Volume 10, Issue 2

The research program Sport der Medialen Moderne (sports in the modern media age) proposes to de­note and analyze changes in sport-related behavior by situating sports phenomena in the context of a theory of society. This essay sketches out the basic oudines of such a theory', the aim of which is to identify specific categories that are fundamental to modern society This project is informed by the understanding that concepts do not copy reality: rather, reality is always mediated by categories which form the basis for concepts. By identifying these categories, it becomes possible both to con­ditionally define the relationship between modernity and postmodernity and to compare different empirical concepts. By these two means, one can analyze changes in sports-for example, the chan­ges that have taken place in Olympic sports from the modern to the postmodern age.

This article examines how morality is used in communications between coaches and athletes in elite sports. Here, “moral communication” is understood from a systems theory perspective as a social fact. In light of this construct, specific examples of moral communication from handball and hockey are analyzed, considering their functions and implications. The results of this analysis suggest that coaches should handle morality with sensitivity, taking particular account of the polemical character of the moral and of moralizing communication.

Various studies dealing with sports participation show that girls and women with immigration back­grounds are significantly underrepresented in sports clubs. When it comes to identifying the reasons why, it is often the girls and women themselves who are blamed for their low participation. However, there has been virtually no critical research to date on the integrative capacities of sports clubs. This article aims to fill this gap by focusing on the specific structures of sports clubs. On the basis of or­ganization theoretical approach this analysis examines the extent to which structures of sports clubs encourage or even permit processes of integration. This allows to identify organizational barriers that may disrupt, complicate, or prevent the integration of girls and women with migration back­grounds. At the same time, the article deals with preconditions for the integration of target groups and situates these in the organizational structure of sports clubs.