Sport as a Bridge for Social Mobility: Explaining the Strategic Capacities of Iranian Sport

Zarei, Arash; Zardoshtian, Shirin; Abbasi, Homayoun; Eydi, Hossein; Emamgholi, Lugman

doi:10.22054/qrsm.2026.87331.237

Sport as a Bridge for Social Mobility: Explaining the Strategic Capacities of Iranian Sport

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Arash Zarei ¹

Shirin Zardoshtian ²

Homayoun Abbasi ³

Hossein Eydi ⁴

Lugman Emamgholi ⁵

¹ PhD student in Sports Managemen faculty of Sport Sciences , Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

² Associate Professor of Sport Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. (Responsible author)

³ Associate Professor of Sport Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

⁴ Associate Professor of Sport Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

⁵ - Assistant Professor of SociologyFaculty of H manities and Social Sciences University of Kurdistan،Iran

10.22054/qrsm.2026.87331.237

Abstract

Abstract:

The aim of this research is to identify and explain the pattern of improving social mobility focusing on Iranian sports capacities from the perspective of social policies and orientations. This study was conducted with a qualitative approach and case study method, and the participation of 16 professors of sociology of sport and sports management as key informants was carried out with purposive sampling and theoretical saturation technique. The main data collection tool included semi-structured interviews of focus groups and study of relevant documents. To ensure the validity and reliability of the data, the Lincoln and Guba assessment method was used and the analysis model was designed based on the theoretical framework of Strauss and Corben(1990).The results of the research showed four main categories in the causal conditions section: developing sports management educational paths, achieving economic and class equality in sports, controlling cultural changes and public perception, and poverty alleviation through sports., Iranian sports

Keywords

improvement

advancement

individual status

upward mobility

social mobility

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