Special Call for Papers

Deadline for submission: November 1 2024

The Olympic Games, a beacon of international unity and athletic excellence, continue to evolve, reflecting broader societal, technological, and environmental changes. This Call for Papers invites scholars, practitioners, and educators to contribute to an interdisciplinary dialogue on the future of the Olympics. We seek to explore the multifaceted dimensions of the Olympic movement, including its educational impacts, emerging challenges, and innovative opportunities, particularly through the lens of learning design, sports management, and athlete development.

Themes for Submission

We encourage submissions that address, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Educational Paradigms in Olympic Sports: Examining the role of learning design in shaping the educational experiences of athletes, coaches, and sports administrators.
• Innovative Practices in Olympic Training: Insights into the integration of technology, data analytics, and innovative pedagogies in the training and development of Olympic athletes.
• Sustainability and the Olympics: Strategies for promoting environmental sustainability and social responsibility within the Olympic movement.
• Olympic Values and Global Citizenship: Exploring the contribution of the Olympic Games to global education, peace, and cultural exchange.
• The Impact of Emerging Technologies: Assessing the implications of advancements such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and digital media on the Olympic experience.
• Challenges and Resilience: Addressing the challenges faced by the Olympic movement, including pandemic-related disruptions, ethical dilemmas, and the integrity of sportsmanship.
• The Future of Olympic Games: Envisioning the evolution of the Olympics in response to global trends, athlete needs, and audience expectations.

Submission Types and Contexts

Contributors are encouraged to submit original research, case studies, theoretical analyses, and reflective essays that resonate with the above themes. Submissions can reflect a variety of contexts, including but not limited to:

• High-performance training programs
• Olympic education and youth outreach
• Long-term athlete development
• Policy and governance in Olympic sports
• Technological innovations in sports training and management

Submission Guidelines

Prospective authors should ensure that their manuscripts are:

• Original and not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
• Rigorously researched and appropriately referenced.
• Compliant with the journal’s submission guidelines, available on the information for authors page.
• All submissions will undergo a rigorous peer-review process, maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and scholarly excellence.

Engage with Us

We invite you to contribute your insights and research to this comprehensive exploration of the Olympics’ future, enhancing our understanding and shaping the next generation of Olympic legacy. Join us in this scholarly endeavor to reflect, critique, and envision the future of the world’s foremost sports spectacle.

Deadline for submission: October 31 2023

Learning design in higher education occurs at the program level, the module/unit level and at the level of an individual object. The learning design process involves taking an idea for an experience from conception to realization to enable students to achieve specific learning outcomes. This call for papers focuses on the process, principles, and practices of learning design in sports coaching, sports management, and sports science education. This call also aims to go beyond current views on sport education and contribute new insights on curriculum design and pedagogical approaches for making sport education accessible, relevant, and equitable learning. This call welcomes incisive contributions from scholars worldwide in a range of types and methods: empirical studies, systematic literature review and meta-analysis, case study and design case, and in a variety of learning contexts: K-12, higher education, open and distance education. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• The design, implementation, and evaluation of learning and teaching in sport education
• New and emerging learning environments for sports (Big data, analytics, intelligent tutoring systems, simulations, etc.)
• Theories and concepts that influence the learning design process in sport education
• Pedagogical models and instructional approaches of learning in sport education
• Sport education with emerging technologies for all: Equity, accessibility, and diversity; competence education, personalized and adaptive learning
• Pitfalls and opportunities of emerging technologies in sport education
• writing and reviewing learning outcomes in sports disciplines
• designing blended and hybrid learning experiences in sports disciplines

Notes for Prospective Contributors

Submitted manuscripts should not be previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere.

All manuscripts are subject to a blinded peer-review process and must be submitted to the journal online. The manuscript format and submission information can be obtained from the information for authors page.

No Deadline for Submissions

The Sports Journal (TSJ) publishes scholarly book reviews and review essays on a regular basis. Faculty, scholars, practitioners, and advanced graduate students are welcome to submit book reviews or review essays to the TSJ. All reviewers are expected to follow our guidelines and familiarize themselves with the skills required to write a good review, both of which are available in the below Guidelines.
We welcome your submission on any book titles and topics related to sport as long as you believe they will be relevant for sports professionals.

Titles should be published after 2020 for full consideration.

Book Review Guidelines
• A book review should be approximately 800-900 words. A review essay (two or more books) should be approximately 1100-1200 words.
• Reviews should be written without highly technical terms or jargon. Keep in mind that the audience for reviews are diverse educators of all professional backgrounds.
• The tone of the review should be professional. If a critique is made, it should be stated clearly and with respect.
• The review may be edited by the editor for minor revisions, or it may be returned to authors for major revisions.
• Submissions should not be under review by other journals.
The review should include:
• At the top of the review, please place the bibliographic citation of the book(s) you are reviewing following the APA Manual 7th edition guidelines.
• This information should be followed by the statement:
Reviewed by [reviewer’s name]• Please include your name, position, and institutional affiliation at the conclusion of your review
Example: Fred Cromartie is Professor and Director of Doctoral Studies at the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, AL.

• The review should consist of the following four elements:
1. A concise and clear description of the book’s content – A relevant description of the topic as well as its overall perspective, argument, or purpose.
2. A critical assessment of the content – A thoughtful and reasoned evaluation of the text, a discussion of its contribution and relation to the existing literature and trends in the field, an overview of its strengths and weaknesses, and its unique qualities (if any).
3. A brief description of the audience – Suggestions for the appropriate audience for the book and the insights on how they might appreciate the reading.
4. Brief takeaways – 3 (or so) overarching ideas, thoughts, or practical suggestions that reviewers gleaned from the book.

• Note: “The best reviews teach the readers something about the field in addition to announcing and describing a book….The more analysis, synthesis, and evaluation you can provide in a review, the more its potential value.” (Erwin, R. W., Jr. [1992]. Reviewing books for scholarly journals. In J. M. Moxley [Ed.], Writing and publishing for academic authors. New York: University Press of America).
All manuscripts are subject to a blinded peer-review process and must be submitted to the journal online. The manuscript format and submission information can be obtained from the journal website at https://thesportjournal.org/information/

Deadline for submission: 1 October 2021

We are seeking commentary papers on the following questions:

• What should we do now in youth sport because of the youth lifestyle changes that have occurred during COVID-19 pandemic isolation?
• What is the role of sports programs in schools post COVID-19 pandemic?
• What challenges/opportunities are we facing in youth sports in the development of talent post COVID-19? How do coaches approach parents and athletes for recruitment post COVID-19?
• What ethical considerations for youth sport on fair play in the post-COVID-19 era?
• How may sport equip youth with tools for self-improvement and self-management post-COVID-19?

Deadline for submission: 1 September 2021

We are seeking research articles, literature reviews, case studies, and commentaries addressing the following questions:

• How has the NCAA evolved during a time of persistent legal encounters due to the treatment of student-athletes?
• Should there be a uniform model for the NCAA and its member schools to implement? Propose a model.
• What is a free market model for intercollegiate athletics?
• What implementation strategies have your department or program made regarding NIL? What subdepartments have been developed to address athlete branding and right to publicity?
• How does the debate about pay for play continue to raise questions about the cultural significance of intercollegiate athletics?
• How does the debate about pay for play continue to raise questions about the academic or educational significance of intercollegiate athletics?

Deadline for submission: 1 February 2022

“With some appropriate sport development intervention youth sport could be so much more inclusive, so much more beneficial for more children in the area and for the local community. Currently it appears to do little to build community cohesion, social capital and a love of physical activity among local children; indeed, it could be argued that it is doing more harm than good. –Christopher Cutforth, Sheffield Hallam University, Academy of Sports and Physical Activity

We are seeking research articles, literature reviews, case studies, and commentaries addressing the following questions:

• How can participation gaps that currently exist be addressed by policy to eliminate the structural and cultural barriers that still prevail in sport?
• How can government agencies do more to support equity in sport and its long-term benefits for society?
• What is the role or impact of cultural traditions and cultural differences on how sports are played and the influence of sports on national, ethnic, or community identity?
• How can sport be used as a means of responding to social problems?
• What conduct, subjectivity, and citizen competencies are shaped within sport?
• How is sport used to promote “the American Dream” of social mobility, and are our current sport practices contributing to selection and stratification?

Deadline for submission: 31 December 2021

Esports as an industry is now over 20 years old and it has grown exponentially when compared to other generic industries, representing the sixth largest global growth at the industrial level (Eurostat, 2019; Southall, Nagel, LeGrande, & Han, 2003). There are now over 150 sports teams and counting involved in Esports, e.g., Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, FC Schalke 04, Kraft group (owners of New England Patriots) and many more are investing in Esports heavily.

Esport is not systematically institutionalized, and there is ongoing coordination to create evolving governance.  There are shifting rules, and there is a power game of the “insider” and the outsiders.  The industry is rooted in innovation, business, media, and fandom as well. These phenomena will require management professionals that are innovative and focused on business processes and practices that improve efficiency, develop and sustain customer bases, and minimize waste and maximize profit potential.

Esports was born digital, born global, and born agile, which makes Esports an exciting research target for sport management scholars. This special call for papers aims to serve as a platform for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers in various countries to contribute research about esport that will serve to improve sport management as a discipline in general and specially to help sport management educators better prepare future sport management professionals for a future in esports management.

We are interested in receiving both empirical research – such as it may be conducted in these times – and (shorter) theoretical and critical commentaries on the longer term – and present – implications of esports management as well as fundamental questions about how the field is unfolding.. There are almost endless avenues of inquiry to be pursued. Authors are encouraged to submit on the following questions:

1. What are the work conditions in the Esports ecosystem and how are affected by strategic management?
2. What are the strategies, processes, procedures, and operations that are specific to esport?
3. What are the practices of live streaming gameplay. spectatorship, historical precedence, and interaction, and how are they operationalized from the management perspective?
4. How will esport affect the fan base of traditional sport as traditional sport struggles to resume play amid the COVID-19 pandemic?
5. How do consumers actualize and sustain the eSports phenomenon through their engagement with the interconnected nexuses of playing, watching, and governing of eSports?
6. What data analysis techniques may be used to make observations to analyze in-game performance, team dynamics and formation, and interactions between players? What purpose will this serve in esport player management?

We are also interest in case studies of

1. Social interactions between players,
2. Promotional activities; broadcasting infrastructures; the socioeconomic organization of teams, tournaments, and leagues
3. Nature of expertise in esport, player or entertainer
4. Patterns of behavior associated with the social pressures of the virtual or social world, and
5. Law in esports

We are not interested in papers determining whether esport is sport.  For the purposes of this call, we accept that esport is a form of sport and should be managed accordingly. The Sport Journal invites you to help address the issue of esports in sports management education through your research and writing. For submission guidelines, please see http://thesportjournal.org/information/.

Deadline for submission: 31 May 2021

The coronavirus disease, COVID-19, has now been deemed a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended all areas of life – and sports is no exception. Every aspect of sport has been affected, from the athletes themselves to every event and competition to the resulting media coverage. COVID-19 has upended sporting calendars and is superseding the business model of sports.
This special call for papers aims to serve as a platform for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers in various countries, asking for reflective contributions on the impact of COVID-19 in sport and the changes we may expect to see going forward, to exchange experiences, challenges, successes, and lessons learned during and for a future amid and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are interested in receiving both empirical research – such as it may be conducted in these times – and (shorter) theoretical and critical commentaries on the longer term – and present – implications of COVID-19. There are almost endless avenues of inquiry to be pursued as the ramifications of the pandemic become clearer. Authors are encouraged to submit on the following questions:

1. How will sport resume amid the COVID-19 pandemic?
2. How may COVID-19 or related public health precautions impact acute and chronic health, fitness, or sport performance?
3. How do people respond to the situation in your sport?
4. What is helpful and what is less helpful in dealing with the current situation resulting from the pandemic?
5. How is sport currently organized and what will or should change?

The Sport Journal invites you to help address the issue of sport during and after COVID-19 through your research and writing. For submission guidelines, please see http://thesportjournal.org/information/.

Deadline for submission: Expired

The world of sport in recent years has been rocked by highly visible ethical failures and blatant corruption that has stretched from the local and college level to the pinnacles of international competition. Whether it is financial corruption in international soccer, bribery related to the awarding of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs by Russia in the Olympic Games, or the vast recruiting bribery and fraud case in American college basketball, sport recently has seen some of its greatest scandals. What are the forces behind these crises in sport? How do governing bodies and other leaders prevent a perilous loss of faith in sport and its principles of honesty, integrity, and fair play? What can be done long term about corruption in sport?

The United States Sports Academy invites you to help address the issue of corruption in sport through your research and writing. The Sport Journal is currently issuing a special Call for Papers on the subject. Submit today and be a part of the solution of the crisis of corruption in sport.