Negotiating the meaning of bullying in Chinese youth football
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v77.118371Keywords:
bullying, football, social constructivism, sports culture, youth sportAbstract
Introduction. Bullying in sports contexts was a global issue that affected health and continuity in sports practice. In China, although research on bullying increased, studies focused on sports remained scarce.
Objective. The study aimed to analyze the narratives and interactions of Chinese adolescent football players to understand how they identified bullying within their teams and to reveal how this identification was constructed, negotiated, and reinforced through social processes and cultural contexts.
Methodology. A qualitative study was conducted based on social constructivism. Twenty-one male and female football players from seven Chinese cities participated, with ages ranging from nine to nineteen years. Data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using constructivist grounded theory.
Results. Findings showed that bullying identification was not based on universal criteria but on negotiated interpretations. Intentionality emerged as the most recurrent criterion, while repetition and power imbalance were less considered. Sports norms and team culture influenced the normalization of potentially harmful behaviors.
Discussion. Results were consistent with previous studies that highlighted the influence of context on bullying perception. It was evident that identification did not depend solely on individual factors but on collective processes mediated by language, emotions, and hierarchies. Conclusions. Bullying identification in sports is socially constructed and its prevention requires interventions that address group dynamics and organizational culture.
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