‘There are Alternatives, but Your Social Life is Curtailed’: Poverty and Sports Participation from an Insider Perspective

Abstract

Sports is generally believed to improve well-being and to bring benefits ranging from health promotion to the enhancement of social capital. At the same time, research has indicated that living in poverty negatively affects the likelihood of practicing sports. Yet, from the literature, it is not clear how the lower participation rates of people in poverty should be understood. Based on 33 semi-structured interviews and four focus groups, we (1) explore the meaning of sports participation for people in poverty and (2) evaluate the opportunities for practicing sports. As their voices often remain unheard, we take the perspective of people in poverty as a starting point. The results indicate, amongst other things, that sports practice remains possible when living with few resources, but potential social benefits of sports often stay out of reach. The link between scarcity of resources and social exclusion, as documented in the literature on poverty, is strongly present in the field of sports as well. In order to enhance the actual opportunities for doing sports, activities need to be organised in a financially, socially and physically safe way.