Sport in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic: towards an agenda for research in the sociology of sport
Whilst much has been said about the present and future impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, much less is known. The intention of this editorial, is not to provide ‘answers,’ commentary or opinions. The authors simply do not know what the long-term impact of this potentially long-term health threat will have on sports participation.
In this article, the authors take a Socratic approach, and ask questions. In so doing, the authors hope to stimulate the development of tentative questions to which they, as sociologists of sport, should attempt to provide answers over the coming years.
In this article:
- What role will sport, exercise and physical activity play in the future?
- Will the organisational structure of sport change in response to the pandemic?
- Will the inequalities highlighted by the pandemic begin to be addressed?
- How will the lives of athletes and other participants in sport change, and what new considerations will inform teaching and coaching practice in the future?
- Will the virus result in the further exclusion or stigmatisation of ‘risky’ and marginalised groups?
Literatuurverwijzing: Evans, B., Blackwell, J., Dolan, P., Fahlén, J., Hoekman, R.H.A., Lenneis, V., ... Wilcock, L. (2020). Sport in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic: towards an agenda for research in the sociology of sport. European Journal for Sport and Society (pp. 1-9)