Constructing Varieties of the Marathon Market in Taiwan: A Case Study of Tianzhong Township

• Main Authors: Hsieh, Te-Yuan, 謝德淵
• Other Authors: Cheng, Chih-Peng
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/v76vcu

碩士 === 國立清華大學 === 社會學研究所 === 106 === ’’Road running’’ was viewd as a select leisure activity in the past. However, in the ten years between 2005 and 2015, the amount of running events has soared from 42 to 448. Besides, the research in 2014 also pointed out that the total amount of participants had reached almost 1.5 million. “Road running” blows up so fast and becomes part of a pop culture phenomenon in Taiwan. And the commercial interests which is brought by the “road running mania” also promote the birth of related industrial chain. The existing researches of road running mostly make in the perspect of “practical” and omit the contributing factor and the developing process. Our investigation cuts to the chase through the two new economic sociology sects: “The social network and structural sect” and “the organization and field sect”, then puts forward causes、process of the “road running mania” and how the market works in the present day. According to the different type of interests, this thesis separates the market of road running into two parts. “Jogging club” and ”sports marketing corporation”, this type of actor takes “private interest” as their goal.“Organizer formed with local network of township”, this type of actor takes public interest as their goal. Besides, I choose one of the most famous evants,”Taiwan's Rice Heaven-Tianzhong Marathon”, as my case to study the “Organizer formed with local network of township”. Our investigation shows that because of the difference in interest type, the two type of actors choose different road to marketization. Compare to the “Jogging club” and ”sports marketing corporation” which gain profit through the business mode, “Organizer formed with local network of township” on the other hand combines the power of tourism development association、sports club、community development association and township office and connects tightly with the local social network and restart the development of declined township. Traditional Sociology of sport mostly assume that the process of marketization harms the innate character of sport. However, our investigation to ”Taiwan's Rice Heaven-Tianzhong Marathon” points out that not every marketization process harms. Instead, by changing the interest type and adjusting the form of inner organization, marketization may also bring positive impact to the society.