An integrative review of published research in the Recreational Sports Journal, 1998–2010

The body of inquiry in the field of recreational sport management has continued to expand over the past decade; however, there have been few, if any, systematic evaluations of the body of knowledge in the field. The purpose of this paper was to conduct an integrative review of the research studies published in the Recreational Sports Journal (RSJ) to identify the themes and trends in recreational sports research since the journal's inception in 1998. Results of this review indicated that RSJ would benefit from more theoretically-driven, empirical studies, studies that move beyond examining participation motivations and constraints, and studies that employ more diverse and rigorous research methodologies. These findings, as well as others related to research methodology, sample size, and topic selection, provide a snapshot of the trends and gaps in the body of knowledge in recreational sport management, and have implications for future research efforts in the field.