Distinction through Sport Consumption

Abstract

Drawing on the theoretical framework of Pierre Bourdieu, this study investigates the relationship between cultural capital and different forms of sport consumption by spectators of three different sports (N = 587). Main findings show a negative relationship between cultural capital and sport consumption, and a positive relationship between sport participation and sport consumption. The findings are partly at odds with previous studies, indicating a positive relationship between cultural capital and direct sport consumption. The findings are possibly explained by considering tastes as social communication in a society where mass consumption adds to the blurring of distinctive borders between different groups of social belongingness, involving the ‘cultural omnivore’ thesis.