Dear all,
Last week 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.
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, by clicking on the names, our Facebook, LinkedIn and X accounts.
Have a great week,
Kjell Eriksson
Editor
Feature Article
Labor bankrolls wealthy sportsmen, but underfunds a crisis of violence against women and children
On average, one woman is killed every nine days by a current or former partner in Australia. Despite this appalling scenario, violence against women and children received negligible attention from both major parties during the recent electoral campaign. Jim McKay shows that the failure to prioritize or even address this emergency is in stark contrast to the munificent support, verbally and financially, by the ruling politicians and parties, on state as well as federal level, for professional men’s sports such as Ultimate Fighting, notorious for participants who endorse sexism, misogyny and violence against women. (Published in English 250602.
Book Reviews
New book provides insights about sport and society in the Western Balkans
Marko Begović’s Sports Policy and Politics in the Western Balkans (Routledge) examines not only the role of sport in fostering national pride and unity but also sheds light on the challenges of formulating effective sports policies in environments plagued by clientelism, corruption, and partisanship. Aage Radmann, with own experience of sport studies in the area, is our reviewer, and he is generally pleased with Begović’s analysis and reflective insights into sports and the social fabric of the region, with much to say about sport policy and governance. (Review in English, published 250602.)
An impressive analysis of football fan culture and modernity
Telling an important story about the development of modern Turkey, John Konuk Blasing’s Nationalism and Globalization in Turkish Football: Voices from Fan Culture (Routledge) examines the place of football in Turkish society and the relationship between Turkish sport, nationalism, and globalization. Jan Andre Lee Ludvigsen finds much to enlighten him in Blasing’s well-researched, theory-driven ethnographic study. A strong contribution to the sociology of football, his book should also be read for its wider scope of cultural sociology and its impressive writing style. (Review in English, published 250603.)
A book of two halves
In this day and age, sport is big business, big international business, and biggest of all sports is football – in terms of participation, audience, and – money. Tim Harcourt’s Footynomics and the Business of Sport (Cambridge Scholars Publishing), thought our reviewer Alex Krumer, would deal with the latter. However, the first half of the book deals with the four dominating, and competing, codes of football in Australia, which our reviewer found highly interesting and educative, while the second half was a huge disappointment. The review explains it all. (Review in English, published 250604.)
New Issues of Scholarly Journals
(We’re currently reviewing this service, since it’s a rather time-consuming undertaking. In the meanwhile we’re presenting some of the journals in line with the Forum’s core mission.)
- Scandinavian Sport Studies Forum, Volume 15, 2024 | Open Access Journal (250603)
News items (calls for papers, vacancies, etc.)
- Disputation | Låt de rätta komma in och må de finna vägen ut: Om idrottsutbildningar, antagningsprocesser och karriärutveckling, av Filip Andersson, Linnéuniversitetet, den 12 juni 2025 (250602)
