Ethnographic Background
Participant observation requires that the researcher be the prime and direct instrument of data collection, and this inevitably involves the researcher’s self or subjectivity in the fieldwork (McNamee, 2005). Some ethnographic researchers in sports used their own embodied sporting experiences to produce a range of thorough ethnographies or self-narratives regarding various sporting and physical activities (Sparkes 2000). Wacquant (2004) described sport as an embodied practice and in relation to this idea, McNamee (2005), theorized that traditionally ethnographers sought to acknowledge reflexivity and subject to analyze their own experiences of the social worlds they were studying. Emphasis on embodiment is an acknowledgement …show more content…
Bain (1995) says that sport involves action, either at the level of the individual or collective participation, and it is a meticulously embodied and practically accomplished activity. In order to grasp fully the meaning of an action, the ethnographer has to examine in depth the actors’ subjective point of view (McNamee, 2005).
Overall, autoethnographers have tended to concentrate upon the phenomenological and interactional dimensions of sporting experience and also of particular interest is the focus on feelings as an embodied form of consciousness (Denzin 1984). Autoethnography is a relatively new methodological approach in sports research within the social sciences (Denzin, 1997; Ellis et al 2011). According to McNamee (2005:186), researchers have imperfectly accessed the ‘’sporting mind’’. Researchers need to examine their participants’ subjective viewpoints through a detailed analysis of how they construct meaning (Bain …show more content…
Increase in participation comes with no corresponding increase in facilities. According to Nolais (2014) both coaches and soccer players have concerns about inadequate facilities with an increasing number of registered soccer players (Nolais 2014). The Sport Matters Group (2011) has identified accessibility and availability of sports facilities as one of the factors influencing female participation in sports. The Environment Scan (2010) speculates that sports are an expensive venture and access is largely restricted to wealthy people. For example, in sports like hockey the cost is very high due to registration fees, uniforms, equipment, and facility costs. A recent case involving women field hockey players in Calgary underscores many of these challenges (Nesom, 2014). There are also injuries associated with sports participation (Madigan and Delaney 2009:112), including violence perpetuated by fans of winning and losing teams (Lewis
Participant observation requires that the researcher be the prime and direct instrument of data collection, and this inevitably involves the researcher’s self or subjectivity in the fieldwork (McNamee, 2005). Some ethnographic researchers in sports used their own embodied sporting experiences to produce a range of thorough ethnographies or self-narratives regarding various sporting and physical activities (Sparkes 2000). Wacquant (2004) described sport as an embodied practice and in relation to this idea, McNamee (2005), theorized that traditionally ethnographers sought to acknowledge reflexivity and subject to analyze their own experiences of the social worlds they were studying. Emphasis on embodiment is an acknowledgement …show more content…
Bain (1995) says that sport involves action, either at the level of the individual or collective participation, and it is a meticulously embodied and practically accomplished activity. In order to grasp fully the meaning of an action, the ethnographer has to examine in depth the actors’ subjective point of view (McNamee, 2005).
Overall, autoethnographers have tended to concentrate upon the phenomenological and interactional dimensions of sporting experience and also of particular interest is the focus on feelings as an embodied form of consciousness (Denzin 1984). Autoethnography is a relatively new methodological approach in sports research within the social sciences (Denzin, 1997; Ellis et al 2011). According to McNamee (2005:186), researchers have imperfectly accessed the ‘’sporting mind’’. Researchers need to examine their participants’ subjective viewpoints through a detailed analysis of how they construct meaning (Bain …show more content…
Increase in participation comes with no corresponding increase in facilities. According to Nolais (2014) both coaches and soccer players have concerns about inadequate facilities with an increasing number of registered soccer players (Nolais 2014). The Sport Matters Group (2011) has identified accessibility and availability of sports facilities as one of the factors influencing female participation in sports. The Environment Scan (2010) speculates that sports are an expensive venture and access is largely restricted to wealthy people. For example, in sports like hockey the cost is very high due to registration fees, uniforms, equipment, and facility costs. A recent case involving women field hockey players in Calgary underscores many of these challenges (Nesom, 2014). There are also injuries associated with sports participation (Madigan and Delaney 2009:112), including violence perpetuated by fans of winning and losing teams (Lewis