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‘Life in the Travelling Circus’: A Sociological Analysis of the Lives of Touring Professional Golfers
Fry, John
Fry, John
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2014-08
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Abstract
As sports become more professionalised and international in scope athletes increasingly
migrate from one country to another. These individuals are required to adjust and adapt
quickly when moving internationally. Literature on sports migration, however, tends to
focus on routes and pathways rather than the effects of movement on the athletes
themselves. The aim of this study, therefore, was to explore how the frequent workplace
circulation inherent in the lives of highly skilled migrants affects their social selves.
Using professional golf as a case study, this project includes an analysis of family issues,
relationships between players, pay and conditions, and technical approaches to playing
golf. Interviews were conducted with 20 male professional golfers and analysed from a
figurational standpoint. As golf tournaments are increasingly staged in a myriad of
different countries players are required to spend longer periods of time away from home
and experience intense feelings of loneliness and isolation. It is argued that golfers are
not isolated in terms of people who they have around them while on tour, but rather in
terms of lack of contact with people who they have positive meaningful feelings towards,
such as their family and friends. To help reduce this loneliness, golfers develop
behaviours that foster temporary we-group alliances with other players they perceive to
be similar to themselves. People in such groups are friends, characterised by bonds of
togetherness, while also enemies showing evidence of conflicts as they are in direct
competition for a share of the overall prize money. Indeed the monetary rewards
available for top golfers continues to increase, however, such recompense is only
available to small numbers and the majority fare poorly. It is argued that the prize money
breakdown fosters internalised behaviour constraints whereby many players ‘gamble’ on
pursuing golf as their main source of income despite the odds against them. This habitus
is strengthened given the significant financial investments many players have made to
fulfil their childhood dreams, which further blurs their ability to see the reality of their
lives. The result is many golfers are constrained to develop networks with sponsors for
financial reasons which leaves some with conflicting choices between regular income,
and adhering to restrictive contractual agreements, or the freedom to choose between
different brands. As such, overall the results of this study highlight the importance of
considering the cultural and social adaptations required in the life of a transient migrant.
Citation
Fry, J. (2014). ‘Life in the Travelling Circus’: A Sociological Analysis of the Lives of Touring Professional Golfers (Doctoral dissertation). University of Chester, United Kingdom.
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University of Chester
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Thesis or dissertation
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en