintain a position of competitive advantage in order reach the best result possible. Therefore, the aim of the current paper is to provide an innovative perspective for the understanding of competition in sports, identifying factors (i.e., physical appearance for gender equality, socioeconomic status of a sport team for technology, and antidoping rules for doping) influencing athletes’ possibilities to win a competition. Concerning gender differences, the disparity between genders reflects a lower coverage in sports news, and media are more likely to focus on female athletes’ physical appearance than their performance in sports. Therefore, women struggle more with increasing their visibility and in affirming their status as an athlete. On the other hand, the introduction of science and technological innovations in sports has generated economic interests in sport competitions, which reached superior performance levels compared to the past. Teams that cannot afford financial burdens of technological innovation risk being left out from sport competitions. Finally, doping creates a Red Queen environment since antidoping rules catch a small portion of athletes using performance enhancement drugs.

Keywords: red queen effect; gender equality; sport competition; performance enhancement drugs; innovation; technology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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