ABSTRACT
In Chapter 2 it was argued that a combination of sports evangelism, underpinned by the mythopoeic character of sport, promoted by conceptual entrepreneurs and supported by forms of incestuous amplification tends to generate a particular attitude towards knowledge and evidence. In fact belief and faith by definition do not depend on, or need, proof or evidence. In this regard commentators have pointed to the tendency towards ‘unquestioned beliefs grounded in wishful thinking’ (Coakley, 2011: 307). Where evidence is offered it is often in testimonial form with ‘heartfelt narratives, evocative images, and quotable sound bites’ (Hartmann and Kwauk, 2011: 286). Others simply point to the general lack of systematic analysis and assessment (Kruse, 2006). It is an interesting question as to whether this situation reflects the political desire to view it as an emerging ‘new field’ in its ‘formative stage’ (Kay, 2009: 1177), or whether the very ideological and political construction of the policy area mitigates against objective analysis, or an acknowledgement of the not wholly positive implications of a substantial body of existing research on the use of sport for personal and social change (Coalter, 2007; Coakley, 2011).
