Sporting mega-events, physical activity, and Actor Network Theory: Mapping actants of movement at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

This article examines the potential of Bruno Latour's Actor Network Theory (ANT) to reconceptualize the relationship between sporting mega-events and physical activity (PA), using the 2023 FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) Women's World Cup as a case study. It challenges traditional PA initiatives, such as FIFA and WHO's BeActive #BringtheMoves campaign, which focus on human intentionality and quantifiable outcomes, by framing PA as an emergent effect of interactions among human and nonhuman actants—including footballs, stadium spaces, and seats—that enable or constrain movement in diverse and context-specific ways. Through collaborative ethnographic methods, the study highlights how ANT's emphasis on networks of heterogeneous elements offers a nuanced understanding of PA beyond individual motivation, suggesting that policies could benefit from recognizing the complex assemblages of objects, bodies, and environments involved in physical activity during mega-events. The article also acknowledges limitations of ANT, such as challenges in tracing significant actants within vast networks, while advocating for its use as a complementary approach to expand scholarship and policy on sport-related physical activity.