Assessing the sociology of sport: On utopianism and pragmatism

Abstract

On the 50th anniversary of the ISSA and IRSS, an influential scholar on sport participation, development and governance, Bart Vanreusal, considers the research project of the sociology of sport in light of the dynamics between uptopianism and pragmatism. Reflecting on Thomas More’s work Utopia, published in 1516, Vanreusal notes that, in contrast to other fields, utopianism has not had a significant impact on the sociology of sport; rather, opposing viewpoints using critical perspectives have had sometimes dystopian views on sport cultures. In considering the challenges and future of the sociology of sport, it is argued that utopian views and ideologies of human harmony and a better world have supported major social movements in sport such as Olympism and Sport for All. Indeed, utopian-based practices such as Olympism and Sport for All did result in a proliferation of pragmatic, and often functionalist, research. While sociology of sport over the last 50 years has managed to scrutinize present social realities, its resistance to pragmatism has hindered building new research upon its findings to address new and future social realities. Neoutopianism, featuring reality-based beliefs in large and small scale models for social change and a better world through sport, can drive the research agenda in the future and help rebuild sport cultures.