Southeastern U.S. CrossFit Coaches’ Legal Consciousness Regarding COVID-19 Restrictions

Abstract

This study investigated the legal consciousness of CrossFit coaches in Georgia and Florida, in the United States, regarding government-mandated COVID-19 restrictions. Legal consciousness can create a framework that allows us to understand how coaches’ behaviors may be consistent with, or different from, those that the law predicts. The researcher conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with
a diverse sample. The uncompensated interviews lasted from 15 to 45 minutes and asked for the coaches’ thoughts on restrictions placed on gyms due to the pandemic. Utilizing this socio-legal theory as a lens, the study primarily found conformity to the law. However, there were examples of engagement with and resistance to the law. Coaches’ legal consciousness varied by ownership status, race, age, and political views. The findings support the idea that people make connections from their past experiences to shape their understanding of the law. This inter-disciplinary study contributes to the scant literature on legal consciousness applied to a sport and recreation context.