Competitive Sport as Leisure in Later Life: Negotiations, Discourse, and Aging

Understandings of aging and physical leisure in the West are continually changing at both the individual and social levels. With the aging of populations and the increasing value placed on the maintenance of physical activity in later life, the participation of older people in a leisure activity such as competitive sport is a socio-cultural phenomenon on the rise. This study explores the motives and experiences of 28 Australian Masters Games athletes ages 60–89. From a post-structural perspective, the older athletes were seen to simultaneously mobilize and resist contradictory discourses of aging and physical activity through their words and actions. Through this negotiation process the participants attempted to manage the physical and psychological realities of aging. The findings raised issues about leisure and an aging identity in a society that values youthfulness, physical activity, and independence.

Keywords:

• older people
• competitive sport
• discourse
• aging
• empowerment
• resistance

I would like to acknowledge that a Charles Sturt University Writing Up Award supported the preparation of this paper. I would also like to thank Dr. Michael Gard for his assistance and insight on the reworking of this manuscript. Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge that the research upon which this paper is based was undertaken while I was a Ph.D. student of the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia.