The social construction of integrity: a qualitative case study in Dutch Football

Kim Loyens, Inge Claringbould, Leonie Heres, Frank van Eekeren

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

This study analyses how the social construction of integrity takes place within the context of football in the Netherlands. Combining a contextual approach to sports integrity with the analytic lens of sensemaking, this qualitative multi-method case study analyses–in one extreme case in Dutch youth amateur football–why and when the ‘incident’ was perceived as an ‘integrity issue’, and how the meaning of (the) integrity (issue) was socially constructed by (interactions between) stakeholders involved in the case. Our findings show why, when, and how moral norms and values are (not) debated and at stake, and that the social construction of sports integrity is intertwined with the institutional context and the role of secondary stakeholders. It provides insights that can help sports organizations to identify risks in their moral sports culture and to develop measures or policies to safeguard integrity in sports.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1714-1733
Number of pages20
JournalSport in Society
Volume25
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Keywords

  • Integrity
  • amateur football
  • fair play
  • social constructivism
  • sport

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The social construction of integrity: a qualitative case study in Dutch Football'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this