Social Figurational Theory Analysis

The Sociology of Sport: Sport sociology is a sub-discipline of sociology that emerged in the 1970’s and has subsequently produced imperative knowledge concerning sports as a social phenomenon in a wide range of societal contexts. As such, sport can be understood as a social practice that has varying definitions throughout time and from one social environment to another as individuals establish and propagate notions of sport in ways that coincide with their values and beliefs (Coakley, 2004). However, as this sub-discipline has continued to develop there have been numerous debates concerning the proper definition of the paradigm. For example, Delaney and Madigan (2015) define it as, “the systematic study of the processes, patterns, issues, values …show more content…
Moreover, figurational theory focuses upon understanding the structures that mutually dependent individuals establish and the historical transformations they undergo as a result of an increase or reduction in interdependencies of power (Murphy, et al., 2000). With this in mind, figurational theory concerns itself with, “long-term processes through which the relatively autonomous actions of many individuals and collections of people influence and constrain each other” (Coakley, 2004, pp. 49). When considering sport, figurational theorists study the long-term dynamic social processes, interdependencies, and socialization practices that underlay aspects of modern sport (Coakley, 2004; Murphy, et al., 2000). Notably, figurational theories have been used in a variety of ways including the study of the rise of soccer across Europe and the world while also demonstrating the rise in violence on behalf of both players and spectators (Woods, 2015). In addition to this, figurational theories have been used to study processes of globalization in a shrinking world wherein sport has increased the connections between individuals and countries globally (Coakley, 2004; Woods, 2015). Yet, major shortcomings of figurational approaches are related to its reductionist approach towards social change. For example, since figurational approaches understand social problems over time, they fails to properly assess struggles that affect individuals and groups on an everyday basis. This includes the consequences of oppressive power relations in sport wherein many minority groups are pushed to the margins and at times have their sporting abilities exploited for