Digital Qualitative Research in Sport and Physical Activity

Twitter, Facebook, online forums, blogs and websites – scholars are increasingly turning to digital sources to study sport and physical activity. These platforms have generated new digital content ripe for analysis and are making it possible to investigate communities that were previously inaccessible. However, they have also created theoretical, methodological, practical and ethical challenges.

This book critically examines the opportunities open to qualitative researchers working in digital spaces and offers novel insights into how the rise of new technology is helping to shape sport studies. Showcasing original research on emerging themes, trends and issues such as digital sociology, media citizenship, online gaming, Big Data, fitness apps and online fan cultures, this collection leads the way in this fast-developing field of study. It not only considers the possibilities and limitations of using digital tools to conduct qualitative research into sport, but also provides innovative examples of how researchers can adapt successfully to ever-evolving technologies.

Digital Qualitative Research in Sport and Physical Activity is essential reading for all students and scholars interested in the latest digital developments in sport studies and research methods.

Andrea Bundon is an Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Her work, which spans the fields of sport sociology and critical disability studies, uses (often digital) qualitative methods to explore the intersections of sport, physical activity, disability and social inclusion. She has published in international peer-reviewed journals including Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, Psychology of Sport and Excercise, the Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Disability and Society and Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly. She has also contributed to several published and forthcoming books, including The Routledge International Handbook of Qualitative Methods in Sport and Exercise.