Social integration in modern sport: Commercial fitness centres and voluntary sports clubs

Abstract

In this quantitative study of customers at fitness centres (N=1585) and members of voluntary sports clubs (N=1205) in Norway, a comparison has been made of the development of social integration in the two venues. Social integration is operationalised through the participants’ focus on the social part of the exercise as opposed to the physical exercises, and through the emergence of friendships inside the venues in question. The point of departure in this article is the assertion by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs in Norway that integration occurs more frequently in voluntary sports clubs than in commercial fitness centres. In the theoretical part this is approached by focusing on both the admission into the venues and the experiences inside them as important in understanding why social integration might take different forms in the two contexts. The analysis indicates that sports clubs, true to their reputation, are important venues for integration, while integration at fitness centres is largely restricted to maintaining existing friendships rather than establishing new ones. Thus, a situation may be developing where physical activity loses its function as an important venue for integration, because to a greater degree than hitherto, individuals carry out their physical activities in other contexts than sports clubs.