Emerging Sports as Social Movements : Disc Golf and the Rise of an Unknown Sport

"I've loved these magical platters since their very beginning, and it has been fascinating to watch the interplay between the 'real sports' and our own. In that watching, we've made lots of completely unsupported suppositions. On these pages for the first time, Woods clarifies many key issues with his impressive analytical toolbox and innovative methodology. He makes me proud to be a lover of both the saucers and the sociological imagination." --Dan "Stork" Roddick, PhD, PDGA #003, USA "Woods does a masterful job at using theoretical frameworks without letting the reader get bogged down by them. Methodologically sound and innovative analytical techniques are used throughout to support his claim that disc golf is a social movement worthy of academic study. Much more than a pleasurable read, this book is a significant contribution to the field and one of the most meaningful books published about the emerging sport." --Justin Menickelli, PhD, Associate Professor of Kinesiology at Western Carolina University, USA, and President of the PDGA Board of Directors "Using historical and media analyses, surveys and interviews, Woods shows how disc golfers created both a physical and social space for the sport's eventual expansion. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in disc golf, but also to academics who study non-normative sports and the sociological conditions that link individuals to communities." --Christopher Oliver, PhD, Professor of Practice, Sociology and Environmental Studies, Tulane University, USA This volume examines the rise of an emerging sport as a grassroots effort (or "new social movement"), arguing that the growth of non-normative sports movements occurs through two social processes: one driven primarily by product development, commercialization, and consumption, and another that relies upon public resources and grassroots efforts. Through the lens of disc golf, informed by the author's experience both playing and researching the sport, Joshua Woods here explores how non-normative sports development depends on the consistency of insider culture and ideology, as well as on how the movement navigates a broad field of market competition, government regulation, community characteristics, public opinion, traditional media, social media and technological change. Throughout, the author probes why some sports grow faster than others, examining cultural tendencies toward sport, individual choices to participate, and the various institutional forces at play. Joshua Woods is Professor of Sociology at West Virginia University, USA. Acknowledgments Contents List of Tables Chapter 1: Introduction Why Study Disc Golf? An Insider’s Outside Perspective Rise of an Unknown Sport: A Summary A Social Movement Sport Versus Lifestyle Effects of Social Media Movement Commercialization Disc Golf in the News Disc Golf in Popular Culture The Future May Be a Bumpy Ride Thesis References Chapter 2: A Social Movement Alternative Culture Identity Rooted in Practical Concerns Weak Central Authority Conclusion References Chapter 3: A Modern Achievement Sport The PDGA’s Modern Achievement Sport Secularism Equality Specialization, Rationalization, and Bureaucratic Organization Quantification and the Quest for Records Conclusion References Chapter 4: A Lifestyle A Short History Innovation and Change The Age of Aggression Fixing the Unfixed Playing, Not Watching Demographic Similarity Non-competitive Motivations Me, Myself, and I Local Organizing and Disorganizing of the Lifestyle Domain Conclusion References Chapter 5: Group Integration and Disruption in Disc Golf Social Media Social Media: Integrator or Disruptor of Emerging Sports? Integrator Disruptor Research Objectives Method General Patterns Integration Information Seeking and Sharing Giving and Taking Status Affirming and Protecting Identity Having Fun The Language of Stoke Disruption Complaints Intragroup Conflict Intergroup Conflict Conclusion References Chapter 6: Social Media and the Growth of Disc Golf Disc Golf Social Media as Mobilizing Resource Method State-Level Variables Individual-Level Variables Results Social Media Activity and Group Size Social Media Activity and Skill Level Discussion Conclusion References Chapter 7: Movement Commercialization and Disc Golf’s Closed Economy Key Ingredients of Commercialization Legitimacy Human and Material Resources The Breakthrough Sport of the 2010s Commercialization and Disc Golf Event Management Course Design Disc Manufacturing Insiders Dominate the Disc Golf Industry From One Paraphernalia Firm to Dozens of Movement Companies Conclusion References Chapter 8: The Framing of Disc Golf in News Media Normative Bridges and Barriers Framing Disc Golf Status Threat Frames Commercial Frames Social Cost and Benefit Frames Social Equity Frames Methods Results Volume Framing Discussion Conclusion References Chapter 9: Growth without Commercialization: Regional Patterns in Participation Rates and Media Coverage Regional Disparities in Disc Golf Activity and Media Coverage Geographical Differences Media and Geography Method News Media Variables Disc Golf Activity Variables Results Discussion Conclusion References Chapter 10: Neglect, Trivialization, and Stigmatization: Disc Golf in Popular Movies and Television The Cultural Constraints Framework Hegemonic Sports Cultures Neglect, Trivialization, and Stigmatization Idealization The Exclusiveness of High-Status Media Organizations Hypotheses Methods From Conceptualization to Operationalization Sampling Coding Reliability Qualitative Analysis Quantitative Results Descriptive Statistics Hypothesis Tests Discussion Limitations Conclusion References Chapter 11: The Future of Disc Golf Has Disc Golf Reached a Tipping Point? Rise of the Modern Achievement Domain COVID-19, Lingering Fears and the Commercial Boom of 2020 Financial and Organizational Uncertainty The Great Indoors Hope Is a Dangerous Thing Feudal Relations The Need for Social Fitness Safety in Multiuse Parks Environmental Impact Inclusion and Diversity Racism and Sexism Two Paths Forward Conclusion References References Index