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Social Sciences
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The Contested Terrain of Sport: Sociological, Political and Policy Perspectives
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The Contested Terrain of Sport: Sociological, Political and Policy Perspectives

A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Policy and Welfare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2024) | Viewed by 22457

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Steve Jackson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
Interests: sociology of sport; sport media; sport and globalization
Dr. Mike Sam

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
NZ Centre for Sport Policy and Politics, School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
Interests: the politics of policy regimes around stadium financing, sports gambling and sport integrity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue seeks to bring together a set of critical analyses that delve into the contested terrain of sport. By contested terrain, we are referring to sport as a site of debate, negotiation and conflict involving diverse interest groups with varying levels of resources and contrasting and competing sets of ideas and beliefs.

Contested sites can surround, for instance, the processes of gaining recognition and legitimacy for new sports as witnessed by the recent entry of breakdancing into the 2024 Paris Olympics and the increasing pressure to include e-sports. However, the contested terrain of sport can also extend far beyond this to include the use of sport for peace and development on the one hand and as a strategic target for terrorists on the other. Given its global presence and strategic location alongside key state sectors including health, education, culture, business and foreign policy, ‘sport’ is increasingly the focus of serious discussion amongst scholars, policy makers and citizens. Our aim is to showcase novel research that illustrates the contested terrain of sport within the broad intersections of sociology, politics and policy.

We invite papers that address one or more of the following topics: sociology of sport; sport policy; new and alternative sports: from e-sport to breakdancing; sport integrity; Indigenous sport; trans athletes and sport policy; sporting identities; sport mega-events; sport media; sport mega-events; sport, diplomacy and foreign policy; sports activism; sport gambling and match-fixing; sport and national identity; sport and wellbeing; sport and the environment.

Prof. Dr. Steve Jackson
Dr. Mike Sam
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • contested terrain
  • sociology of sport
  • sport policy
  • new and alternative sports
  • sport integrity
  • indigenous sport
  • trans athletes and sport policy
  • sporting identities
  • sport mega-events
  • sports activism
  • sport, diplomacy and foreign policy
  • sports gambling and matchfixing
  • sport media
  • sport, the environment and sustainability
  • sport and wellbeing

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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12 pages, 256 KiB  
Article
Authoritarian States and Global Sport: The Contested Cases of Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia
by Jonathan Grix and Paul Michael Brannagan
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(12), 701; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13120701 - 23 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1033
Abstract
Sport and authoritarianism have long been bedfellows, especially during the Cold War era. ‘Traditional’ authoritarian regimes—most notably the Soviet Union and its satellite states—learnt the art of instrumentalizing sport for political ends from each other. Motives for this included garnering international prestige via [...] Read more.
Sport and authoritarianism have long been bedfellows, especially during the Cold War era. ‘Traditional’ authoritarian regimes—most notably the Soviet Union and its satellite states—learnt the art of instrumentalizing sport for political ends from each other. Motives for this included garnering international prestige via excellence in elite sport and showcasing communism as a viable alternative to capitalism. This paper shows how the ‘new’ authoritarian states are now beginning to impact global elite sport through similar sports investment strategies in an array of sports teams, sports sponsorship and sports leagues. Whereas ‘traditional’ authoritarian states sought sporting excellence on the playing field and the recognition this brought with it, the ‘new’ authoritarian states seek to buy into the cultural power and prestige of global elite sport for economic gain, to improve the health of their citizens and for global recognition. We draw on recent examples from Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia to understand why and how ‘new’ authoritarian states pursue sport policies and why this is contested. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Contested Terrain of Sport: Sociological, Political and Policy Perspectives)
16 pages, 264 KiB  
Article
The Contested Terrain of Sporting Consumption: Navigating Meaning, Identity, and Late Capitalist Marketing through Sneaker Customization
by Brandon T. Wallace and David L. Andrews
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(8), 383; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080383 - 23 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1067
Abstract
This discussion critically examines and questions assumptions about the meanings and motivations of sporting consumption. We argue that the practice of sneaker customization demonstrates the contested terrain of sporting consumption, wherein contemporary consumerism is characterized by a dynamic interplay between top–down structural determination [...] Read more.
This discussion critically examines and questions assumptions about the meanings and motivations of sporting consumption. We argue that the practice of sneaker customization demonstrates the contested terrain of sporting consumption, wherein contemporary consumerism is characterized by a dynamic interplay between top–down structural determination (by mass commercial forces) and bottom–up creative agency (by everyday consumers). Based on in-depth interviews with 15 sneaker consumers, we narrate the complexities of late capitalist consumer culture through three overlapping “tensions” between the commercial sneaker industry and everyday sneaker consumers: (1) Sneakers as a vehicle to express individuality versus to demonstrate conformity; (2) Sneaker customization as a means of artistic expression versus being a commodity rationalized to maximize profit; (3) An affective versus instrumental attachment to sneakers. Overall, the analysis illuminates how the cultural and affective meanings that consumers attach to sneaker consumption operate; sometimes in conjunction with, more often in opposition to, but always in tension with the meanings that the sneaker industry attempts to embed through its ever-expansive means of marketing and advertising. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Contested Terrain of Sport: Sociological, Political and Policy Perspectives)
15 pages, 493 KiB  
Article
Athlete Maltreatment as a Wicked Problem and Contested Terrain
by Haewan Park, Michael P. Sam and Steven J. Jackson
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(7), 376; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13070376 - 20 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1156
Abstract
Athlete maltreatment in organized sport has attracted considerable attention from governing bodies, stakeholders and the general public. Despite numerous studies and policy proposals from various countries, the problem remains unresolved due to its inherent complexity. Drawing upon the concept of ‘a wicked problem’ [...] Read more.
Athlete maltreatment in organized sport has attracted considerable attention from governing bodies, stakeholders and the general public. Despite numerous studies and policy proposals from various countries, the problem remains unresolved due to its inherent complexity. Drawing upon the concept of ‘a wicked problem’ widely utilized in policy analysis, this study first identifies the wicked features of maltreatment, focusing on: (1) the difficulty of establishing a definition of maltreatment; (2) the challenges of identifying its causes; and (3) the impediments to identifying solutions in a context of embedded stakeholders and unintended consequences. To provide further analysis, we compare athlete maltreatment with other issues in sport such as doping and match-fixing, to suggest that lessons can be drawn from other wicked problems in the same contested terrain. Overall, given the complex interplay between maltreatment and the maintenance/legitimization of sport systems, this paper calls for continuing attention and evaluation of existing research/policies and advocates for a more multidimensional view that acknowledges maltreatment as a wicked problem. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Contested Terrain of Sport: Sociological, Political and Policy Perspectives)
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13 pages, 302 KiB  
Article
The Contested Terrain of Sport and Well-Being: Health and Wellness or Wellbeing Washing?
by Steven J. Jackson, Michael P. Sam and Marcelle C. Dawson
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(7), 366; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13070366 - 11 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1537
Abstract
Wellbeing has firmly established itself within contemporary practice, politics and policy. Indeed, the cultural, commercial, and terrestrial landscape of the concept is staggering and manifests within popular discourse and across global organisations and institutions, national governments, workplaces, and consumer lifestyle products and services. [...] Read more.
Wellbeing has firmly established itself within contemporary practice, politics and policy. Indeed, the cultural, commercial, and terrestrial landscape of the concept is staggering and manifests within popular discourse and across global organisations and institutions, national governments, workplaces, and consumer lifestyle products and services. Notably, the field of sport, exercise, and physical activity has been identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations, and the OECD as a key sector with the potential to contribute to people’s wellbeing. This should not be surprising given that there is a large body of literature espousing the benefits of regular physical activity (in myriad forms) as part of a healthy lifestyle. However, there are increasing concerns that wellbeing’s global ubiquity may be leading to a range of unintended consequences and/or unscrupulous practices within both international organisations and nation-states. This largely conceptual essay focuses on the concept and process of wellbeing washing by (1) tracing the historical roots and evolution of wellbeing; (2) exploring its reconceptualization within the framework of neoliberalism; (3) offering a preliminary outline of the concept of wellbeing washing; and (4) briefly describing how wellbeing washing is manifesting within the context of sport in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Overall, this analysis explores wellbeing as a contested terrain of interests marked by a range of complexities and contradictions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Contested Terrain of Sport: Sociological, Political and Policy Perspectives)
16 pages, 1141 KiB  
Article
Contested Terrains: Mega-Event Securities and Everyday Practices of Governance
by Amanda De Lisio, Michael Silk and Philip Hubbard
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(7), 360; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13070360 - 5 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1070
Abstract
Sport mega-events (SMEs) remake cities as global brandscapes of leisured consumption; reliant in part upon securitization designed to create an atmosphere free from disturbance and render invisible those “abject” populations who might puncture the tourist bubble that surrounds stadia and fan-zones. Yet, such [...] Read more.
Sport mega-events (SMEs) remake cities as global brandscapes of leisured consumption; reliant in part upon securitization designed to create an atmosphere free from disturbance and render invisible those “abject” populations who might puncture the tourist bubble that surrounds stadia and fan-zones. Yet, such “shiny” cityspaces are not devoid of complexity, contestation, and compunction. In this paper, we draw on extensive ethnographic- and community-based participatory research in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (prior to, during, and after two SMEs) collected in collaboration with sex workers, working in areas of SME intervention. Our focus is on the contingent nature of securitization amidst the contested terrains and trajectories of SME urbanism. Our analysis resonates with observations from other host cities, challenging dominant myths that the sport mega-event creates impermeable securitized cityscapes by revealing the fluid topography of formality and informality, contestation and negotiation, and oppression and power. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Contested Terrain of Sport: Sociological, Political and Policy Perspectives)
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15 pages, 342 KiB  
Article
Rethinking Sporting Mystification in the Present Tense: Disneylimpics, Affective Neoliberalism, and the Greatest Transformation
by Junbin Yang
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(4), 226; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13040226 - 20 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1763
Abstract
While questioning the universalization, naturalization, neutralization, and idealization of sport and physical culture, this paper examines the ultimate mystification process of sport and physical culture by expanding upon two conceptual frameworks: Jules Boykoff’s celebration capitalism and Lawrence Grossberg’s affective landscape. It first analyzes [...] Read more.
While questioning the universalization, naturalization, neutralization, and idealization of sport and physical culture, this paper examines the ultimate mystification process of sport and physical culture by expanding upon two conceptual frameworks: Jules Boykoff’s celebration capitalism and Lawrence Grossberg’s affective landscape. It first analyzes the evolution of the Olympics into a corporatized, commercialized, spectacularized, and celebritized “Disneylimpics” that can consistently evoke an affective reverberation. It then introduces the idea of “affective neoliberalism” to highlight neoliberalism’s affective and ideological aspects. With Grossberg’s concept of affective landscape, this paper explores the internalization and intensification of anxiety and affective isolation within society. Additionally, the paper utilizes Karl Polanyi’s analysis in his influential book, The Great Transformation, to investigate the historical expansion of affective neoliberalism. By highlighting the 11 September 2001, attacks in the United States, it points out provocative militarization and (re)organization of the soul into a fictitious commodity, in addition to labor, land, and money, which triggers the greatest transformation. Lastly, summarizing central arguments, this paper concludes with modest suggestions, mainly focusing on two questions: (1) where are we now? and (2) how can we more effectively respond to the present context? Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Contested Terrain of Sport: Sociological, Political and Policy Perspectives)
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15 pages, 333 KiB  
Article
‘I’ve Always Fought a Little against the Tide to Get Where I Want to Be’—Construction of Women’s Embodied Subjectivity in the Contested Terrain of High-Level Karate
by Fabiana Cristina Turelli, Alexandre Fernandez Vaz and David Kirk
Soc. Sci. 2023, 12(10), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12100538 - 25 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1818
Abstract
Karate can be both a martial art and a combat sport. Male and female karate athletes attended the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 (2021). Elite sport often portrays female athletes through the sexualization of their bodies, while the martial environment leaves them open to [...] Read more.
Karate can be both a martial art and a combat sport. Male and female karate athletes attended the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 (2021). Elite sport often portrays female athletes through the sexualization of their bodies, while the martial environment leaves them open to accusations of masculinization. In the process of constructing themselves as fighters, karateka women do produce new ways of performing femininities and masculinities, which is a hard-work process of negotiations, leading them to the construction of a particular habitus strictly linked to their performativity within the environment. They take part in a contested terrain that mixes several elements that are often contrasting. In this article, we aim to present factors identified with the women athletes of the Spanish Olympic karate team that affect the construction of their embodied subjectivities. We focus on two main topics, authenticity as the real deal to belonging, and a possible gendered habitus struggling with the achievement of the condition of a warrior. We carried out an ethnographic study with the Spanish Olympic karate squad supported by autoethnographic elements from the first author. We focus here on the data from double interviews with 14 women athletes and their four male coaches. Embodied subjectivity as a process of subject construction to disrupt objectification and forms of othering showed to be a challenge, a complex task, and embedded in contradictions. Karate women’s embodied subjectivities are built in the transit between resisting and giving in. Despite several difficulties, through awareness and reflection on limitations, karateka may occupy their place as subjects, exerting agency, feeling empowered, and fighting consciously against the naturalized ‘tide’. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Contested Terrain of Sport: Sociological, Political and Policy Perspectives)
15 pages, 328 KiB  
Article
Sport for Social Cohesion: Transferring from the Pitch to the Community?
by Louis Moustakas
Soc. Sci. 2022, 11(11), 513; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11110513 - 11 Nov 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5229
Abstract
European sport policies and programmes have increasingly focused on promoting social cohesion. Often presented as a multi-dimensional concept, social cohesion is considered the ‘glue’ that holds societies together and is seen as essential to addressing common challenges. However, the term remains contested, and [...] Read more.
European sport policies and programmes have increasingly focused on promoting social cohesion. Often presented as a multi-dimensional concept, social cohesion is considered the ‘glue’ that holds societies together and is seen as essential to addressing common challenges. However, the term remains contested, and it is not always clear how programmes conceptualize or support social cohesion. Thus, this paper explores how three European sport programmes conceptualize and foster social cohesion. Findings are generated from a thematic analysis of interviews, group discussions, observations and documents. The themes developed show how organizations adopt an individual-centerd view of social cohesion, focusing mainly on social relations, tolerance and mutual help. In turn, this translates to an individual-focused practice of social cohesion, emphasizing personal skills, behaviors, and social relations, with the transfer of social cohesion to the broader community left mostly in participants’ hands. Due to a number of systemic barriers, programmes struggle to implement more holistic and structural approaches. As such, if we want to facilitate a move towards more structural or interventionist approaches, we as researchers must play an active role in questioning, challenging, and reshaping the systems that underpin sport-based social interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Contested Terrain of Sport: Sociological, Political and Policy Perspectives)

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10 pages, 254 KiB  
Perspective
Evolution of the Olympic Movement: Adapting to Contemporary Global Challenges
by Yannis Theodorakis, Konstantinos Georgiadis and Mary Hassandra
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(7), 326; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13070326 - 21 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5008
Abstract
This paper explores the diverse impact of the Olympic Movement on society, emphasizing core values like ‘excellence’, ‘friendship’, and ‘respect’. Traditionally, the Olympic Movement actively promotes global sport through initiatives such as Olympic education programs, instilling moral dimensions, cultural values, and essential life [...] Read more.
This paper explores the diverse impact of the Olympic Movement on society, emphasizing core values like ‘excellence’, ‘friendship’, and ‘respect’. Traditionally, the Olympic Movement actively promotes global sport through initiatives such as Olympic education programs, instilling moral dimensions, cultural values, and essential life skills. Recent Olympic Games are scrutinized for their organizers’ focus on safety, pandemic management, environmental sustainability, and gender equality. This paper addresses crucial policy options, spanning human rights, social inclusion through sport, and the pervasive issue of inactivity affecting public health. Noteworthy successes in leveraging sports for refugees and combating substance use disorders are discussed, alongside joint efforts by the World Health Organization and the International Olympic Committee, to combat inactivity and promote health through sports. Exploration of gender equality in the Olympic Movement recognizes challenges and suggests actions, including increasing female participation and addressing sexual harassment. The intersection of sports, climate change, and environmental responsibility is examined, with a focus on the ambitious ‘climate-positive’ goals of the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, since most of the IOC actions are rather symbolic and not substantial, many organizations are called upon to take active initiatives. Actionable recommendations urge countries to prioritize physical activity policies, organize exercise programs, and collaborate across sectors for health and environmental sustainability. The Olympic Games should focus on promoting mass sports participation, fostering positive attitudes, enhancing public health through sports, education, peace, and societal values, advocating for a holistic approach that champions ethical values, and promoting Olympic education to build a better world through sports. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Contested Terrain of Sport: Sociological, Political and Policy Perspectives)
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