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Absent but not uninterested: understanding charity sport event non-participation through capability and practice theories
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DOI：10.1080/14413523.2025.2610064.png)
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Abstract
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Charity sport events are widely used to raise funds and foster community around cancer-related causes, yet many cancer survivors choose not to participate. This lack of participation by some individuals reduces the amount of funds raised by charitable organizations, and precludes engagement in a potentially impactful sport experience. Previous research has largely explained this absence as a lack of motivation, offering little insight into the emotional, symbolic, and structural dynamics that underlie non-participation. Guided by the capability approach and practice theory, this study examined how survivors construct and negotiate their capacity for participation, emphasizing how capability, readiness, and meaning are shaped through personal, social, and environmental conditions. Data were collected through open-ended survey questions via the Prolific platform in June 2024 from 78 U.S. based cancer survivors who had never attended a charity sport event. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings show that non-participation is rarely driven by a lack of interest. Instead, participants described engagement as contingent on health and fatigue, emotional and temporal readiness, social comfort and support, moral trust in fundraising organizations, and the practical and symbolic design of events. These conditions informed the advancement of three related concepts: situated capability, latent willingness, and conditional participation to explain how engagement occurs only when material, symbolic, and relational elements align. Practically, event organizers should offer flexible and low-impact participation options, transparent communication about fund use, emotionally sensitive messaging, and alternative roles that allow meaningful contribution without physical or public demands.
Keywords:
Cancer survivors
charity events
event accessibility
capability
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