Pessoas negras praticantes de tênis e lazer: a distinção neste esporte de elite segundo Pierre Bourdieu

Abstract

Tennis is a sport that dates back to the 13th century and, since then, has been historically, socially and culturally constituted as an elitist sport. According to sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, based on the theory of habitus, tennis is one of the elite sports that distinguishes the working classes from the privileged ones by establishing distinct and distinctive tastes and lifestyles. In this context, this research aims to: a) investigate the leisure experiences of black people who play tennis and b) verify and discuss socioeconomic, cultural and racial obstacles to the leisure experiences of black people in the context of tennis. Regarding the methodology, based on an interpretative qualitative approach, this study seeks to give visibility and voice to the narratives of black people who play tennis. The data were collected through semi structured interviews conducted, initially, by a script with questions consistent with the proposed objectives. Using the "snowball" method, ten amateur and professional tennis players were interviewed in public and private tennis venues in the city of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The interviews were collected using a voice recorder and, as it was not possible to conduct the interviews in person, the research subjects contributed to the research by answering the questions in writing, which were entered into an online Google Forms. Initially, a pre-analysis of the information collected was carried out to explore its content, which was deepened as the interviews were transcribed. This information was categorized in the analysis phase and, supported by Bourdieu's key concepts, it was possible to define three analytical categories: 1) Tennis and the leisure experiences of black people, 2) The taste and lifestyle of black people who enjoy tennis, and 3) Economic capital and its relationship with the processes of distinction in elite sports. The main results show that, given the current process of social diversification of the tennis sports field, access by black people to the sport is still blocked or hindered by the dissimulators of the right of entry, namely: family tradition, early learning, conduct and customary sociability techniques, which manifest themselves as structuring structures for maintaining hierarchical positions of distinction. In addition to economic capital, different cultural and racial obstacles need to be overcome in order to expand access and try to make it possible for black people to remain in the social space of tennis. This is essential when considering the challenge of expanding the range of cultural leisure experiences for black people, both in Brazil and in other countries.