That Was The Week That Was,
June 9–15, 2025

Dear all,

This is the penultimate newsletter of the Forum Spring season. The coming week, leading up to the Midsummer celebration, will see the last original texts published before the summer recess, and after that nothing until September 1. Well, nothing might be an exaggeration, occasionally we’ve been known to publish unsolicited texts during summer when we are convinced of the urgency, but generally there will only be journal ToCs and various news items published.

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

Research Article

Måste man köra bil för att komma till stallet? Hästnäringens behov av transporter [Do you have to drive to get to the stables? The horse industry’s need for transportation]

The horse industry affects the environment through, for example, its dependence on transport, consumption of feed, production of manure and waste, and energy needs. This article by Susanna Hedenborg and colleagues explores and analyses how actors in the horse industry relate to transport dependence. The results are presented as five stories about how people with different roles in the industry relate to transport needs. The industry’s needs for knowledge differ for different groups, and the opportunities to change the industry are partly dependent on the actions of other actors. (Published in Swedish 250609.)

Feature Article

Bill Sund (1945–2025): En lagspelare med och utan boll [A team player, with or without a ball]

On May 31, Professor Emeritus Bill Sund – sociologist and historian, football and cycling scholar – passed away after several years of illness. Bill was a prolific writer with several books and articles behind him, some of which were published on idrottsforum.org and by Bokförlaget idrottsforum.org. Hans Bolling had the privilege of having Bill Sund as his supervisor during his doctoral studies, and here he draws a portrait of Bill as an academic mentor, teammate on the football field, and lifelong friend. (Published in English 250612.)

Book Reviews

AI in sports – the good, the bad, and the incomprehensible

The collection Artificial Intelligence in Sports, Movement, and Health (Springer), edited by Carlo Dindorf and colleagues, explores the profound impact of AI on how we approach sports, movement, and health. Our reviewers Anne Tjønndal, Daniele Canini & Stian Røsten found some interesting discussions of AI in sports in the book, but it was difficult to read for social science sports scholars, which introductory and concluding chapters as well as greater editorial effort aimed at building a strong coherence between the individual chapters would have alleviated. (Review in English, published 250610.)

New book on antisemitism in football: Rich in empirical data, missing out on comparative analyses

Emma Poulton’s edited collection Antisemitism in Football: International Perspectives (Routledge) investigates the nature and prevalence of expressions of antisemitism within the context of football mostly in Europe, and attempts to challenge and combat this problematic phenomenon. Björn Horgby found the collection, which deals with football-related antisemitism in ten countries, to be very informative if also a bit scattered, and he wishes that the contributions would have been guided by Poulton’s commendable categorization of antisemitism in her concluding chapter. (Review in English, published 250611.)

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.)

• The International Journal of the History of Sport, Volume 42, 2025, Issue 1 | Special Section: Africa in the Boxing Ring (250609)
• The International Journal of the History of Sport, Volume 42, 2025, Issue 2 | Public Sport History and Community Sport (250609)
• The International Journal of the History of Sport, Volume 42, 2025, Issue 3 (250609)

News items (calls for papers, vacancies, etc.)

Call for Papers | “Euro 2028 in Local, National and Global Contexts”, Special Issue of Soccer & Society | Call ends September 12, 2025 (250615)

Call for Papers | “Advancing Qualitative Research on Motherhood and High Performance Sport”, Special Issue of Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health | Call ends January 31, 2026 (250615)