THE ORIGINS, DEVELOPMENT AND CURRENT STATUS OF CRITICAL RESEARCH ON CHILD ABUSE IN SPORT

Mike Hartill, Bettina Rulofs

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

In this chapter, we consider the origins of research on abuse in sport and its current positioning within the wider field of sport science and sport sociology. First, we look at specific challenges faced by pioneering researchers in this field through a discussion of Celia Brackenridge’s early work and the resistance she faced from both the UK sport sector and academia. Second, we consider the manner in which the sport sector responded to the issue of child abuse, and the extent to which ‘safeguarding’ has been integrated into the structural fabric of sport. We then review the current positioning of research on child abuse and safeguarding in the context of wider sports science and sports sociology. We conclude that the topic has frequently been omitted from the thematic canon of social sciences in sport and has only recently been addressed, in a substantive fashion, within basic textbooks of sport sociology. Finally, this chapter high- lights the critical potential of sociologically informed research on child maltreatment and abuse in sport.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationResearch in the Sociology of Sport
PublisherEmerald Publishing
Pages179-196
Number of pages18
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 27 Jan 2025

Publication series

NameResearch in the Sociology of Sport
Volume25
ISSN (Print)1476-2854

Keywords

  • child maltreatment
  • child protection in sport
  • safe- guarding in sport
  • sport sociology
  • Violence against children in sport
  • youth sport

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