The near future in "rollerball" dystopian movie: Fictional generative themes to stimulate sociological imagination within Physical Education and sports studies

Abstract

Cinema is a powerful device of public pedagogy whose potential is to a great extent neglected by the educational system. In this context, this paper illustrates how sport-related films (Rollerball) may be used pedagogically to stimulate the exercise of the sociological imagination within PE/Sports studies. To do so, we focus on a few concept/ images with generative power to encourage a dialogical approach to a bunch of significant topics related to culture, ideology, pedagogy and sport. Our underlying premise is that nontraditional texts constitute a useful tool for teaching social theory to an 'audience' much more prone to physical activity than theoretical practice.