Prof. Dr. Michael Schaffrath, Head of the Institute of Media and Communications, together with Dr. Thorsten Schulz, Research Associate at the Chair of Preventive Pediatrics, has now been able to acquire the fourth third-party funded project at the Federal Institute for Sports Science on the topic of "Doping and doping reporting".
The title of the new study is: "Female and Male Elite Athletes and the Media: An Analysis of the Perception and Evaluation of Doping Reporting and Subjectively Perceived Physical and Mental Performance" (SpitzDoBe).
The BISp is funding the research project with around 87,000 euros. The 18-month project will start on June 1, 2024, and end on November 30, 2025.
Prof. Schaffrath and Dr. Schulz had already conducted three previous studies on doping and doping reporting on behalf of the Federal Institute for Sports Science, initially two surveys of sports journalists in 2012/2013 and 2018/2019 and then another survey of coaches in 2020/2021.
As the new project focuses on elite athletes, Dr. Peter Spitzenpfeil, Head of the Applied Sports Science Unit, will support the research project with his expertise.
Prof. Schaffrath comments on the successful acquisition of third-party funding: "We are delighted to have received a renewed funding commitment from the Federal Institute for Sports Science for this important project. After sports journalists and coaches, it is now only logical to focus on the group of players at the center of the doping problem and the focus of doping reporting, namely the group of athletes".
Qualitative guided interviews will first be conducted with selected top athletes as part of the research project. A quantitative online survey will then be developed and carried out based on the insights gained.
Prof. Schaffrath and Dr. Schulz have gained the German Olympic Sports Confederation, Athleten Deutschland e.V., the Bavarian Olympic Training Center, and the German National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) as external cooperation partners.
To the homepage of the Institute of Media and Communications
To the homepage of the Chair of Preventive Pediatrics
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Michael Schaffrath
Institute of Media and Communications
Georg-Brauchle Ring 60/62
80992 Munich
phone: 089 289 24638
e-mail: Michael.Schaffrath(at)tum.de
Dr. Thorsten Schulz
Chair of Preventive Pediatrics
Georg-Brauchle Ring 60/62
80992 Munich
phone: 089 289 24574
e-mail: Thorsten.Schulz(at)tum.de
Text: Bastian Daneyko
Photos: Federal Institute for Sports Science/private