Assessing the sociology of sport: On theory and method

Abstract

On the 50th anniversary of the ISSA and IRSS, key foundational scholar in the sociology of sport John Loy assesses the development of the field by focusing on larger questions of theory and methodological tactics. Loy characterizes key stages of development in reflecting on the trajectory of the field. He considers the “universals and particulars” in considering the sociology of sport’s station within the social sciences and humanities. In assessing the challenges of the field, Loy focuses on the fundamental features of sport in a societal context and draws on Raymond Williams to articulate the “long residuals” that undergird inquiry in the sociology of sport. In looking to the future of the field, Loy, drawing on Berger and Mills, encourages scholars to engage sociology of sport as a “form of consciousness” in ways that debunk myth and reveal power relations.