Bourdieu’s practice theory as a multilevel framework for exploring change in disability sport: a case study of disability cricket

Abstract

Research question: This paper takes a multilevel perspective by combining meso and micro levels of analysis to examine change within a field of disability sport. What is the impact of policy shifts on the power relations between organizations in a field of disability sport? How does change prompt action at the micro-level of disability sport management? Research methods: A longitudinal, ethnography of organizations involved in managing disability cricket is conducted during the inaugural implementation of Sport England’s Whole Sport Plans. Semi-structured interviews with 17 managers and participant observations in the form of field notes were the main tools of data collection. Results and findings: While the appearance of structural management relations within the field did not appear to change, the underlying power dynamics did. Shifting power relations at the meso-level and the availability of new economic capital to reinforce this power shift, created a series of implications for agents operating at the micro-level, and on the lived experience of disability sport managers. Implications: Much of the resistance to change that occurred could have been avoided by better communication between agents. Greater effort should be made policymakers to understand the experiences of those who work to develop sport.