The There that is There and the There that is Not: Reflections on Taking Stock of Communication & Sport as a Disciplinary Project

Abstract

In this essay, the founding editor of Communication & Sport considers an important study by Cummins and Hahn of the first ten years of research published in the journal. In framing the essay, the larger enterprise of research at the nexus of communication is situated on the larger playing and more established playing fields of the social sciences and humanities. It is argued that the twin fields that comprise this disciplinary focus—communication and sport—have been perpetually plagued by a “need for legitimization” complex and that this need may be driving the focus of this ten year assessment on questions of method and theory. In reacting to findings of continued focus on content-focused studies, obstacles of research approval, garnering samples, and gaining access are both noted and need to be overcome. In assessing the “critical turn” in research method, the evidence suggests that the death of empirical analysis has been greatly exaggerated. In reacting to “theoretical messiness” found in the ten year assessment, it is argued that such concerns are less important in establishing the field than an audit of what drives the questions we ask and why our answers matter. The essay closes by research models that might better assess whether we are asking the right questions and what is at the heart of the research enterprise for Communication & Sport.