Teenage use of public sport space in post-communist society

The aim of this paper is to examine the use of public sport space by teenagers as a function of social class in a postcommunistsociety. Through an analysis of data collected through a questionnaire given to wrestlers and skateboarders in thecity of Timisoara, Romania, we examine the significance of using public, covered gymnasiums for wrestling and public,uncovered skate parks for skateboarders. If the communist sport system was organized to promote performance in the classicand organized sports, the post-communist system permits the development of street sports and ideals of non-conformism. Thiscomparative analysis between wrestlers and skaters reveals significant links between the social origin of the young sportsmenand their sports as an organized or no organized form. Our findings indicate that many wrestlers originate from a lower socialclass and use the sport as a way of winning respect in their peer group, while skaters are mainly from the middle class — anemerging social class in Romania — and skate as a way to express their non-conformism.