https://theloop.ecpr.eu/sporting-democracy-as-illustrated-by-the-qatar-world-cup/
Thomas Bunting argues that sports offer democracy scholars & practitioners a great opportunity to study and practice democracy.
Consider the following passage from Bunting's essay:
"Democratic theorists tend to overlook sport, partly because studying politics naturally leads one to focus primarily on the business of politics itself. But informal politics in everyday areas of life like sport matter too, because they advance discussion in democratic theory around spectatorship. Scholars like Jeffrey Green and Jacques Rancière have shown the power of spectatorship in political life, and this requires us to examine spectatorship beyond observing formal, elite politics. While Nadia Urbinati and others are correct that spectatorship is problematic if we think of it as the sole means of politics, it is misguided to claim that it plays no role at all."
Given how many sporting events there are in the world, which surely must number into the many millions each year, the lack of attention paid to this sphere of life - from international tournaments to local community/school matches - is enormous.
If you were to study or practice democracy in sport, how would you do it?
https://theloop.ecpr.eu/sporting-democracy-as-illustrated-by-the-qatar-world-cup/
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