The Impact of Ethnicity and Gender on Sport and Physical Activity Participation: An Autoethnography.

Often, UK sport research, policy, and practice refer to “Asians” as a singular population; the term BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) is also used, which leads to the creation of programs lacking the required nuance. To provide a narrative from a seldom heard population to assist academics across sport disciplines, as well as policy writers and practitioners, understand the needs of individuals within disparate groupings, regarding sport and PA (physical activity). The article challenges researchers to reflect on their positionality and privilege, to lessen “othering,” and to embrace the value and legitimacy of autoethnography. This work is based on the autoethnography of one of the authors, a British-Pakistani, Muslim female, to demonstrate how their faith, ethnicity, and community culture shape their experiences of sport and PA. Organizations should disregard the terms BAME and “Asian” and replace them with a nuanced understanding of cultural influences to address participation constraints and to better engage with marginalized participants. Education in communities about the benefits of sport and PA in the context of congruence with faith is also required. Autoethnography produces authentic narrative from those often left out of discourse and should be defended against dismissal by those whose life experiences and methodological approaches differ from the autoethnographer. There is a need to investigate cultural identities beyond Pakistani Muslims to allow more narratives to be captured and more inclusive policy and provision developed.