Professionalization and its consequences: how active advocacy may undermine democracy

Figures & data

Table 1. Respondents by organizational affiliation, position and gender.

RSF	Position (Gender)
1	Board Chair (M); Head Manager (M)
2	Board Chair (M); Head Manager (M)
3	Board Chair (M); Head Manager (F)
4	Board Chair (M); Head Manager (M); Line Manager (F)
5	Board Representative (M); Head Manager (F)
6	Board Representative (F); Head Manager (M); Line Manager (M)
7	Head Manager (M); Line Manager (F)
8	Board Chair (M); Head Manager (F); Line Manager (M)
9	Board Chair (F); Head Manager (M)
10	Head Manager (F); Line Manager (M)
11	Board Representative (M); Head Manager (M); Former Head Manager (M)
12	Head Manager (F)
13	Board Chair (M); Head Manager (M); Line Manager (M)
14	Board Chair (M); Head Manager (M); Line Manager (F)
15	Board Chair (M); Head Manager (M)
16	Board Representative (M); Head Manager (M); Line Manager (F)
17	Head Manager (M)
18	Board Representative (F); Head Manager (M); Marketing and Communications Director (M)
19	Board Chair (M); Head Manager (F); Line Manager (F); Marketing and Communications Director (F)

Note. M = Male, F = Female.

Table 2. The institutional roles of sport policy advocacy.

Role label/Enacted by	Advocacy activity	Legitimacy base
The Advocacy Manager/Administrative Heads	• Management of advocacy activities (policies, planning, resource allocation, etc.) • Build and maintain relationships with advocacy targets	Managerial
The Street-Level Advocate/Sport Development Officers	• Act as 24/7 advocacy ‘boots on the ground’ • Use local embeddedness to lay the groundwork for future advocacy activities	Locality
The Advocacy Spin-Doctor/Communications Directors	• Proactively use expert knowledge to manage communicative messages • Assist management in the transitioning to the organization-level Active Advocate role	Communicative
The Advocacy Door-Opener/Board Members	• Leverage networks and politico-administrative knowledge • Facilitate access to politicians via symbolic representation of sport’s internal democracy	Political

Note: Legitimacy base refers to the broader systems of meaning from which the roles gain legitimacy (see Suchman, 1995).

Suchman, M. C. (1995). Managing legitimacy: Strategic and institutional approaches. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 571–610.

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