Sport and social justice: international perspectives and new horizons in athlete activism research.

Abstract

Recently, there has been a resurgence of scholarly interest into athlete activism. So far, predominantly, academics have employed a historical perspective to study how elite-level western non-disabled athletes engage in social activism. For example, studies investigating how elite athletes use their profiles to challenge social inequalities. The aim of this symposium is to bring international scholars together to discuss global trends in athlete activism research. Three studies will be presented to demonstrate the widening empirical, methodological, and conceptual scope of athlete activism research. Inhyang Choi will present an qualitative investigation of Koran disabled athlete’s experiences of social and political engagement. Inhyang’s study is underpinned by a cultural sport psychology paradigm with attention to the influence of the Asian philosophy of Confucianism on athlete activism. Then, underpinned by a critical disability studies paradigm, Damian Haslett will present an exploration of recreational and elite Irish Para athletes’ experiences of activism. Finally, Ted Butryn will present an investigation on American high school athletes’ perceptions of Colin Kaepernick and athlete activism within and beyond the NFL. It is our hope that this symposium provides an opportunity to discover new methods of analysis and to encourage inter-disciplinary and cross-cultural research on sport and social justice.