Beyond the Game: The Contradictory Logics of Sport

Sport is widely recognized as a tool for social change, yet it operates through often contradictory logics. This paper aims to comparatively analyze two of these opposing logics of social innovation in contemporary sport: the logic of inclusion and the logic of selection.

To this end, a mixed-methods comparative case study, part of an ongoing doctoral dissertation, is presented. The first case ("Community Sport") analyzes a socio-sport project in a context of high vulnerability in Alicante (Spain), focusing on migrant-background children and youth. The second case ("Sport for Excellence") examines the high-performance sport model within a Spanish university institution, which functions as a talent management system.

Research progress shows divergent results that reflect both logics. In the community-based case, the inclusion model achieves a majority participation of migrant-background girls (63.3%), reversing historical trends of exclusion documented at the national level. Conversely, the excellence model operates through a strict selection of talent, generating a specific habitus and lifestyles centered on performance.

The analysis concludes that sport is not a univocal social tool; its social impact depends on the logic that structures it. It can simultaneously function as a powerful mechanism for equity and social cohesion at the grassroots level and as a system of stratification and elite production at the top. Understanding this ambivalence is crucial for designing more effective and socially aware public sports policies.