Sport, Culture, and the Status of Social Sciences: Intellectual Reflections

Abstract

During the past two decades a host of subdisciplines dedicated to the study of sport and physical education have emerged. Sport sociology was one of the most prolific among them in producing research. In turn, it has also elicited the most discussions about the quality, methodology, and rationale of its scholarship. This paper aims to highlight some of the epistemological problems sport sociology faces in studying culture and dissemination of knowledge gained from pertinent research. It argues that beyond a mandate to conduct research, sport sociology must also communicate its finding to scholars, professionals, and the general public.

High school boys' basketball and the social structure of suburban, rural, and urban high school communities : a comparative case study.

“…Such complete work can lead to theory formation through substantive detail. Eisen (1990) conducted a study which aimed to highlight some of the epistemological problems sport sociology faces when studying culture and using knowledge obtained from research. The article argued the need for sport researchers to communicate with other scholars, sport management professionals, and the general public the vast findings regarding sport sociology.…”

“…Eisen (1990) described sport sociologists' ability to utilize cultural studies and cultural interactions in order to obtain a better understanding of forces governing life. The researcher scoffed at sport sociologists of the day who left much of the sociological work pertaining to culture and sets of subcultures to other branches of the social sciences such as anthropology, philosophy, and history.…”

“…The researcher demanded that society does not have the knowledge to understand how sport works and the enormous role sport plays within the context of society. Eisen (1990) actually quoted a famous social structure scholar on whose work this current study is framed upon, Robert K. Merton, in his discussion of the need for sport researchers to go beyond reciting facts and looking into building theories regarding sports place within culture and society in the United States.…”