Sport labour migration: understanding leisure activities of American professional basketball players abroad

Abstract

This study used insights from leisure constraint theory as sensitising concepts to generate new insights on the experiences of international sport labour migrants, thus contributing to research on ‘the leisure-globalisation nexus’. We examined empirical data from broader qualitative research on the sport labour migration of American basketball players, specifically their leisure activities outside of the basketball arena. We interviewed a total of 12 participants who had played in 21 countries, including 15 European. Major themes related to leisure experiences were technology, food consumption, travel and relationships. We discussed those themes in relation to intrapersonal, interpersonal and structural constraints. Examples illustrated the interplay between the three dimensions of the leisure constraint model. Findings supported a multidirectional or cyclical relationship between all three parts. We located the participants of this study within previously established typologies of sport labour migrants and provided suggestions for future research.

Keywords:

• sport labour migration
• professional basketball
• globalization
• migrant leisure
• leisure constraints