Description
The concept of the book, From Streets to the Stadium: Sport as a Tool for Social Mobility, emerged out of one experience: sport, in all its aspects and situations, is much more than a game. It has become in communities, across continents, a multifaceted social phenomenon-a place of hope, aspiration, inequality and opportunity crossing with each other in potent ways. Through the gritty streets of small-town villages to the light-filled stadiums of the global arena, the career path of a sportsman represents not only personal success but also some social facts. Sport offers a promise of change- a symbolic and practical path of upward mobility to millions across the world, who, especially those from marginalized and economically weaker sections, have viewed sport as a pathway to a better life.But still, as this book proves, the interconnection of sport and social mobility is not simple and homogeneous. It is full of contradictions, promises and paradoxes. As a few of them become international stars, motivating millions of other people with tales of hard work and success, others face structural, institutional, and cultural limitations that constrain their access and strengthen inequality loops. We found in this duality-sport a scaffold of hope to the few, a closed gate to the many, the key to our critical venture.The motivation behind the compilation of this work was years of academic work, field work, and exposure to athletes, coaches, policymakers and scholars. The three editors of this book, Dr. Vishal Singh, Dr. A. Praveen, and Dr. Manohar Kumar Pahan, have always been keen on the sociological aspects of sport, especially its involvement in the formation of life outside the field. We have seen, with both awe and alarm, the way in which sport can either empower societies but also replicate injustices; how it can provide a platform and expression to the underprivileged and be dominated by institutions that tend to privilege access, power, and wealth.The book was, therefore, a by-product of a simple but pressing series of questions, like: Who is the real beneficiary of sport as a social mobility? Which structural and cultural obstacles does access to sporting opportunities face? What are the effects of the intersections of classes, caste, race, gender, and geography on the athletic trajectories? When the cheering ceases-when the game is over, when the medals are given, when the glare is removed? What becomes of the athletes?Through the above answers, we will seek to transcend the feel-good stories of personal achievement to a more subtle interpretation of sport as a highly social organisation related to power, politics, and policy.
