In previous work, I (and others) have examined the social, political and historical context and implications of Sport for Development and Peace in order to show that related ideas and practices were produced and constrained by prevailing social, political and ideological actors and forces. Recognising the benefits but also limitations of this approach to research, in this chapter I explore some of the ways that development criticism, from the past several decades through to today, might help us to think through, extend and even reform research into the field in the future. Specifically, I draw on the work, both past and present, of Arturo Escobar. In 1995, Escobar argued that development policies aimed at Latin America, Africa and Asia were effectively mechanisms of control that reified the importance of economics and modernism. More recently, Escobar has suggested that what is needed in the Anthropocene is a commitment to understanding autonomous design in ways that move beyond modernity and towards place-based, collaborative and inter-dependent practices. I explore how such shifts in development, as ideas and processes, might be applied to the field on a global scale.