Governmentality, Modernization, and the “Disciplining” of National Sporting Organizations: Athletics in Australia and the United Kingdom

Abstract

This article investigates the nature of, and policy outcomes from, the relationship between federal/central government departments and agencies and the national sporting organizations (NSOs) for athletics in Australia and the United Kingdom. We draw on neo-Foucauldian writings on “governmentality” to problematize governmental activities directed at shaping, channeling, and guiding the conduct of NSOs. We conclude that, although effective “responsibilization” of NSOs remains a clear ambition, governments in both countries have shown themselves to be very willing to apply disciplinary forms of practice in order to ensure compliance with prevailing government rationalities.