Dear all,
This newsletter marks the start of the fall semester for idrottsforum.org. Normally, the summer activities is limited to social media alerts of new journal articles and issues, and Calls for Papers for conferences or scholarly journals Special Issues that are published on the Forum. However, exceptions occur, original texts are sometimes published, and during summer the following items were published on idrottsforum.org (see below; language and publication dates, YYMMDD, in brackets). Click on the red headings to go to content. Utilize the Google Translate service to turn Scandinavian language pages into (some sort of) English.
This newsletter marks the start of the fall semester for idrottsforum.org. Normally, the summer activities is limited to social media alerts of new journal articles and issues, and Calls for Papers for conferences or scholarly journals Special Issues that are published on the Forum. However, exceptions occur, original texts are sometimes published, and during summer tThere are no major changes planned for the coming academic year as far as our publishing policy is concerned. We will publish peer review articles (through Scandinavian Sport Studies Forum), non-refereed articles, feature articles, book reviews, and various news items, as per usual. We have in line, inter alia, two peer review articles approved for publication, an essay about skateboarding in wartime Beirut, and a large number of book reviews. And a newsletter like this goes out every Monday morning, so it’s easy to keep up with idrottsforum.org.
And remember, if you’re not already hooked up to one of the social media outlets that we utilize, for now they are Facebook, LinkedIn and X, you’re missing quite a lot of information from idrottsforum.org that never appears on the website. So, if that is the case, check out, and follow us, by clicking on the names, our Facebook, LinkedIn and X accounts.
Have a great week,
Kjell Eriksson
Editor
Feature Articles
BREAD AND FOOTBALL – a critical visual response to the World Cup as spectacle, distraction, sportswashing, and controlled public emotion, by Behnam Raeesian
Behnam Raeesian is an Iranian visual artist and poster designer working at the intersection of political urgency and symbolic minimalism. His BREAD AND FOOTBALL is a critical poster series that examines football as a global spectacle shaped by power, distraction, and controlled emotion. Through seven minimal visual metaphors, the project questions how the World Cup can move beyond sport and become a mechanism of mass attention: a beautiful trap, a ritual of applause, a toxic atmosphere, a controlled signal, and finally, a diversion that silences other urgent realities. (Published 260630)
Sportswashing, Agonism, and World Cup 2026
After the United States men’s national soccer team was defeated by the Belgian squad during World Cup 2026, it was reported that a spokesman for the Iranian team was quoted as saying, “Now the whole world is dancing to celebrate politics’ humiliating defeat by football.” The Iranian representative was ostensibly referring to President Donald Trump’s intervention regarding the red card issued against Folarin Balogun, and indeed politics has been at the forefront during the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. Kevin Anzzolin reflects on this fact in his thought-provoking feature article. (Published 290709)
The Caitlin Clark Effect
Łukasz Muniowski has kindly accepted to let idrottsforum.org publish an excerpt from Chapter 10, “White Privilege: Is Whiteness the Main Reason Behind Caitlin Clark’s Popularity?” in his new book, The Caitlin Clark Effect: Women’s Basketball and the Rise of a Transformational Star (MacFarland 2026). Caitlin Clark is a generational talent that has had an undeniable influence on basketball, and this book examines its extent. The “Caitlin Clark Effect” is generally understood to be Clark’s ability to garner more eyes on the sport of women’s basketball. (Published 260810)
Trans women in Olympic sports: A Late Challenge by UN Rapporteurs
The controversy around whether or not trans women are eligible to perform elite sports in the women’s category is alive and well. The IOC decided in a 2023 policy declaration that they were eligible, a decision that was heavily criticized. In March 2026 a new policy was decided upon, stating that “Eligibility for any female category event /…/ is now limited to biological females, determined on the basis of a one‑time SRY gene screening.” In July 2026, five UN Rapporteurs published a communication addressed to the IOC, claiming that the new policy might infringe human rights. This in turn elicited a critical comment from Miroslav Imbrišević, published here. (Published 260811)
Book Reviews
Renegotiating sport: Learning, identity, and lifestyle sports in teaching and coaching
Thomas M. Leeder & Lee C. Beaumont’s edited collection Teaching and Coaching Lifestyle Sports: Research and Practice (Routledge) is the first book of its kind to provide both theoretical and empirical insights into the process and practice of teaching and coaching lifestyle sports across school, community, and high-performance sport contexts. We asked Peter Carlman for a review, and sent this insightful presentation and evaluation of the book, claiming that it holds wider relevance within sport studies, as it addresses fundamental questions about knowledge and meaning in sport. (Published 260615.)
Bostonian racism in sports and in schools, now and then: The Black Box of the Red Sox
Situated at the intersection of US cultural and social history, David Faflik’s Segregation Games: Boston, Busing, and the Making of Red Sox Nation (University of Massachusetts Press) examines the surprising ties in 1970s Boston between the racial segregation of the city’s schools and the racial controversies expressed on and off the field of “Red Sox Nation.” Our reviewer Duncan Jamieson has some reservations about Faflik’s use of the words ‘play’ and ‘game’, but otherwise finds the book well worth a careful reading. (Published 260616.)
Sport and media in Britain post-Brexit
In their book Sport, National Identities and the Media: Battling Brits (Routledge, John Harris and John Vincent examine the relationship between sport, the media, and national identities in Great Britain. It draws upon case studies of different sporting events and stories, looking at the ways in which the media (re)present different narratives of the nation(s). We asked Christoph Wagner for a review, and received a thorough presentation and assessment concluding that the book offers a focused insight into recent developments and as such should be on the literary canon for undergraduate and postgraduate students alike. (Published 260616.)
New Blog Posts
Three lessons from the World Cup, by David Rowe
This tumultuous 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup has ended and thoughts inevitably turn to what it all might have meant. Millions of words have been uttered as events unfolded. Now is the hour to propose its lessons for history. As a sociologist I have argued for decades, frequently in the face of trenchant opposition from those who live off and/or love it, that media-propelled professional sport (hereafter football-soccer stands for the whole institution) is profoundly shaped by capitalism and inherently political. This position has finally and largely become conventional wisdom… (Published 260727.)
It’s the nostalgia, stupid! by Erkki Vettenniemi
Though I cannot presently locate my copy of The Essence of Sport, the 2003 Århus-inspired anthology by leading scholars of sport, I insist on agreeing with John Nauright’s argument which I have gone through and made use of on more than two or three occasions. I also claim that, twenty years on, his conclusion has not lost an iota of its relevance. Today, 50 years ago, the Finnish wonder Lasse Viren completed his gargantuan effort at the 1976 Montreal olympic games. Having already prevailed in the 10,000 and 5,000 meters, he finished fifth in the marathon – less than 24 hours after the rather brutal 5 km race. Four years earlier in Munich, of course, Viren had bagged his first gold medals in the two track events… (Published 260731.)
World game at war: why some European nations have threatened a World Cup boycott, by David Rowe
A little over a week since the 2026 men’s World Cup final, world soccer appears on the brink of war. The main battleground is a proposal from FIFA president Gianni Infantino to sell off a key function of the not-for-profit association. It has even led to a threat from some European nations to boycott upcoming World Cups. So, why is Infantino’s proposal so controversial and why are so many nations against the plan? Infantino’s idea is to create a $US20 billion (A$29 billion) commercial subsidiary, named the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to run major competitions such as the men’s and women’s World Cups and club World Cups… (Published 260809.)
Inducements are at the centre of the government’s long‑awaited gambling reform. What actually are they? by David Rowe
The prolonged, contentious gambling reform process in Australia is set for some movement at last. The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 is being negotiated by the federal Labor government and Coalition opposition for re-presentation to parliament. One of the main issues concerns inducements – the practice of betting companies offering special deals or gifts designed to keep people gambling. These feature prominently in the so-called Murphy report, which more than three years ago sought to counteract online gambling harm. The report recommends prohibiting all online gambling inducements and inducement advertising “without delay”… (Published 260825.)
Scholarly Journals
Since its inception 23 years ago, idrottsforum.org has been proudly presenting every new issue of almost all scholarly journals within the field of sport studies, widely defined. However, after carefully considering the whole situation – with increasing number of journals and number of issues per journal – we have decided to let go of the original ambition; it has become too time-consuming. Henceforth we will publish alerts about new journal issues on our social media accounts (Facebook, LinkedIn and X), and also special alerts when particularly interesting articles in scholarly journals are published online, giving priority to open access publications. The Scholarly Journals page will list all journals within the extended sport studies field for your information, and we will endeavor to update it with any new titles being launched.
News items (calls for papers, vacancies, etc.)
- Call for Papers | “Feeling Competitive: Sport as Affective Practice”, Special Issue of Sport in Society | Call ends July 15, 2026 (260623)
- Call for Papers | “Sport and Geographies of Territory, Body and Resistance”, Special Issue of Estudos Geográficos: Revista Electrónica de Geografia | Call ends July 31, 2026 (260629)
- Call for Papers | Beyond the Game: Women, Sport, and Social Changes, 2nd International Scientific Conference | Zagreb, Croatia | December 17–19, 2026. Call ends October 15, 2026 (260708)
- Call for Papers | Artificial Intelligence in Sport Management Education: Pedagogy & Practice, a Special Issue of Sport Management Education Journal | Call ends January 31, 2027 (260708)
- Call for Papers | Rules, Meaning and Values: The Contextual Understanding of Sport – Reflections on the Work of Graham McFee, a Special Issue of Sport, Ethics and Philosophy | Call ends August 30, 2026 (260708)
- Call for Papers | Analyzing African derbies in the era of global sportocracy: What new perspectives do the humanities and social sciences of politics offer on these club rivalries in Africa | Webinar, October 6, 2026 (260712)
- Call for Papers | “Regional, National, and Global Identities in Sport: Changing scenarios in developing sporting context”, IV International Conference of the Sport and Politics Research International Network (SPRING) | University of Galway, Ireland, July 1–2, 2027. Call ends December 1, 2026 (260712)
- Call for Papers | Manufacturing the Past: Sports Clubs as Sites of Memory and Power, Special Issue of The International Journal of the History of Sport | Call ends August 31, 2026 (260717)
- Call for Papers | “Cycling History”, a Special Issue of The International Journal of the History of Sport | Call ends September 1, 2026 (260719)
- Call for Papers | “The Gambling Turn: Sports Betting in Professional Sports”, a Special Issue of Zeitschrift für Fußball und Gesellschaft | Call ends September 30, 2026 (260719)
- Call for Papers | The Journalism and Sport Symposium | MediaCity campus, University of Salford, January 15, 2027. Call ends October 30, 2026 (260720)
- Call for Papers | Movers and Shakers, Disruptors and Risk Takers: Agents of Change in Women’s Football – Women in Football Research Conference 2026 | TU Dublin Tallaght Campus, December 16, 2026. Call ends September 18, 2026 (260720)
- Vacancy | PhD Position in Sport Management at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences | Apply by August 10, 2026 (260720)
- Call for Papers | “Shaping Olympic Space: Citizenship, Leisure, and Legacy”, a Special Issue of International Journal of the Sociology of Leisure | Call ends September 30, 2026 (260723)
- Konferens | Kvinnors situation inom idrotten – från pionjärer till mästare | Göteborgs universitet, den 24 augusti 2026. Sista anmälningsdag den 16 augusti 2026 (260727)
- Call for Participation | Centre for Sport and Human Rights: Conference on Reparatory Justice in and through Sport – ‘Levelling The Field: From History To Action’ | Glasgow, July 31, 2026 | Registration is open, hurry! (260727)
- Call for Participation | The 5th edition of the PhD course “Culture, Sport and Society” (5 ECTS) | University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), April 12–16, 2027 (260807)
- A 12-Part Video Series on Activism Among Athletes (260810)
- Call for Papers | “Authenticity vs. simulacra in sport in the light of ‘Sport in Transition’”, Special Issue of Sport in Society | Call ends January 31, 2027 (260820)
- Call for Papers | “The Role of Sport in Tackling Social Issues: Lessons from East Asia”, East Asian Sport Sociology Forum 2027, Meiji University, February 26–28, 2027. Call ends September 30, 2026 (260820)
