Book Reviews
An insightful and valuable book that convincingly argues for taking fandom...
The Psychology of Sports Fans by Aaron C.T. Smith (Routledge) explains the intricate psychological foundations of sports fandom, exploring why sports hold such emotional power across cultures and demographics, and uncovers how sports provide meaning, identity, and community, making them an essential part of human life. Peter Hassmén is our excellent guide to this book, presenting its strengths and weaknesses equally detailed and respectfully, concluding that the sometime lack of scholarly depth affecting for instance the discussion on religion and hooliganism is well compensated for by its accessibility in structure and writing style.
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Call for Participation | Book Workshop: The Ethics of Sportswashing | University of Glasgow and Zoom, May 21, 2026. Registration deadline May 14, 2026,...
Sportswashing has recently grown into a vital concept in scholarly and public discussions of sport. In 2022, the Collins dictionary named ‘sportswashing’ one of their ten Words of the Year, reflecting the extent of public discussion of the term in the run-up to the 2022 Men’s Football World Cup in Qatar. The term is used as a criticism of owners of clubs or hosts of competitions and has established a foothold in both journalistic and academic work. But there has been very little academic discussion of what exactly sportswashing is or why it matters.
Extended deadline | Call for Papers | “Emerging Adult Athletes”, Special Issue of Emerging Adulthood | Call ends May 1, 2026
All manuscripts must focus on elite athletes navigating the emerging adulthood developmental period and address the unique setting of athletic careers in which EA athletes are nested. Athletes competing at high levels of sport, including but not limited to premier or major professional leagues, professional developmental and minor leagues, and collegiate/quasi-professional athletics, are the primary focus of this Special Issue. Recreational, intramural, or lower-intensity sport contexts fall outside the scope of this Special Issue and will not be considered.
Call for Participation | “Disability, Sport Workforce & Leadership”, Symposium | Leeds Beckett University, June 3, 2026, 9:30–15:30. Registration is now open
Hosted by Leeds Business School and the Centre for Social Justice in Sport and Society, the symposium is designed to move beyond identifying these inequalities and instead focus on how organisations can respond in practice. The day will bring together practitioners, governing bodies, advocacy organisations and researchers to explore how evidence-led approaches can support more inclusive organisational change. A keynote address will be delivered by Disability Sport Wales, whose work continues to shape thinking around inclusive leadership and governance across sport.
