Abstract
The purpose of this research project is to better understand how one global sport for development agency takes advantage of events to build partnerships. This study demonstrates how the current social context, as theorized in Guy Debord's Society of the Spectacle, facilitates the implementation of what we label as a "seeing-is-believing" strategy. This strategy allows Special Olympics to capitalize on society's fascination with events to activate partners. Accordingly, a conceptual model that synthesizes and contrasts the aims of commercial spectator sports and sport for development events is provided. This model demonstrates that events are effective partnership-building arenas because, on one hand, they offer opportunities to efficiently evaluate mission attainment. These opportunities exploit our familiarity with events and the unthreatening passivity of watching. On the other hand, events provide pretexts for getting over the initial awkwardness sometimes associated with interacting with athletes identifying with intellectual disabilities. Theoretical and practical implications of the concepts that make the seeing is believing strategy work will also be provided.
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