ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how the concepts developed and utilized by Norbert Elias can be used in sociological research on sporting organizations. Initially we draw on the notions of figuration, sportization and habitus to focus on the case of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland. In the second part of the chapter, we extend our understanding of these concepts, and continue to focus on the GAA, while undertaking a theoretical comparison of figurational theory and several other theoretical approaches applied to the study of organizational change; specifically as institutional theory, a Foucauldian approach and network theory. This not only illustrates substantial differences, and indeed notable symmetries between the various theories, but also illuminates how a figurational approach can be used to consider the study of sports organizations and organizational issues more broadly.
