Sport, Power and Politics: Exploring Sport and Social Control within the Changing Context of Modernity

Abstract

Research at York St John (RaY) is an institutional repository. It supports the principles of open access by making the research outputs of the University available in digital form.

The role of civil society institutions in ensuring social control over political processes

“…Another theorist Swain (2019) analyses the functions of public sports organizations in ensuring social control. Socio-historical analysis, performed by the author, is useful for understanding the role of sports initiatives in the public sector for the development of national social policy.…”

“…Socio-historical analysis, performed by the author, is useful for understanding the role of sports initiatives in the public sector for the development of national social policy. It is possible to trace in the works of Swain (2019) how the methods of exercising public authority have changed from industrial times to post-industrial conditions. Currently, the definition of sports as a part of public culture in terms of the covid- 19 pandemic helps in the implementation of policies to promote healthy lifestyle, motivation to physical activity and anti-ageism.…”

Pugilism, Power, and the Cultural Politics of Celebrity: Charting Vitali Klitschko’s Rise from Heavyweight Champion to Mayor of Kiev

“…This approach is seen in various policy initiatives, from investment in elite sport to hosting mega sporting events like the Olympics (Grix and Carmicheal, 2009). The dynamics expose the workings of synoptic control by creating an environment built around seduction, whereby citizens are encouraged to look to the actions of significant others in the public eye in the hope of using what they see to manage their lives reflexively (Swain, 2019). This approach to public administration shows how governments no longer directly intervene in their subjects lives by institutionalising the polis into sports and physical activity but instead seek to steer their populations by encouraging them to follow the lead of celebrities, in the form of Olympians or sports stars, who demonstrate the benefits of staying physically active and healthy (Green, 2007).…”