Abstract: Social network analysis has enabled sports sociological researches to exceed the previous of individuals and groups. Now the researches mainly focus on the concepts, models and patterns of the interactive relationships between individuals and lager and more complicated organizations, which happens to be what is absent and insufficient in the present social sports researches. It is going to provide theoretical references for the application of social network analysis to the future social sports researches to explore the value and limitations social network in sports researches. Based on this, the paper adopts the research methods of literature and logic analysis and points out the value and limitations of social network analysis in various aspects of social sports researches.

Key words: social network analysis, sports sociology, social relations, social structure, application, limitations