The discourses used to express orientations towards sport, physical education and exercise were explored among 18 students, aged 16–18, at a sixth-form college in England. Results indicate that competitive team sport, and competence in that domain, occupied a privileged position in discourse which operated to polarize orientations towards sport, physical education and exercise. It is argued that an inclusive interpretation of exercise is essential for effective promotion of health-related exercise and, consequently, it is necessary to challenge the privilege afforded to particular modes of participation and to make efforts both to recognize and value alternative activities and meanings.
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