Examination of Disability-Related Content Across Sport Management Textbooks

Abstract

The sport management field of study purports to be the field that prepares professionals to work in the sport business industry. People with disabilities in sport are a growing population and segment in the industry. Thus, it is important that information about disabilities be included in the literature and materials used by professionals in the field of sport management. Using content analysis methodology, the purpose of this study was to examine the sport management textbook literature in search of content in relation to disability, disability sport, and/or people with disabilities in sport (D/DS/PWDS). Twenty-four textbooks across eight different content areas of sport management were reviewed for mentions of D/DS/PWDS. Mentions ranged from four to 925 per book. Content areas with the most mentions were sociocultural, law, and facilities while the fewest mentions were in finance, communication, and management textbooks. The most mentioned disability was intellectual disability followed by visual impairment and the most common sport reference was the Paralympics followed by Special Olympics. The total percentage of D/DS/PWDS mentions across all 24 books is six ten-thousandths of a percentage, or 0.0006. Discrepancies in mentions within- and between-content areas are addressed. Action steps and future research directions for the inclusion of D/DS/PWDS in sport management textbooks are addressed.

Introduction to the Special Issue on Diversity and Inclusion in Sport Management Education

“…Thus, in a world in which people with disabilities are a growing segment of sports and sport business, as evidenced by such megaevents as the Paralympics, textbooks in sport management should include plenty of content about people with disabilities in sport. In "Examination of Disability-Related Content Across Sport Management Textbooks," Pitts et al (2022) explore how textbooks in sport management are inclusive of disability sport and/ or people with disabilities in sport. The findings reveal an inadequately low amount of content about disability sport and/or people with disabilities in sport.…”