Sorry folks,
We’re still spending a lot of time preparing the new editorial offices. So, last week only 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, Bluesky, 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, Bluesky, LinkedIn and X accounts.
Have a great week,
Kjell Eriksson
Editor
Feature Article
Mats Franzén (1948–2025)
Idrottsforskaren och urbansociologen Mats Franzén har plötsligt lämnat oss, 77 år gammal. Hans gode vän och mångårige forskarpartner Tomas Peterson beskriver översiktligt Mats forskargärning. Hans intresse och akademiska nyfikenhet spände över många samhällsområden, vilket inte minst märks i den ämnesmässigt varierade floran av bokrecensioner han skrivit för idrottsforum.org genom åren. Idrottsforskarsamhället har förlorat en värderad kollega, och Tomas Peterson en livslång vän. Mats Franzén fattas oss. (Published in Swiedish 251114.
Book Reviews
From individual groundbreaking work to established field of research: The development of humanities and social science engagement with the cultural phenomenon of sport in Sweden
Samhällsidrotten och idrottssamhället. Humanistisk och samhällsvetenskaplig idrottsforskning under 50 år [Sport in society and the society of sports. Humanistic and social science sports research over 50 years] is edited by Tomas Peterson and published as a celebration of 50 years of Swedish sport studies within the social sciences and humanities. We went abroad to find a suitable reviewer – not a Swede but Swedish speaking – and Ansgar Molzberger accepted the cumbersome task of reviewing this 556 page tome. And he did well, we are happy to bring his review to your attention. (Book in Swedish, review in English, published 251111.)
From the Watson Brothers to Vampires: New book uncovers a great deal about the early history of soccer in the United States
Played by both migrants and native-born Americans, soccer created communities across the United States. In his new book Beyond the Field: How Soccer Built Community in the United States (University of Illinois press), Brian D. Bunk ranges from Pawtucket to Honolulu as he illuminates the deep and diverse origins of the American sport. Our reviewer Paul McFarlane finds much to enjoy in Bunk’s new book, both his adherence to a recent historiographical turn and his painstaking efforts to unearth early soccer club’s history and local soccer heroes lives. (Review in Englich, published 251112).
Voluntarism in Swedish sport management; the pros, the cons, the risks
Sweden’s voluntary sport clubs would not function without the hundreds of thousands of people who volunteer as coaches, officials etc. How is the voluntary commitment doing today? How has it developed over time? What opportunities does the sports movement have to maintain voluntary and unpaid work in the future? These questions are addressed in this anthology in Swedish, where researchers and experts contribute knowledge and perspectives. Anders Östnäs offers a comprehensive presentation of the report. (Book in Swedish, review in English, published 251113.)
New Issues of Scholarly Journals
- European Sport Management Quarterly, Volume 25, 2025, Issue 5 (251111)
- The International Journal of the History of Sport, Volume 42, 2025, Issue 7 (251112)
News items (calls for papers, vacancies, etc.)
- Call for Papers | “Sport, Media and Soft Power”, an International Sport and Media Symposium | University of The Western Cape (UWC), South Africa, June 3, 2026. Call ends January 15, 2026 (251111)
- Call for Papers | “Aggression in Sport: Psychoanalytic Investigations”, Special Issue of Sport and Psychoanalysis, Cogent Social Sciences | Call ends January 12, 2026 (251113)
