Call for Papers
Sport, Physical Culture, and the Environment
Special Issue of Sociology of Sport Journal
Guest Editors: Kyle Bunds and Jonathan Casper
The “environment”, as a “complex system of physical, chemical, and biotic factors that
act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form of
survival”, changes by both naturally (e.g. volcanic eruptions, glaciation, etc.) and nonnaturally
(e.g. manmade alterations) occurring circumstances (Johnson et al., 1997). In
the last decade especially, there has been increased public debate if not outcry from
scientists, politicians, parochial vicars, and everyday citizens on the human impacts of
altering the natural environment, especially in terms of global warming, fracking, and
water crises.
The sporting domain has not been immune to these debates. In recent years, we have
witnessed Detroit prioritize stadium and entertainment district development over people
in need of water; golf courses over fertilizing their property without regard for the local
ecology, and global warming altering the way we engage in sport. Thus, it is not
surprising that conversations over the relationship between sport and the environment
have become widespread in many areas related to business, science, and government.
This we have seen most notably with the National Resource Defense Council’s (NRDC)
focus on sport and environmental sustainability, as well as the formation of the Green
Sport Alliance in 2011, which brings together industry stakeholders from eight major
league sports, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Bonneville Environmental
Foundation, facility managers, marketing directors, and other sports leaders to learn best
practices and innovations in green operations, fan engagement, and so forth. Same, too,
for the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf, which offers scholarships and
training for golf course managers, scientists, tourism specialists, and conservationists, and
charitable organizations such as Run for Water, which utilizes sporting events and
branding as part of its mission to provide clean drinking water to those in the Global
South. Notably absent from the above examples, however, is that these organizations
rarely mention the sociological importance of these environmental issues, nor are (sport)
sociologists frequently privileged in such spaces or scholarly discussions (with some
notable exceptions, e.g., Hayes & Karamichas, 2012; Millington & Wilson, 2013;
Mincyte, Casper, & Cole, 2009; Perkins, Mincyte, & Cole, 2010; Wilson & Millington,
2015).
This special issue of the Sociology of Sport Journal thus seeks contributions that
critically examine, debate, and shed light on the intersection of sport, physical culture,
and the environment. We are especially interested in critical, empirical and theoretical
manuscripts focusing on issues related to:
• The political ecology of sport and the environment
• The body, health, and the environment
• The biopolitics of climate change and environmental policy
• Critical examinations of “green” technology and “green” marketing
• Sport, environmental justice, and social movements
• Leisure, recreation, and the politics of the environment
• How sport organizations and public policy impact the built environment
• The adoption of ecologically friendly practices (e.g. Golf course ecology, LEED
certified arenas, etc.)
• Sport organizations and pro-environmental behavioral change
• How global warming alters the way people participate in sport and physical activity
Authors should follow the “Submission Guidelines for Authors” used in every issue of
the Sociology of Sport Journal found at
http://journals.humankinetics.com/submissionguidelines-for-ssj.
All papers should be no more than 8,000 words including endnotes and reference list.
Submit original manuscripts online: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/hk_ssj
Please address any questions to the co-editors:
Dr. Kyle Bunds (kyle_bunds@ncsu.edu)
Dr. Jonathan Casper (jmcasper@ncsu.edu)
Submission Deadline: April 1, 2016
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