On behalf of everyone at Manchester Metropolitan University, I would like to start by saying how excited we are to be hosting the 14th annual conference of the Political Studies Association’s Sport and Politics Specialist Group, and how much we are looking forward to welcoming you all to both Manchester and the Etihad Stadium in March 2020.
Manchester Metropolitan University has recently made a significant investment in the study and research of sport, complementing Manchester’s reputation as a major global sports city, and resulting in the creation of our new sports research centre, the Sports Policy Unit.
In seeking to respond to many of the most significant and pressing factors currently confronting the sports industry, the conference theme for 2020 will be ‘the global politics of sport’. We particularly welcome abstracts from PhD students, early-career researchers and established academics whose research sheds critical light on the global opportunities, challenges and/or threats currently facing contemporary sport.
Throughout this webpage, please find included a call for abstracts, essential information on registration, tickets, accommodation and travel, as well as relevant contact details should you need to get in touch with us.
Once again, we look forward to welcoming you to the Etihad Stadium on the 26th and 27th March 2020.
Sincerely,
Dr Paul Michael Brannagan
Call for Abstracts
The theme of the 14th Annual Conference of the PSA Sport and Politics Specialist Group will be ‘the global politics of sport’. This theme seeks to capture, and respond to, some of the major trends currently taking place within sport. In the past decade, for example, an evidential trend has been the awarding of major sports events – such as the Olympic Games or FIFA World Cup – to a series of first-time hosts, located in ‘new’ territories across the globe (South Africa, Rio de Janeiro, Russia, Qatar). This has been complemented by the growing investment in, and sponsorship of, professional sports clubs and leagues around the world by a multitude of new, ‘emerging state’ actors (Russia, China, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai). Such trends, however, have taken place alongside continued – and, on occasions, relatively new – debates concerning sport’s political, social and moral role within society. Indeed, while on the one hand an increasing number of diverse socio-cultural actors claim a stake in the governance, delivery and/or promotion of sport, on the other hand, the industry continues to witness issues related to racial discrimination, gender inequity, social (in)equality and human rights abuses.
Given the above, we welcome in particular papers that cover one or more of the following topics from a critical and global (political, social, economic and/or cultural) perspective:
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- Sports Mega-Events
- Sport and Identity
- Sports Policy and Governance
- Inequality and/in Sport
- Sport and Race
- Sport and Gender
- Sports Law
- Sports Business and Sponsorship
- Sports Nationalism and Transnationalism
All paper titles and abstracts (250 words max) should be sent to Dr Paul Brannagan (p.brannagan@mmu.ac.uk) by 23:59 on 15th November 2019.
Confirmed Guest Speakers/Panelists
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- Professor Laurence Chalip, George Mason University, Virginia, US
- Professor David Black, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Professor Barrie Houlihan, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK
- Dr Kirsten Hallmann, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Professor Gudrun Doll-Tepper, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Professor Stefan Szymanski, University of Michigan, Michigan, US
- Professor Jonathan Grix, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
- Professor Mark James, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
Registration and Tickets
All attendees will be able to register and purchase tickets as of 2nd December 2019, by which time all abstracts will have been considered, and returned with a decision made.
Full Admission: £60 (Price includes the following: Registration fee; Tea, coffee and lunch (both days); Conference dinner; Wine reception; Tour of the Etihad Stadium)
Postgraduate Students: £40 (Price includes the following: Registration fee; Tea, coffee and lunch (both days); Conference dinner; Wine reception; Tour of the Etihad Stadium)
Accommodation
If you require accommodation during your visit to Manchester, the Holiday Inn Manchester – Central Park (close to the Etihad Stadium) is available at a discounted price during the conference.
To automatically access this discounted rate, please visit click here.
Conference Meal
A conference meal will be held on Thursday 26th March. Further details on this will follow shortly.
The conference meal will be preceded by a wine reception, generously funded by Routledge and Manchester Metropolitan University, and will take place within Manchester Metropolitan University’s award-winning Business School.
Contact Us
For all general enquiries, please contact Dr Paul Brannagan on: p.brannagan@mmu.ac.uk
For enquiries related to accommodation and travel, please contact Miss Luci Smith on: luci.smith@stu.mmu.ac.uk
For the conference homepage, click here.
