That Was The Week That Was,
September 29 – October 5, 2025

Dear all,

The first month of the fall semester was quite productive, in my own estimation. One peer review article, one non-refereed research article (in English and Norwegian, one feature article (in Norwegian), no less than nineteen book reviews, and about fifteen each of new journal issue presentations and news items, mostly calls for papers. Plus 50–60 social media postings that weren’t published on the website. So, not too bad. And we hope to keep that up, in October there will be et least one new peer review article, at least three non-refereed articles, and book reviews, journals and news items to match September’s output. So, keep idrottsforum.org under close surveillance.

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, 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

Selvstyrt øving i friluftslivsutdanning – uansvarlig virksomhet, eller pedagogisk arbeidsform med stort læringspotensial? [Student-led teaching in outdoor education – irresponsible activity or pedagogical form of work with great learning potential?]

There is an intense debate in school pedagogy about how to view teaching that is not teacher-led – is it even teaching? In this feature article, Jørgen Weidemann Eriksen and colleagues at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences discuss self-directed learning, i.e. students’ self-study, and to illustrate how complicated this is, they choose outdoor education as an example. The authors weigh the advantages, that students develop independence and personal responsibility, against the disadvantages, which in connection with outdoor life are great risks and difficult liability issues, not least legally. (Published in Norwegian 251003.)

Book Reviews

Sport and Video Games – a welcome contribution, but with notable blind spots

Łukasz Muniowski’s new book Sport and Video Games (Routledge) explores the complex relationships between sport and video games, two of the largest entertainment sectors globally, and examines how sport has influenced gaming, and vice versa, and how this relationship is likely to develop in the future. While being positive to Muniowski’s clear and engaging writing and his thematic structure of the book, our reviewer Egil Trasti Rogland also points to some unfortunate choices, such as omitting online gaming, racing games and exergames from the book. (Review in English, published 250930.)

A highly readable history of sports in the City of Light

Maxence Leconte’s edited volume Sport in Paris: Retracing the Culture of Play and Games in the City of Light (1854–2024) (Peter Lang) revisits the development of recreational and professional sporting activities in the French capital, the first comprehensive piece of scholarship exclusively dedicated to the relationship between sport, history, and culture in the City of Light. Our reviewer Kristian Gerner quite likes the colloquial and rather redundant style of writing which provides readability without excluding distinct conclusions and good summaries. (Review in English, published 251001.)

Sport as integration: The German Beispiel critically analyzed

In Interrogating Integration: Sport, Celebrity, and Scandal in the Making of New Germany (University of Michigan Press), Kate Zambon explores how international sporting spectacles, media campaigns, and public debates construct racialized national identity in an era of rising right-wing nationalism, while, across Europe, “integration” has emerged as a guiding concept to regulate cultural differences. Jens Ljunggren provides a comprehensive and critical evaluation of Zambon’s book and points to its many strengths and to some weaknesses, concluding that her critical review is a welcome contribution to the discourse on integration. (Review in English, published 251002.)

New Issues of Selected Scholarly Journals

• Managing Sport and Leisure, Volume 30, 2025, Issue 5 (250929)
• Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, Volume 52, 2025, Issue 2 | The Sport Philosophy of J.S. Russell (250930)
• Soccer & Society, Volume 26, 2025, Issue 6 (251001)
• The International Journal of the History of Sport, Volume 42, 2025, Issue 6 (251001)
• Sports Coaching Review, Volume 14, 2025, Issue 2 (251002)

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

• Call for Papers | “The Sport Consumer Experience of People with Disabilities: Challenges and Pathways to Inclusivity”, Special Issue of Managing Sport and Leisure | Call ends November 21, 2025 (250929)
• Call for Papers | “The 2026 FIFA World Cup: Performance, Policy, and Global Impact”, Special Issue of Football Studies | Call ends December 1, 2026 (250929)
• Call for Papers | “Shaping Olympic Space: Citizenship, Leisure, and Legacy”, Special Issue of International Journal of the Sociology of Leisure | Call ends May 31, 2026 (250930)
• Call for Papers | Geography and Sports Studies, Webinar | March 2–6, 2026. Call ends December 10, 2025 (251001)
• Call for Papers | The History of Politics, Corruption, and Identity at the FIFA World Cup | University of East Anglia, Norwich, March 27, 2026. Call ends November 21, 2025 (251002)
• Call for Participation | BPSA Philosophy of Sport Online Seminars for Semester 1 of the 2025-6 academic year (251003)