Background: Sport is often perceived as inherently positive for sustainable development. This widespread assumption is however found to be quite normative, and the standardization of its boundaries dangerously naive. The lack of contextual specificity across the dominant schools of thought calls for a more comprehensive analysis of what different activities entail in different contexts. Purpose: This study examines the field of sport for development through a critical lens. Different initiatives using traditional mainstream sports and lifestyle sports, seeking an array of social development objectives, are structurally and systematically unpacked, hence uncovering the attributes that shape the achievements and challenges of the projects. Methods: Through a qualitative approach, six organisations operating in varying scopes and environments were interviewed using a semi-structured approach. Results: The investigation pinpoints the encompassing theme of sportification as a force of change influencing the internal and external dynamics of lifestyle sports as well as traditional mainstream sports, though to a lesser extent. Several important issues emerge from the investigation, such as how the notions of focus, networks and the fundamental benefits and challenges underlying each type of sport can materialize into concrete impacts on social development. Conclusions: A fine balance of sportification is necessary in order to gain the leverage and capital required to access the opportunities presented by organized sport yet without excessively compromising the innate social qualities of the activity.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mau-43209 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Barcenilla, Hugo, D'Arcy, Brendan |
| Publisher | Malmö universitet, Institutionen Idrottsvetenskap (IDV) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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