Características e adaptações realizadas para a prática do futebol americano nas praias de João Pessoa/ PB

Abstract

American football is a sport created in the United States in the 19th century, which has gained considerable popularity around the world, and was first played in Paraíba in 2006. The objective of this study is to identify the characteristics and adaptations made by amateur American football teams to play on the beaches of João Pessoa, Paraíba. This is a descriptive study of a quantitative/qualitative nature, with a sample of 32 male participants between 18 and 28 years of age, who belonged to three beach American football teams. They answered a self-administered questionnaire, and a subsample (2 participants from each team) participated in a semi-structured interview through recordings. The variables collected were: socioeconomic characteristics, mapping of players and teams, training conditions and adaptations of rules. Descriptive statistics and discourse analysis were used to analyze the data. The participants have known American football for more than five years and have been playing it for more than two years. Training takes place on Cabo Branco beach, up to twice a week and lasts from 1 to 2 hours and 30 minutes. The teams play with adapted rules: number of players on the field (9x9); extra point without kicking, where this score depends on the distance to the Endzone; contact area for players (prohibited in the head/neck area); and reduced field size. It can be concluded that adaptations were made due to the physical, logistical and financial needs of the teams and players, so that the practice of the sport would become viable on the beaches of João Pessoa.