On a Corresponsive Sport Science

Area of Science:

• Sport Science
• Philosophy of Science
• Indigenous Studies

Background:

• Current sport science often employs an extractive, objectifying approach, influenced by techno-digital trends and a desire to commodify research.
• This methodology risks degrading lived experiences and reinforces a hierarchical separation between the researcher and the researched.
• An alternative is proposed, drawing from indigenous philosophies of gifting and relationality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To advocate for a paradigm shift in sport science towards a more sentient and ecological orientation.
• To challenge the dominant extractive (onto)logic in research and propose a corresponsive approach.
• To reframe the relationship between researchers, participants, and knowledge creation.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis and philosophical argumentation.
• Drawing parallels with indigenous philosophies of gifting and relationality.
• Proposing a framework for a corresponsive sport science grounded in participant observation and ecological interconnectedness.

Main Results:

• Advocates for a 'corresponsive sport science' where individuals are viewed as 'lines in-becoming' within a relational meshwork.
• Knowledge is conceptualized as ecological and grown longitudinally, rather than authoritatively produced.
• Research is reframed as participant observation, acknowledging the researcher's embeddedness within the inquiry.

Conclusions:

• The proposed framework moves beyond traditional qualitative or applied research calls.
• It encourages an open, sensitive, and sincere engagement with research subjects and phenomena.
• This relational approach prioritizes the becoming and interconnectedness of all involved in the research process.