Futu­ro­lo­gists and trend rese­ar­chers Anja Kirig and Marcel Aberle have conducted a survey with experts from the world of sports and sports faci­li­ties to look at nothing more and nothing less than the future of sports, on many levels.

What does the gender shift mega­trend mean for fan culture?

The gender shift mega­trend does not stop at fan culture in sport. The sports fan land­scape has diver­si­fied. Accu­rate data on the growth of female and LGBT* sports fans over the last twenty years is hard to find. However, several studies suggest that a more acces­sible, consum­er­ori­en­tated fan culture and social inter­ac­tion oppor­tu­ni­ties have opened new oppor­tu­ni­ties for fans of all genders and sexual orien­ta­tions.

Fans of all genders are begin­ning to chall­enge gender stereo­types in sport. The assump­tion that women are disin­te­rested or igno­rant in sport is being chal­lenged by the emer­gence of dedi­cated female* fans, analysts, and commen­ta­tors. This deve­lo­p­ment is helping to break down outdated gender stereo­types in sport.

The demand for greater repre­sen­ta­tion of women’s sport in the sports media has also led to an increase in female sports jour­na­lists and more inten­sive reporting on women’s sport. Events such as women’s foot­ball and the Tour de France for women are recei­ving more atten­tion as a result.

Inci­den­tally, this has a direct impact on the number of women who then (want to) prac­tise the sport them­selves. The debate about equal pay in sport, parti­cu­larly in foot­ball, also illus­trates the change in social expec­ta­tions regar­ding gender equa­lity. Fans are actively shaping and driving this discourse. Groups such as Arsenal FC’s Gay Gooners actively campaign against homo­phobia and promote inclu­sion in foot­ball. These groups help to raise aware­ness of diver­sity and inclu­sion in sports.

To what extent should the sports faci­li­ties be gender-neutral (e.g. chan­ging rooms, showers)? If neces­sary, what is desired?

In the context of the gender shift mega­trend, gender roles and gender iden­ti­ties are being chal­lenged. This deve­lo­p­ment is parti­cu­larly signi­fi­cant in the context of sport. It is not only many sports that are linked to a binary under­stan­ding of gender, whether soci­ally cons­tructed or insti­tu­tio­nally anchored due to compe­ti­tive condi­tions.

A key approach is to reco­g­nise diver­sity. This is because the younger gene­ra­tion in parti­cular incre­asingly no longer sees itself exclu­si­vely in binary gender cate­go­ries. Gender-neutral approa­ches, such as public swim­ming pools with indi­vi­dual chan­ging rooms and showers, can help people feel comfor­table and safe in sports faci­li­ties regard­less of their gender iden­tity.

The process involves more than just crea­ting gender-neutral spaces. It is about reco­g­nising and valuing the diver­sity of gender iden­ti­ties. Conti­nuous dialogue with the sports commu­nity is a neces­sity. This is the only way to under­stand the needs of diffe­rent groups. There is no universal solu­tion, which is why the invol­vement of users in the design process is so important. Successful initia­tives such as the Euro­Games show how posi­tive change can be brought about by taking diver­sity and inclu­sion into account.

Accep­tance of trans­gender people and non-binary iden­ti­ties in sport remains contro­ver­sial, and the tradi­tional binary in compe­ti­tion often leads to exclu­sion. It is ther­e­fore important to criti­cally scru­ti­nise exis­ting struc­tures and address where change is possible and neces­sary in order to promote an inclu­sive and respectful sporting envi­ron­ment. Raising aware­ness of gender diver­sity, non-hete­ro­nor­ma­tive life­styles and iden­ti­ties remains of central importance.

Diver­sity and inclu­sion? Where does it start and where does it end?

Diver­sity starts where there is accep­tance that people are diffe­rent. Inclu­sion, on the other hand, begins where hete­ro­gen­eity is allowed to interact.

It becomes more diffi­cult to answer the ques­tion of where diver­sity and inclu­sion end. However, the boun­da­ries of these concepts are fluid and evolve with chan­ging social condi­tions. They could be considered obso­lete when inju­s­tice, discri­mi­na­tion and exclu­sion no longer exist – an idea­li­stic goal that can be inher­ently contra­dic­tory, as the decision to achieve it is subjec­tive.

The meanings of diver­sity and inclu­sion have changed over time. They always reflect a specific under­stan­ding of values. Diver­sity used to refer mainly to demo­gra­phic aspects such as origin, gender, reli­gion, and age. Today, these concepts encom­pass a broader range of charac­te­ristics, inclu­ding sexual orien­ta­tion, gender iden­tity, socioe­co­nomic status, physical and cogni­tive proces­sing patterns (neuro­di­ver­sity) and mental health.

Inter­sec­tion­a­lity, the reco­gni­tion of over­lap­ping expe­ri­ences that shape one’s own iden­tity and self-image, is also considered in the context of diver­sity. This topic is no longer prima­rily about inclu­ding more people from a homo­ge­neous, specific group that was previously not so strongly repre­sented.

Rather, it is important to reco­g­nise that there is multiple discri­mi­na­tion, which makes it neces­sary to create an appro­priate envi­ron­ment in which every person truly feels repre­sented as an indi­vi­dual. This process ques­tions estab­lished norms, unco­vers preju­dices and sheds light on unequal power struc­tures.

Points of criti­cism such as the fear of reverse discri­mi­na­tion or the use of diver­sity as an end in itself, which could prevent genuine inclu­sion, are part of the discus­sion.