Infrastructure as Entitlement: Toward a Theory of Sportive Justice in Public Resource Allocation
Abstract
Sports infrastructure is an important guarantee for the participation of civil society, but there exists the problem of unequal distribution. This article holds that the use of public sports infrastructure should not be regarded as a discretionary government welfare, but rather as a civil right based on the principle of distributive justice. Drawing on Amartya Sen's competency analysis theory and Michael Walzer's complex equality theory, this paper constructs an analytical framework in which the opportunity for fair participation in sports activities is regarded as a fundamental component of fair development and social inclusion. This article criticizes the widespread commercialization of sports Spaces, a process in which economic power determines the right to enter sports Spaces, thereby violating the principles of fairness and non-dominance. It indicates that the lack of fair distribution of sports facilities is not a deficiency in the government's service capacity, but a moral failure of justice, which deprives individuals of the ability to fully develop their bodies, form a sense of social belonging and realize their self-worth. By redefining sports infrastructure as a public good similar to youth education or medical security, the article suggests that public sports resources need to be redistributed to ensure that everyone has equal access to sports facilities and participation in healthy exercise.
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