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Call for Papers | “Social Media and Sport Communication: Reflections & Opportunities”, Special Issue of International Journal of Sport Communication | Call ends January 15, 2023

August 17, 2022

Guest Editors

- - Gashaw Abeza, Towson University
  - Jimmy Sanderson, Texas Tech University

In 2012, the International Journal of Sport Communication published a special issue on Twitter and its influence on sport communication/media. At that time, Twitter and other social media platforms were arguably quite nascent in sport, and in the ensuing decade, social media platforms have grown exponentially and become standard operating procedure for sport organizations, athletes, sport media personnel, and sport fans, among others. Additionally, in 2018, another special issue of IJSC was published that examined contemporary issues with social media in sport.

As social media has grown and become normalized across diverse sport contexts, it continues to exert considerable force, both positive and negative, for a variety of sport stakeholders. The past decade also has seen a rise in social media and sport scholarship. Accordingly, the aim of this special issue isto provide a holistic overview on where sport and social media research has been (reflections) and where it may be headed in the future. Specifically, what has social media and sport scholarship contributed in the past decade+, and what are the implications for sport and social media in coming years?

For this special issue on social media, we also welcome papers that examine gaming and virtual-reality platforms.

Topics may include, but are not limited to,

- - The role/influence of social media in sport media
  - The impact of social media in sport marketing
  - The impact of social media in organizational decision making (e.g., policy and training)
  - The impact/influence of specific social media platforms on specific sport stakeholders
  - The impact/influence of gaming platforms (e.g., Twitch) or virtual-reality platforms
  - How various sport stakeholders experience/use social media
  - Social media discourse at the intersection of sport and politics/nationalism
  - Social media discourse at the intersection of sport and gender/sexuality/race
  - Social media as a form of surveillance in sport
  - The commodification of social media in sport
  - Social media and sport research methods

This special issue encourages submissions from a variety of methodological approaches and frameworks. We welcome both empirical studies that analyze data and scholarly commentaries related to the call. We also encourage submissions such as case studies, student research, and industry interviews.

We wish to attract scholars from diverse fields and backgrounds. Our overall aim is to position sport and social media scholarship and to help advance future work.

Deadline for submissions: January 15, 2023.
Publication Issue: Volume 16, Issue 3, September 2023

Submissions can be to any of the following sections of the journal: scholarly commentaries, student (with advisor) research articles, full research articles, and case studies.

Please reach out to Drs. Gashaw Abeza and Jimmy Sanderson—the guest editors of this special issue—at gabeza@towson.edu and jimmy.sanderson@ttu.edu with any questions regarding the issue. To submit a manuscript, however, please go through the regular submission steps found at the IJSC website (please see link below). In the cover letter to the IJSC editor (Paul M. Pedersen, Ph.D., Indiana University), simply note that the submission is for the “Social Media and Sport Communication” special issue.