Writing Sport Online: An Analysis of the Pitfalls and Potential of Academic Blogging

Opportunities abound for scholars’ digital engagement. Among the numerous available technologies, blogging has emerged as a medium that presents both opportunities and challenges for academics. Although scholars have reflected on the values and drawbacks of blogging in academia, few have specifically analyzed academic sport blogs. This paper uses a content analysis of six sport-specific online forums to examine the composition of contributors and the content of posts, as well as the pitfalls and potential of academic sport blogging. Our analysis suggests that, while blogging offers novel opportunities for scholars, the forum simultaneously reifies problems already present in sport scholarship and academia.