Can we make a difference? Examining the transformative potential of sport and active recreation

Abstract

This paper focuses around the transformative potential of sport and active recreation and is premised on an assertion that sport in its broadest sense is a political project. It draws on three different empirical studies to critically assess ways in which involvement for participants can be (potentially) transformative, transformational and transforming. The first study focuses on gay sport and gay football, the second looks at a recreational football team where the manager is seeking to actualize participation as ‘transformational’ for players to challenge practices of discrimination including sexism and racism. The third study focuses on dance and masculinity and considers how ‘transforming’ practices are embodied and expressed in complex ways. We argue that attention needs to be paid to the nature and type of activities being assessed and emphasize the importance of context-specific empirical research to engage more fully with claims pertaining to transformative potential.