Mobilising sociology of sport for social change beyond the pandemic

Abstract

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, conversations about how to build sport back better are becoming increasingly pronounced. The crisis both deepens inequities and creates opportunity as a new way to configure sport post-pandemic demands to be discovered. The challenge has been thrown down to sociologists to help reimagine and reshape the course of sport. What might such re-enchantment look like? And how might it help realise the sociology of sport’s untapped potential to advance impactful public sociology? This paper explores these questions with a particular focus on sociologists of sport as co-creators of, and actors in, social change. I discuss five issues that I see as being relevant for rethinking and reconfiguring sport beyond the pandemic: (1) reclaiming the ludic and pleasure; (2) rethinking sociality in sport; (3) social inequities and ‘sport for all’; (4) de-/re-centring power in sport for development; and (5) global interdependence and interconnectedness. The insights presented can hopefully make a modest contribution to our collective understanding of transformative practice in and through the sociology of sport in uncertain times.

Enhancing social inclusion in sport: Dynamics of action research in super-diverse contexts

“…From a public sociology perspective (e.g. Donnelly, 2015; Spaaij, 2021; Zirin, 2008), we are interested in better understanding and advancing the role of researchers in partnership with community sport leaders as co-creators of, and actors in, social change. Rather than merely concentrating our efforts on the public dissemination and mobilisation of sociological knowledge produced through research, we have been conducting action research (AR) that actively seeks to enhance CALD people's access, representation, and experiences in community sports clubs.…”