DIGGING THE DIRT AND STAYING CLEAN

Abstract

This article draws upon the authors' work on the global politics of world football and related studies of other sports and methodological issues, in order to argue for the retrieval of the investigative mode of sociological inquiry. In the context of a general critical interpretative framework, the gonzo style of Hunter S. Thompson and the investigative epistemology of Jack Douglas are evaluated and synthesized in a framework that challenges the assumptions of the standpoint epistemology position. Citing their unique fieldwork experiences researching FIFA (the governing body of world football), particularly in South Africa and France, they demonstrate the importance and persisting value of an investigative framework for any critical sociology of sport.