How Can We Use Social Justice Lenses to Conceptualize Contemporary Sport? Continuing to Make Sense of Potential Challenges and Future Pathways Across Socio-Cultural Contexts

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide insights and prompt reflections about what social justice promotion through sport entails, raise awareness about emergent challenges that undermine this pursuit, as well as point to future steps to infuse social justice within sport systems across the globe. Supporting coaches’ efforts to teach social justice life skills may need to occur before social justice permeates the broader youth sport system and society in general as a culturally relevant pursuit. Conversely, if policy makers continue to assume social justice is simply an outcome that does not require explicit strategies from coaches and other sport stakeholders the status quo may remain untouched. Moving forward, more efforts are needed to conceptualize and operationalize social justice and social justice life skills, as well as to tailor changes to the system based on what is sustainable on the long-term across cultures.