Communitarianism, Sport and Social Capital

Abstract

The contribution that sport can make to community has been a contemporary theme within both sociological and political thinking about sport. This paper examines assumptions that are often associated with communitarianism as a basis for thinking about aspects of sport in Scotland. It is argued that it is unrealistic to expect sport to sustain a notion of social capital or civic engagement or communitarianism without addressing the issue of ownership, obligations and stakeholding in Scottish sport. Case-study research is used to substantiate the arguments made about Scottish sport.