Pierre Bourdieu and the sociology of sport: from the space of practices to the distinctions of the modern field

Purpose This article proposes a theoretical reflection on Pierre Bourdieu’s main contributions to the constitution of the space of sports practices and the emergence of distinctions in the social field of modern sports. Design/methodology/approach The arguments that support this objective deal with (1) his legacy for the construction of the theoretical-methodological framework of sports practices, (2) his outline of the field and the genesis and constitution of disputes in the modern configuration of sports and (3) its weavings on the intricacies of the distinction between amateur and professional practice and the definition of the legitimate body and the legitimate use of the body. Findings The main results point to the understanding that the sports practices must occur through joint steps between theory and practice; the assimilation that the body is, before the practices themselves, also an instrument of language; the discernment that, therefore, not only sports practices and the ways in which they are practiced speak, but, first and foremost, the body héxis speaks; the understanding that, like any pedagogy, this one must deal above all with explanations, understood as the unveiling of hidden mechanisms that permeate sports. Research limitations/implications Advancing a sports literature that only deals with technical attributes, the conclusion is that an inventive appropriation by the author occurs from the analysis of the sociocultural aspects of sport, which have the potential to be productively mobilized to analyze configurations other than modern ones, such as their contemporary characteristics. Originality/value Its originality lies in its analysis from the period that encompasses the genesis of sports practice to the configuration of its first modern social field.