The methodological implications in sports social research at the time of Covid-19

Sport is a complex social phenomenon that occupies a fundamental place in our societies. The Covid-19 outbreak shook all human activities and also the world of sport, which had to stop all events and competitions and follow a strict regulation. During the pandemic, professional athletes and amateurs were forced to respect the rules or stay home. The specific and original role that sport plays in our lives in terms of social, linguistic, emotional, political, economic and cultural worldview has been the subject of numerous studies in different scientific fields, but the global pandemic crisis brings us to develop a different and new sociological and methodological approach. Moreover, the impact of this pandemic is experienced in real time and we had a year to observe and analyse the sports phenomenon. However, in this short period of time, the social sciences have produced a considerable amount of empirical research within which we can explore different and diverse methodological implications: from research design to the choice of data collection and analysis techniques; from the choice of unit of analysis to the presentation and dissemination of research findings. Based on this scenario, our work is concerned with understanding the methodological implications and problems of sociological research in studying the social phenomena of sport during Covid-19. In order to find empirical evidence, we have analysed the methodological choices of fifteen empirical studies on the social phenomena of sport conducted in different social contexts in recent months using different research approaches and techniques. Finally, we created an interpretive grid that shows how researchers answered their main cognitive questions by using one approach, technique, or research tool instead of another.