ABSTRACT Few studies have shown that exercise withdrawal and forced inactivity lead to negative mood states and increased symptoms of depression. Involuntary inactivity has become reality for millions during the Covid-19 pandemic, as mitigation and containment policies included the closings of sports facilities and leisure infrastructures. Based on representative survey data from Germany (≥14 years, N = 1001), the paper addresses the changes in sport and exercise activities in the pandemic situation and their association with emotional well-being. Findings show a reduced level of emotional well-being in the German population during the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, those individuals who stopped or considerably reduced their sport and exercise activities during the pandemic report a significant decline of well-being compared to the time before the pandemic. Individuals, who reduced sport and exercise due to external constraints, reported the largest decline in well-being. In contrast, the small group of individuals who intensified their sporting activities during the pandemic stands out with the most positive well-being levels. Irrespective of sport and exercise adaptations, findings additionally show that females report a steeper decline in well-being during the crisis compared to men.

ABSTRACT Processes of commercialisation and globalisation have changed professional football and the composition of football teams fundamentally. Against the background of these shifting conditions we investigate to what extent the success of football teams in their national leagues is determined by: (a) the monetary value of the team expressed in its market value, (b) the inequality within the team, (c) the cultural diversity of the team, and (d) the degree of fluctuation among the team members. The empirical analysis refers to five football seasons, spanning from 2011/2012 until 2015/2016, and includes the twelve most important European football leagues. The findings demonstrate that success in national football championships is highly predictable. The market value of a team is by far the most important single predictor, whereas different features of a team's composition – inequality, cultural diversity, and fluctuation – are less decisive. However, the market value of a team does not play the same role in all of the leagues. The lower the degree of financial inequality in a league, the lower the impact of the market value on teams’ performance.

ABSTRACT Professional football is a highly globalized area. The paper analyses the impact of globalization on football audiences in European countries. It is argued that in the course of globalization, people are not only thrown into a transnational lifestyle, but may also develop a growing interest in what is going on outside their domestic territory. With regard to football, it is hypothesized that audiences may direct more and more attention to high-class football leagues and clubs abroad. This presumed shift of attention is empirically investigated with a new indicator: search engine queries. It is argued that queries addressing football clubs in foreign countries are expressions of transnational attention. These transnational queries are systematically analysed over a period of seven seasons (2005/2006–2011/2012). Results indicate that public attention to foreign football clubs has indeed increased over time, particularly in those countries with weaker domestic football leagues. Furthermore, the fluctuation of attention to these clubs can be explained systematically: attention increases with (a) the success of a club in European and national competitions, (b) the success of domestic players in an expatriate club and (c) the number of matches against domestic clubs in European club competitions. Although transnational attention is generally on the rise, its change over time still seems to depend largely on national identification.