Is Reflexivity Enough? Addressing Reflexive Embodiment, Power, and Whiteness in Sport Management Research

• Published in: Journal of sport management 2021-01, Vol.35 (1), p.30-43
• Main Authors: Vadeboncoeur, Joshua D., Bopp, Trevor, Singer, John N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Sports management
• ISSN: 0888-4773; 1543-270X
• DOI: 10.1123/jsm.2019-0375

In this article, the authors drew from the epistemological and methodological considerations of neighboring social science fields (i.e., counseling psychology, education, sociology, and women’s studies), which suggest a reevaluation of reflexive research practice(s). In discussing the implications this reevaluation may have for future sport management research, the authors contend that such dialogue may encourage scholars to understand that, while adopting a reflexive approach is good research practice, it may also mean taking a closer look at how our biases, epistemologies, identities, and values are shaped by whiteness and dominant ways of knowing and, in turn, serve to affect our research practice. Thus, this may allow all researchers, with explicit consideration for those in positions of conceptual, empirical, and methodological, as well as cultural and racial, power, to acknowledge and work toward a more meaningful point of consciousness in conducting sport management research.