Community is a context for much research in sport, sport management, and sport policy, yet relati... more Community is a context for much research in sport, sport management, and sport policy, yet relatively few authors explicitly articulate the theoretical frameworks with which they interrogate the concept. In this paper, we draw from communitarian theory and politics in order to contribute to a robust discussion and conceptualization of community in and for sport management research and practice. We provide a synthesis of current sport management and related research in order to highlight contemporary theoretical and methodological approaches to studying community. We distinguish between community as a context, as an outcome, as a site for struggle or resistance, as well as a form of regulation or social control. We then advance a critical communitarian agenda and consider the practical implications and considerations for research and practice. This paper synthesizes current research and establishes a foundation upon which sport management scholars and practitioners might critically r...
Using a spatial analysis methodology, we analyzed sport participation through membership data of ... more Using a spatial analysis methodology, we analyzed sport participation through membership data of a Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) in Ontario, Canada. Specifically, our analysis brings attention to the participation of women and girls in Row Ontario and the urban and rural nature of the PSO's membership. This research was conducted in partnership with the PSO to provide insights into how contextual factors influence sport participation and how these findings can inform future sport development efforts. Our results demonstrate that women and girls represented the majority of participants within the PSO and highlight an opportunity to use participant centered approaches for sport development to grow women and girls' participation. This is a promising outcome as women and girls are generally underrepresented in sport and may face greater participation barriers in rural contexts.
Using first-person inquiry, we explore the use of reflexive practice as a means of self-study in ... more Using first-person inquiry, we explore the use of reflexive practice as a means of self-study in community sport management research. In the context of a participatory action research project with a rural Northern Ontario community recreation committee, we describe our process of conducting first person action inquiry, explore how it enriched the process and outcomes of the project, and explain how it informed our understanding of researchers (ourselves) as instruments of research and agents of change within the research process. Through the process of self-study and iterative discussions between a graduate student (sometimes) insider and academic supervisor outsider, we demonstrate how reflexive practice led to a better understanding of community contexts as well as the roles and limitations of the researchers therein. Consequently, reflections allowed for a moulding of the methodological approach to be more effective (for research and action) with(in) the community. Based on our discussion, we highlight the potential of diverse research practices and paradigms to offer new perspectives for sport management research and practice.
The research conducted for this dissertation involved a participatory action research (PAR) proje... more The research conducted for this dissertation involved a participatory action research (PAR) project with the Municipality of Powassan Recreation Committee. Framed with the literature pertaining to sport and recreation development, community development, and rural community studies, the project sought to explore the perceived significance of sport and recreation, to examine the processes of sport and recreation management, as well as to inform changes to current management and policy making practices within the rural community context. Further, this project sought to identify strengths and challenges of PAR as well as to explore the processes through which researchers can work with community stakeholders as agents of change within the context of (rural) community sport and recreation management. Drawing from communitarian theories and participatory methodological approaches, the contributions of this research can be summarized in three themes. Firstly, this research contributes to sc...
The Battle of Little Big Puck is an annual event hosted in Maple Creek that challenges the way we... more The Battle of Little Big Puck is an annual event hosted in Maple Creek that challenges the way we think about how sport, history, heritage, and community intersect and play out in rural Canada. The event pits ‘Cowboys against the Indians ’in a hockey game and symbolic performance of identity, culture, and community. For this paper, we used a participatory methodology to co-construct narratives of the event in order to explore how it is understood and communicated in and for the community. We drew from interviews, public accounts, and observations to discuss two components of the larger narrative of this event. We discuss a historical narrative of contact and collaboration between Nekaneet First Nation and local rodeo cowboys and a contemporary narrative of urban-rural difference and misunderstanding, which provides a platform for community culture, specifically the expression of ‘the way we do things out here. ’Collectively, these narratives provide insights into local understanding...
~~The United Nations states that persons with a disability have the right to participate on an eq... more ~~The United Nations states that persons with a disability have the right to participate on an equal basis in community life including recreational, leisure, and sporting activities (UN, 2009) The Government of Canada’s Annual report on disability issues reported over half (50.6%) of people with disabilities desired to increase their participation in sport and leisure activities but faced barriers from doing so such as a lack of adequate assistance, inaccessible facilities, lack of specialized equipment, and attitudes/misconceptions about disability (HRSDC, 2010, WHO, 2011). It has been suggested that hosting sporting events can offer an opportunity to access scarce resources to create more accessible infrastructure, increase support services, and potentially change attitudes towards disability (Sherry et al. 2011). Similarly, it is believed that hosting para-sport events can influence community members ‘ perceptions and understanding of disability, resulting in greater integration of persons with disability into community life (Misener et al., 2012). Thus, the purpose of the current project was to assess and analyze spectator, volunteer, and community members’ attitudes towards persons with a disability and awareness of disability sporting events pertaining to the 2014 Commonwealth games in Glasgow Scotland. Participants included a total of 2860 volunteers who were recruited pre-event to assess their attitudes towards persons with a disability and their awareness of para sport events taking place at the games. Results revealed that males had more awareness of para sport events, however females had more positive attitudes towards persons with a disability. Likewise those with higher education and higher socio-economic status generally held more positive attitudes towards disability and disability issues. Finally in a predictive model, greater awareness of para sport events was significantly associated with more positive attitudes towards disability. Implications are discussed pertaining to increased increasing community access and participation in physical activity for persons with a disability.
The importance of maintaining wellness for seniors is widely acknowledged, and can be achieved th... more The importance of maintaining wellness for seniors is widely acknowledged, and can be achieved through recreation and leisure programming. Nevertheless, little research has explored the intersectio...
Community is a context for much research in sport, sport management, and sport policy, yet relati... more Community is a context for much research in sport, sport management, and sport policy, yet relatively few authors explicitly articulate the theoretical frameworks with which they interrogate the concept. In this paper, we draw from communitarian theory and politics in order to contribute to a robust discussion and conceptualization of community in and for sport management research and practice. We provide a synthesis of current sport management and related research in order to highlight contemporary theoretical and methodological approaches to studying community. We distinguish between community as a context, as an outcome, as a site for struggle or resistance, as well as a form of regulation or social control. We then advance a critical communitarian agenda and consider the practical implications and considerations for research and practice. This paper synthesizes current research and establishes a foundation upon which sport management scholars and practitioners might critically r...
Using a spatial analysis methodology, we analyzed sport participation through membership data of ... more Using a spatial analysis methodology, we analyzed sport participation through membership data of a Provincial Sport Organization (PSO) in Ontario, Canada. Specifically, our analysis brings attention to the participation of women and girls in Row Ontario and the urban and rural nature of the PSO's membership. This research was conducted in partnership with the PSO to provide insights into how contextual factors influence sport participation and how these findings can inform future sport development efforts. Our results demonstrate that women and girls represented the majority of participants within the PSO and highlight an opportunity to use participant centered approaches for sport development to grow women and girls' participation. This is a promising outcome as women and girls are generally underrepresented in sport and may face greater participation barriers in rural contexts.
Using first-person inquiry, we explore the use of reflexive practice as a means of self-study in ... more Using first-person inquiry, we explore the use of reflexive practice as a means of self-study in community sport management research. In the context of a participatory action research project with a rural Northern Ontario community recreation committee, we describe our process of conducting first person action inquiry, explore how it enriched the process and outcomes of the project, and explain how it informed our understanding of researchers (ourselves) as instruments of research and agents of change within the research process. Through the process of self-study and iterative discussions between a graduate student (sometimes) insider and academic supervisor outsider, we demonstrate how reflexive practice led to a better understanding of community contexts as well as the roles and limitations of the researchers therein. Consequently, reflections allowed for a moulding of the methodological approach to be more effective (for research and action) with(in) the community. Based on our discussion, we highlight the potential of diverse research practices and paradigms to offer new perspectives for sport management research and practice.
The research conducted for this dissertation involved a participatory action research (PAR) proje... more The research conducted for this dissertation involved a participatory action research (PAR) project with the Municipality of Powassan Recreation Committee. Framed with the literature pertaining to sport and recreation development, community development, and rural community studies, the project sought to explore the perceived significance of sport and recreation, to examine the processes of sport and recreation management, as well as to inform changes to current management and policy making practices within the rural community context. Further, this project sought to identify strengths and challenges of PAR as well as to explore the processes through which researchers can work with community stakeholders as agents of change within the context of (rural) community sport and recreation management. Drawing from communitarian theories and participatory methodological approaches, the contributions of this research can be summarized in three themes. Firstly, this research contributes to sc...
The Battle of Little Big Puck is an annual event hosted in Maple Creek that challenges the way we... more The Battle of Little Big Puck is an annual event hosted in Maple Creek that challenges the way we think about how sport, history, heritage, and community intersect and play out in rural Canada. The event pits ‘Cowboys against the Indians ’in a hockey game and symbolic performance of identity, culture, and community. For this paper, we used a participatory methodology to co-construct narratives of the event in order to explore how it is understood and communicated in and for the community. We drew from interviews, public accounts, and observations to discuss two components of the larger narrative of this event. We discuss a historical narrative of contact and collaboration between Nekaneet First Nation and local rodeo cowboys and a contemporary narrative of urban-rural difference and misunderstanding, which provides a platform for community culture, specifically the expression of ‘the way we do things out here. ’Collectively, these narratives provide insights into local understanding...
~~The United Nations states that persons with a disability have the right to participate on an eq... more ~~The United Nations states that persons with a disability have the right to participate on an equal basis in community life including recreational, leisure, and sporting activities (UN, 2009) The Government of Canada’s Annual report on disability issues reported over half (50.6%) of people with disabilities desired to increase their participation in sport and leisure activities but faced barriers from doing so such as a lack of adequate assistance, inaccessible facilities, lack of specialized equipment, and attitudes/misconceptions about disability (HRSDC, 2010, WHO, 2011). It has been suggested that hosting sporting events can offer an opportunity to access scarce resources to create more accessible infrastructure, increase support services, and potentially change attitudes towards disability (Sherry et al. 2011). Similarly, it is believed that hosting para-sport events can influence community members ‘ perceptions and understanding of disability, resulting in greater integration of persons with disability into community life (Misener et al., 2012). Thus, the purpose of the current project was to assess and analyze spectator, volunteer, and community members’ attitudes towards persons with a disability and awareness of disability sporting events pertaining to the 2014 Commonwealth games in Glasgow Scotland. Participants included a total of 2860 volunteers who were recruited pre-event to assess their attitudes towards persons with a disability and their awareness of para sport events taking place at the games. Results revealed that males had more awareness of para sport events, however females had more positive attitudes towards persons with a disability. Likewise those with higher education and higher socio-economic status generally held more positive attitudes towards disability and disability issues. Finally in a predictive model, greater awareness of para sport events was significantly associated with more positive attitudes towards disability. Implications are discussed pertaining to increased increasing community access and participation in physical activity for persons with a disability.
The importance of maintaining wellness for seniors is widely acknowledged, and can be achieved th... more The importance of maintaining wellness for seniors is widely acknowledged, and can be achieved through recreation and leisure programming. Nevertheless, little research has explored the intersectio...
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