Tensions and opportunities in researching social change in sport management

Laura Misener, Kyle Rich and Erin Pearson

Sport Management Review, 2022, vol. 25, issue 2, 323-340

Abstract: Within sport management scholarship, discussions of social change are becoming increasingly prevalent yet the underlying theoretical presumptions about social change are poorly (if at all) articulated. In this paper, we examine this shortcoming and challenge scholars to critically consider their social change agenda. We draw from established theories of social change to articulate how the term has been discussed more broadly in academic literature. In particular, we distinguish between individual, organizational, and community or social level changes as well as the nature of the change in question. Second, we employed a critical interpretive synthesis to consider how social change has been addressed within sport management scholarship. In doing so, we identify both where sport management literature has aligned with the broader social change literature as well as where it has not. Finally, we offer future considerations for sport management scholars interrogating social change, that involves a critical consideration of both level and nature of change. Social change is being readily used by sport management scholars.Theories of social change are often missing from published research.Sport for social change can be practical and impactful if linked clearly to theoretical insights.Distinguishing between individual, organizational, and community or social level changes would increase the impact of sport and social change research.

Date: 2022
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/14413523.2021.1902123 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:rsmrxx:v:25:y:2022:i:2:p:323-340

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/rsmr20

DOI: 10.1080/14413523.2021.1902123

Access Statistics for this article

Sport Management Review is currently edited by Sheranne Fairley

More articles in Sport Management Review from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().