‘Don’t you feel bad watching the Olympics, watching us?’ A qualitative analysis of London 2012 Olympics influence on family sports participation and physical activity

Abstract

This paper examines the use of video diaries (VDs) and their value as supplementary methods in qualitative research examining the influence of the London 2012 Olympics, from the perspectives of five families in the East Midlands of England. The aims of the project were to assess their reaction to the Games, the influence it had on family attitudes, opinions and perceptions towards sports participation and physical activity. We present qualitative interview data from pre and post Games interviews and VD data to gather micro realities of the influence of the Games. We draw on a dramaturgical perspective to explore the perspectives of familiess regarding the impact of the Olympics on their everyday lives. It has yielded the following themes: access, motivation, inspiration, apathy and reflection on methodological use of VDs. The benefits and challenges of VD use alongside Goffman’s framework are discussed in the context of assessing the impact of the Games on these families. Our evidence suggests that these methods are an invaluable tool for accessing the families’ immediate responses to mega-events during the period in which they are hosted. However, the feasibility and complexities of utilising VDs are presented, as we consider whether these methods assist researchers to examine the uptake of sports participation, or simply encourage the researchers to become voyeurs watching the participants, watch the Olympics. The implications for using these methods as part of qualitative methods for analysis of the sports participation legacy and the impact of future mega events are discussed.

Keywords:

• London 2012 Olympics
• qualitative methods
• video diaries
• Erving Goffman
• families
• East Midlands

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Participation in 30 min of moderate intensity sport.

2. One session a week (at least 4 sessions of at least moderate intensity for at least 30 min in the previous 28 days) (Sport England APS 2013–2014).