Dear England
A critical discourse analysis of how sports stars and politicians battle for legitimacy in debates around athlete activism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2378871 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kathryn Mcglynn (Independent Researcher, UK), Richard Tacon (0000-0003-3680-8944, University of London, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 1266-1286 |
| Publication date | 2024-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Review for the Sociology of Sport (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1012-6902 • E-ISSN: 1461-7218 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/10126902241259097 |
| OpenAlex | W4399617923 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 46 |
This article looks at how high-profile individual and collective actors within the worlds of sport and politics seek to advance their views on significant social issues. It focuses on the public debate around the anti-racist actions taken by the England men's football team at Euro 2020 and uses a form of critical discourse analysis to look at how the England manager and players, on one side, and members of the UK Government, on the other, sought to gain and maintain legitimacy for their opposing positions. It also seeks to understand legitimacy as a relational process, by looking at how members of the public and national newspapers responded. Drawing on Strittmatter et al.'s framework of legitimacy, the article examines the subjects, sources, strategies, bases and scenarios of each side's efforts. The article seeks to contribute to a more detailed understanding of political discourse and legitimacy in the context of sport, as well as offering some critical reflections on the nexus of sport and politics
Critical discourse analysis · Football · Ideology · Legitimacy · Media studies · Newspaper · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Sociology · Law · Physical Education and Pedagogy · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sports, Gender, and Society
Society and Discourse
Discourse Analysis
Discourse
Managing Legitimacy
Discourse and social change
Critical race theory
Sport Policy in Britain
Routledge Handbook of Sport and Politics
Identity and Emergency Intervention
Ideology
A Critical Discourse Analysis of Military-Related Remembrance Rhetoric in UK Sport
Who Says Shut Up and Dribble? Race and the Response to Athletes’ Political Activism
When Athlete Activism Clashes With Group Values
The Two Halves of Sports-Diplomacy
The abnormalisation of social justice
Performing Sport Political Legitimacy
Athletes as Agents of Change
How Sports Identification Compares to Political and Religious Identification
From Social to Political Identity
Is It Time to Disinvest in Social Capital
Elite Communication and the Popular Legitimacy of International Organizations
Human Groups and Social Categories
The Sage Handbook of Organizational Institutionalism
Off The Pedestal
Making Democracy Work
Black male athlete activism and the link to Michael Jordan
Globalization American-Style and Reference Idol Selection
Football and the Military in Contemporary Britain
Legitimacy as a Social Process
Sport and Society
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |