Migration for Work: Brazilian Futsal Players’ Labor Conditions and Disposition for Mobility

Abstract

Migration is a crucial topic for athletic career development. Despite the challenges and issues that sport migrants face, little is known about Brazilian context. On Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological approach, this study aims to analyze the Brazilian men elite futsal players’ job conditions and their influence on athletes’ dispositions for labor sport migration. On quali–quantitative approach, interviews with 28 Brazilian men elite futsal players were thematically analyzed and quantitative data on clubs’ rosters from the Brazilian National Futsal League were collected. We concluded the following aspects: (a) players’ migrant disposition is a consequence of unfavorable labor conditions; (b) remaining in the same city for long period is a privilege; (c) players and relatives are submitted to constant habitus transformation because of repeated mobility and adaptations to different networks in each new city/club.