Pandemic & Sport Research

How did the pandemic impact sport?

This research project examines how COVID-19 public health restrictions impacted access to and experiences of sport and physical recreation.

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Editorial illustration of a community basketball court, public walking trail, and outdoor rink

Publications

Research publications

The British Journal of Criminology · 2026

‘We weren’t allowed to just exist together’

Emotional labour and encounters with pandemic controlwork in physical recreation spaces

Liam Kennedy, Derek Silva, Hannah J. Walsh, Mark Norman, Melissa Elliott

Interviews explore how coaches, staff, and volunteers took on screening and enforcement responsibilities, and how restrictions changed the experience of playing sport together.

Read paper (PDF) Journal publication

Research question: How did enforcing pandemic restrictions change recreation workers’ responsibilities and participants’ experiences of sport?
Evidence: 43 interviews with recreational athletes and organizers
Interviews conducted: November 2023–June 2024
Scope: Retrospective interviews with adults in Canada, predominantly Ontario. These accounts do not estimate how common the experiences were across the population.

Critical Criminology · 2026

‘Stop the Spread’

Criminalizing Physical Recreation During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hannah J. Walsh, Liam Kennedy, Derek Silva, Mark Norman

The news articles analyzed often framed recreation as a compliance problem, featured official voices prominently, and gave limited attention to unequal access and marginalized experiences.

Read paper (PDF) Journal publication

Research question: How did Canadian news media frame the policing of sport and physical recreation during COVID-19 restrictions?
Evidence: 66 Canadian news articles
Articles published: March 2020–December 2022
Scope: Selected Canadian news coverage, not a measure of participation or the prevalence of enforcement.