ABSTRACT
There is a long tradition of fathers engaging in sport with their children, as LaRossa has shown; however, the meaning and significance of such actions evolve with the social and cultural context in which they occur. This chapter therefore examines the role of sport in fathering at a time when men are negotiating a complex and often contradictory set of expectations about the nature of fatherhood. Fathering ‘through’ sport offers one strategy for involvement with their children by spending time with them, collaborating in their activities, and experiencing emotional closeness through shared experience and enjoyment. To what extent are men bringing the values of these emerging ideologies of fathering to bear upon their engagement in their children’s sport?
