Utilising athlete stories to analyse elite sport policy and systems
Authors: Challis, L.
Conference: Seminar on Sports Economics and Management Education
Dates: 19-20 March 2018
Abstract:The session starts by examining athlete stories in the form of narratives as a worthwhile and valuable tool for enhancing policy analysis and its application to the elite sport context in the UK. Accepting that humans are storied beings, it can be argued that end user narratives expand understandings of how policy may be interpreted and implemented in practice. Elite sport policy is primarily measured using data driven performance indicators to justify successful outcomes. These quantitative approaches tend to produce limited conclusions requiring further consideration of what works, for whom and in what circumstances; rather than questioning did it work? The session applies narratives to the elite sport policy context in the UK to build a case study that centres on the stories of four elite athletes. The session closes by providing the opportunity for an open group discussion on the possibilities and value of applying narrative approaches to enrich the knowledge and understanding of sports development, management and practice in China.
Source: Manual