ECSS's research

Aims and objectives

We seek to understand sport and its significance in various societies from the perspective of improving sport in ways that critical researchers view as ‘improvement’. We also focus on analysing the significance of sport as a part of society from the perspective of improving society in ways that align with a critical assessment of society. This includes challenging some commonly held views around the purpose and use of sport and its relationship with societies.

We seek to transform understanding of societies in relation to sport wherever possible. Governments in many countries around the world view sport as a way to serve agendas such as physical activity for health, national prestige and unity, urban regeneration, international relations and legacy. While sport is valuable for some or all of these agendas, it's important to critically assess sport's roles and society’s moral obligations. 

Key areas of research

• Sport, empire, and imperialism
• Major-, mega-, and regional sport events: Their politics and their “legacies”
• Sport, discrimination, and social identities
• Management of sport organisations
• Media representations of sport
• The politics and ethics of high-performance sport
• Sport diplomacy and global politics
• Sport and the global-local nexus
• Sport, culture, and technology
• Sport and national identity
• Sport and policy
• Sport tourism
• (Critical) sport heritage

Further information

For more detailed information about our research, please go to our Members page where you can access members’ profiles detailing their research.

Members page