The Grip on the Handball – A Qualitative Analysis of the Influence of Materiality on Creativity in Sport

This article investigates ‘the material biography of the leather handball’ by
focusing on the impact the ball’s material nature has for elite player’s ways of
creatively expressing themselves in a game of handball. The theoretical basis of
the article is a materialised understanding of creativity, where it is assumed that
creativity is distributed between the players and the material objects used in
handball. Inspired by a number of methodological and ontological considerations
within an Actor-Network-Theory perspective, three non-human objects are
selected – the ball, the resin and the playing surface – to achieve a greater degree
of analytical sensitivity, in terms of how these agents play an active part in creating the conditions and opportunities that the players make use of during handball matches. In a qualitative analysis of an imaginary dialogue between two handballs, it is pointed out how balls made of synthetic polyurethane contribute to a better grip on the ball, which has led to new possibilities for attacking players in handball. The conclusion is that the leather handball is a mediating object, which co-creates the possibilities that the players have in expressing themselves creatively in handball games when they improvise in co-productive and counterproductive relationships. It is thus a general point that we must think about how the design of material objects influences creativity in a social practice if we are to create better opportunities for people to realise their potential(s).