Elite athlete activism, advocacy, and protest: a scoping review

Abstract

Research question: The purpose of this scoping review is to explore the extant literature devoted to elite athlete activism, advocacy, and protest. Three research questions guided the study: (1) How has sports activism, advocacy and protest been covered in the literature? (2) What themes and topics are covered in the elite sport activism/advocacy/protest literature? (3) What are the research gaps in the athlete activism/advocacy/protest literature that could be organised in a future research agenda? Research methods: We conducted a scoping review of 151 studies, primarily sourced from four databases. Results and Findings: Attempts by elite athletes to bring about social and political change are increasingly visible and relevant in sport management. There has also been a commensurate proliferation of academic studies on this topic within research. However, there is no systematic review and integration of this scholarship to structure this topic. Results show that most research is American and focuses on a small number of highly publicised events. Results also highlight the interdisciplinary nature of the topic. More problematically, the terms activism, advocacy and protest are used inconsistently. Implications: This study helps researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to better understand the range of issues associated with elite athlete activism, advocacy, and protest.