What Little Do We Know: Content Analysis of Disability Sport in Sport Management Literature

Abstract

As the field of sport business management develops, it is critical to assess its literature. A content analysis of 34 sport business management journals between 2002 to 2012 was conducted relative to sports, physical activity, recreation, and leisure for individuals with disabilities. Journals were selected based on their alignment with sport management curriculum standards. Results show that of the 5,443 articles reviewed in this study, merely 89, or .016%, pertained to disability sport, leisure, recreation, or physical activity. Information insufficiency was found across all sport management curriculum domains. Similarities and differences are discussed relative to other content analyses conducted in sport management and disability sport. Results provide direction for future scholarship and advancement of studies in disability sport in sport business management.

A sportgazdaságtani kutatások nemzetközi és hazai fejlődése

“…Mindent egybe véve, összesen 122 szerző működött közre a 116 cikk elkészítésében, közülük 62,3% volt féri és 37,3% nő. Ez rendkívül hasonló a nemzetközi eredményekhez (Shapiro & Pitts, 2014), ahol ez az arány 61% férfi és 36% nő (3%-ról a név alapján ez nem volt eldönthető).…”

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities and Its Effects on the Promotion of Elite Disability Sport: A Worldwide Analysis

“…To start with, it is relevant to acknowledge the work of Shapiro and Pitts (2014) who after examining disability sport in sport management literature between 2002 to 2012 remark that research on disability sport, leisure and recreation is still an under research area in sport management. To further this argument, both authors state that out of 5,443 articles examined, only 89, less than 1 per cent were disability sport articles (see also Pitts and Shapiro 2017).…”

“…In this regard, the World Leisure Journal was (and still is) one of the journals that has published more articles in this subject (Veal 2015). To date, most of the extant research on sport and leisure disability has focused upon the level of sport participation and the range of activities involving PwD (Patterson and Pegg 2009;Pitts and Shapiro 2017;Shapiro and Pitts 2014;Thomas and Smith 2009), and more recently on the analysis of another growing demographic group as old PwD (Sotiriadou and Wicker 2014). Shapiro and Pitts (2014: 663) found that 'nearly half (48%) of all papers addressing disability sport focused on "participant sport", followed by Paralympics (15.7%)'.…”

“…According to Shapiro and Pitts (2014) and Pitts and Shapiro (2017), the second area of interest, though limited, was the study of the Paralympics and Paralympic athletes; however, the analysis of the interrelation between disability and elite disability sport from a human rights perspective is still an under research area both for the leisure and sport management studies as previously stated. As Misener and Darcy (2014) argue, relatively little studies in disability sport have explored the implementation of policies for elite disability sport athletes from a human right perspective.…”

“…(Lauff 2011), hence hindering the potentialities of PwD from these countries to become Paralympic athletes (IPC 2011a, 2015). Following Aitchison (2009), Misener and Darcy (2014), Pitts and Shapiro (2017), Shapiro and Pitts (2014) and Veal (2015), one of the aims of this paper is to extent the focus of disability sport and elite disability sport from the human rights perspective.…”