The future of sports and society: a reflection and call to action

This chapter provides a summary of the author’s approach to sports and society over the last half-century and his strategy of combining scholarly work with teaching and service. It is explained that the sociology of sport has never had a disciplinary home, in part, due to the disciplinary diversity of scholars conducting research pertinent to the field and published in journals that focus on sports and society. Although the purpose of the sociology of sport is described in various ways by professional associations in the field, the chapter suggests that it is important for those associations and their scholar-members to embrace Burawoy’s notion of public sociology if the sociology of sport is to remain a recognised topic of study in the context of higher education despite the budget reductions associated with the coronavirus pandemic. The opportunities to do this are many as sports are impacted by the pandemic and the global protests against police brutality and racial injustice.