Assessing the sociology of sport: On critical sport sociology and sport management

On the 50th anniversary of the ISSA and IRSS, Annelies Knoppers, one of the leading scholars in understanding the culture of sport in organizational settings, considers how the critical lens of sociology can enhance and mesh with research on sport management. Knoppers argues that there have been lost opportunities and understandings from the little overlap between scholars publishing in journals in the sociology of sport and sport management. Using the topic of gender and leadership, she describes the benefits that might result from using a sociological lens and a ‘critical reflexivity’ to study power and social inequalities in sport management and organizations. Consideration is given to how critical understandings about gender can enhance organizational effectiveness by valuing ‘hybridity’ in leadership styles. The essay closes with arguments for a critical intersectional approach to the study of sport management with recognition that ‘disciplinary’ practices shape the wielding of leadership power within organizations.