Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Department of Sports management, Sho.C., Islamic Azad University, Shoushtar, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor of sport management, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.
3 Professor of Sports Management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
The aim of the present study is to phenomenologically explore adolescents' lived experience of the role of team sports in recreating peer networks and the process of replacing delinquent ties. This research seeks to understand in depth the mechanisms through which sports participation becomes an effective social intervention. This qualitative research was conducted with an interpretive phenomenological approach (IPA). Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 23 adolescents and young adults (14-19 years old) who had a history of being a member of a sports team and had experience of interacting with at-risk peers. Purposive sampling continued until theoretical saturation was reached, and data analysis included the stages of repeated reading, coding, and theme extraction. Data analysis led to the identification of four main themes that depict a transformative process: (1) wandering in the void; which describes the experience of aimlessness and captivity in the attraction of the group before entering sports; (2) entering the structure; which introduces the team as a disciplined refuge with the presence of the coach as a supportive authority, (3) the boiling of camaraderie in the furnace of effort; which deals with how deep and committed bonds are formed in the context of joint effort, and (4) wearing the shirt of identity; which refers to the crystallization of a new athletic identity and the generalization of success to other aspects of life.
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