Institutional Architecture of Sports Sciences:

A comparative analysis between global references and the project of the Federal University of Sport (UFESPORTE)

Abstract

This text problematizes the academic institutionalization of sport sciences in Brazil based on the project of the Federal University of Sport (UFEsporte), contrasting it with the global reference ecosystem. It is argued that while major international powers rigorously balance the sciences of nature with the humanistic and pedagogical matrix, the national model displays a technocratic imbalance centered on high performance and management. The main objective is to comparatively analyze the institutional architecture of UFEsporte against international centers of excellence. Methodologically, a critical documentary analysis based on sociological literature and Brazilian and foreign official guidelines is employed. The results discuss the subordination of human sciences and pedagogy in the national design, as well as the limits of its implementation governance. It is concluded that there is an urgent need for a democratic and polyphonic debate to ensure that the new institution embraces sport as a social right, culture, and emancipatory praxis.