Abstract: Employing the methods of literature review, historical analysis, and logical dialectics, this study systematically examines the Institutionalization process of global sports history and its localized contexts from the perspective of disciplinary history. According to definitions of “discipline” proposed by scholars such as Thomas Kuhn, the institutionalization of sports history as a discipline in most leading countries generally began between the 1960s and 1980s. Following more than half a century of development, scholars in the field have produced significant research outcomes while also recognizing profound, shared practical challenges. In response, they have proposed locally grounded strategies, which can be summarized as follows: 1) declining status: calls for strengthening disciplinary development and theoretical justification; 2) ambiguous nature: necessitates a return to ontological foundations and interdisciplinary collaboration; 3) unclear value: requires deeper engagement with real-world concerns and practical responses; 4) weak theoretical foundations: demand the construction of autonomous theories and methodologies; 5) limited exchange: underscores the need to broaden international perspectives and integrate local knowledge. Based on this analysis and an assessment of the challenges facing Chinese sports history, this study argues that these issues stem from a structural crisis common to the field globally: a lag in metatheory. Consequently, the future development of Chinese sports history should shift from an excessive focus on local issues to anchoring research in the discipline’s meta-theoretical development. Simultaneously, historical narratives should be deepened based on Chinese sports practices. The ultimate goal is to construct an autonomous knowledge system for Chinese sports history through the dynamic interplay between global perspectives and local sensibilities.