Sport Policy Matters Seminars
The following are seminars that have been delivered through the Centre in recent year:
2022
Richard Norman, Future of Sport Lab, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto. The Future of Sport.
[Dr. Richard Norman is a researcher + lecturer + futurist + strategic consultant who works with people to affect change towards a more socially just, sustainable, and resilient future. His work is focused on the lived experiences of peoples who have been marginalized in our society. Specifically, it focuses on the intertwining of “race,” whiteness, and colonialism in sport to deconstruct dominance within sporting cultures, while privileging the use of narrative forms aligning with oral traditions held by First Peoples around the world in order to explore new ways of knowing and understanding. The research is committed to approaches that can open up dialogue and discourses towards a more humane and morally driven worldview. His commitment to research continues now with the “Sport, Diversity, & Race Project” as a post-doctoral fellowship for the Future of Sport Lab (FSL) in the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University. Sport has been a constant in his life, including playing varsity soccer at Queens University. 3 November.]
2018
Alex Branco Fraga, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Puerto Alegre, BRAZIL. Movimento Journal: The challenges of international collaboration [Opportunities for UofT students to become involved in reviewing and editorial work]. 16 February.
2017
Alex Branco Fraga, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Puerto Alegre, BRAZIL. How can we deal with cross-cultural translations in Physical Cultural Studies: Facing the international policies of publishing? 29 April. [co-hosted with the Sport and Physical Cultural Studies Symposium
Peter Donnelly, University of Toronto. Inspiration is not Enough: Participation in physical activity as a ‘wicked’ social problem. 11 September. [co-hosted with Department of Exercise Sciences, Graduate Seminar]
Daniel Burdsey, University of Brighton, UK. Sports activism, race and considerations for a decolonial sociology of sport: A case study of Howard Gayle. 30 October.
[In 2016, Howard Gayle, the first black player to represent English soccer club Liverpool FC (in the 1970s), was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award by the Queen of England, in recognition of his work as an ambassador for anti-racist group Show Racism the Red Card. Gayle rejected the accolade, stating that his “ancestors would be turning in their graves after how empire and colonialism had enslaved them” (cited in Guardian 2016). Professor Burdsey uses Gayle’s actions to consider two points: first, the importance of foregrounding place, location, cultural memory and the historical context of (British) Empire in understanding the rationale and resonance of black sports activism; and second, what the sociology of sport as a field could learn from Gayle’s decolonial epistemological position on sports, Empire and the contemporary black diasporic experience.]
Alex Branco Fraga, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Puerto Alegre, BRAZIL. Physical Education and Public Health: A perspective on the research culture. 4 December. [co-hosted with Department of Exercise Sciences, Graduate Seminar]
2016
Fernando Mezzadri, Federal University of Paraña, Curitiba, BRAZIL. Sport Intelligence: The development of a high performance sport database in Brazil. 19 January.
[Professor Mezzadri outlines work on the project, “Sport intelligence in Brazilian high performance sport.” The project involves building a comprehensive database of high performance initiatives and athletes, mostly related to sports that are a part of the Olympic and Paralympic programme, and that are currently practiced in Brazil. There are three levels to the database: 1) interschool sports (middle and high school), which lead to city, state and national championships, and the athletes involved; 2) sports competitions organized at local (club), regional and national levels by the National Sport Organizations in Brazil, and the athletes involved; and 3) national team athletes involved in international competitions. Professor Mezzadri shows the type of data maintained on each athlete, and how it is possible to track the progress of athletes from middle school and club sport up to the level of national teams.]
Russell Field, University of Manitoba. Late 20th Century Movement, 19th Century Origins: Historicizing Sport for Development. 26 January.
[followed by a book launch for Field’s (2015) edited book celebrating the retirement of Professor Bruce Kidd from the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education: Playing for Change: The Continuing Struggle for Sport and Recreation. Toronto: University of Toronto Press]
[Professor Field (with Simon Darnell and Bruce Kidd at the University of Toronto) is documenting how the current social movement that sees sport as a tool for development, both nationally and internationally, has its origins in the emergence of organized sports during the 19th Century. He will outline their work on the project.]
Fernando Mezzadri, Federal University of Paraña, Curitiba, BRAZIL. Rio 2016 Olympic Games: The sporting legacy. 26 January.
[Professor Mezzadri’s presentation outlines the ways in which Brazil has been, and plans to continue developing a sporting legacy as a result of hosting the 2016 Olympics. A key element of that legacy is ‘sport-for-all’ – expanding the opportunities for Brazilians to participate in sports and physical activities of all types.]
Grant Jarvie, University of Edinburgh, SCOTLAND. Humanitarianism, Sport and the UN: Time for Change. 13 October.
Oliver Dudfield, Commonwealth Secretariat (London, UK). Sport and the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development: The SDGs and the implications for sport policy. 13 October.
2015
Ramon Spaaij, Victoria University, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA / University of Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS. Becoming at Home? Community sport, culturally diverse youth and the politics of belonging. 15 April.
[This seminar critically examines community sport as a semi-public sphere where young people with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds negotiate belonging. Belonging is conceptualised as a dynamic interplay between the politics of difference and boundary-drawing and the personal, intimate experience of becoming ‘at home’ in a place or in particular collectivities.]
Grant Jarvie, University of Edinburgh, SCOTLAND. Sport, Cultural Relations and Foreign Policy. 24 September.
[Professor Jarvie argues that sport is a rarely utilized, but potentially valuable tool for foreign policy. While diplomatic staff at a nation’s embassies often attempt to use various forms of culture (classical music, ballet, art, universities.) in their attempts to build cultural relations, they rarely consider sport in this light. Professor Jarvie examines the ways that sport may be used as a tool to create influence and argues that the language of cultural relations has to change if the politics of the possible is to be realized. He considers the advantages and potential pitfalls of using sport, and provides examples.]
2014
Kazunori Matsumura. University of Tsukuba, JAPAN. Toward ‘Down to Earth’ Theorizing: From Nagano and the Tokyo Olympics II to FUKUSHIMA. 12 May.
Kazunori Matsumura. University of Tsukuba, JAPAN. Why should a sociologist of sport work with ‘a small community’ to revitalize and conserve depopulated areas? 14 October.
[When Professor Matsumura visited the University of Toronto in May, this year, he discussed the effects of (Winter) Olympic Games on small communities, and raised interesting theoretical issues with regard to the study of small rural communities. He expands that discussion here with a unique combination of sociology of sport and rural sociology by discussing why a sociologist of sport should be working to revitalize and conserve depopulated rural areas. His discussion develops the concepts of ‘life environmentalism’ and ‘weak theory’. Given growing concerns about the environment, climate change, and the cost and sustainability of sport, this is a timely discussion.]
2013
Tracy Taylor. University of Technology Sydney, AUSTRALIA. Australian Sport Policy. 4 April.
[Australia’s sport policy is originally modeled on Canada’s. Although Australia has greater achievements than Canada in terms of Summer Olympic medals, there have been recent concerns in Australia about the cost of funding high performance sport, and about the ethical costs of focusing exclusively on medal success. Given Canada’s recent revamping of its national sport policy, it is timely to hear an Australian perspective.]
Cassandra Phoenix. University of Exeter, ENGLAND. Pleasure: A forgotten dimension of physical activity in older age. 17 June.
[co-organized with Professor Michael Atkinson]
[Professor Phoenix’s research explores the embodiment of ageing and physical activity across the life course; the impact of ageing on self, identity, and well-being; intergenerational relationships; disability; nature(s), exercise and the body. Her work is often framed by narrative approaches, visual methods, and ethnography.]
Rylee Dionigi. School of Human Movement Studies, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW, AUSTRALIA. Older people's stories of sport participation. 30 September.
[co-hosted with Department of Exercise Sciences, Graduate Seminar]
[Professor Dionigi’s research is concerned with developing policy recommendations regarding the merits (or otherwise) of promoting sport to older people by examining issues regarding access and equity in the ‘sport for all’ philosophies that underpin Masters’ Games participation.]
Daniel Burdsey. University of Brighton, Eastbourne, UK. Racial neoliberalism, anti-racism and sport: Dis/connections between theory, policy and practice. 4 November.
[Professor Burdsey willspeak with reference to English football (soccer). However, he approaches his work in an accessible way that has a much broader sporting relevance, with theoretical frames that are familiar to Canadian audiences. He will also focus on the dis-connections between theory and policy.]
2012
Kathy Jamieson. University of North Carolina, USA. Dangerous Bodies and Sporting Imperialisms: Interrogating the LPGA's Global Turn. 3 February.
[Professor Jamieson discusses her current research interest in the US LPGA, the need to understand its imperialist framing of itself, the contours of such a structure and culture, and the connections to her research around intersecting power and inequalities in sport.]
Wanderley Marchi Junior. Universidade Federal do Parana, Curitiba, BRAZIL. The Voices of Rio 2016. 15 May.
Robert (Bob) Huish. Dalhousie University, NS. Punching Above its Weight: The role of sport and development in Cuban internationalism. 25 October.
(Professor Huish’s research focuses on Cuba’s Escuela Internacional de Educación Fisica y Deporte, where international physical educators and coaches are trained in a South-South cooperation project.]
Grant Jarvie. University of Edinburgh, SCOTLAND. Kenyan Runners: Running for Freedom, Capability and/or Choice? 27 November.
[Kenyan runners have dominated middle distance running for more than a decade. Scientists have attempted to explain the rise and success of Kenyan and Ethiopian runners from a wide a range of perspectives. Drawing upon fieldwork carried out primarily in 2010 and 2011, Professor Jarvie considers what might motivate Kenyan women to run. In terms of policy he suggests that sport for development research might draw on the work of Amartya Sen and his ideas about human and economic capability.]
Grant Jarvie. University of Edinburgh, SCOTLAND. Sport and our Universities as Resources of Hope: A discussion. 28 November.
Universities come in many shapes and sizes and their missions and visions vary both within countries and between countries. Universities may change but in essence they are enduring organizations. Sport has been a facet of University identity, funding, teaching and research for centuries. It is a vital point of connection with communities – one that is enduring, and at times problematic. But as other facets of society decline in the short term it is worth reminding ourselves that sport and universities are for some people, and some societies, resources of hope. Professor Jarvie reminds us that societies need their universities.]
Grant Jarvie. University of Edinburgh, SCOTLAND; Bruce Kidd, University of Toronto. Sport and the Tale of Two Cities: Glasgow 2014 and Toronto 2015. 4 December.
[Co-sponsored by Scottish Development International (SDI)]
[Cities chase sporting events for many reasons. The reasons and realities of hosting major sporting events have provided an extensive policy literature and debate. In 2014 Glasgow will host the Commonwealth Games and in 2015 Toronto will host the PanAmerican Games. Are they ready? What will the legacies be? What are the governance challenges? Have lessons been learned from the London Summer and the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games?]
2011
John Hughson. University of Central Lancashire, UK. Reuniting Sport and Art: The Potential of Olympic Posters. 1 June.
Tess Kay, Brunel University, UK. Understanding Sport and International Development. 12 September.
[co-hosted with Department of Exercise Sciences, Graduate Seminar]
2010
Cameron McCarthy. University of Illinois, USA. The new terms of race, education and the city in the era of neoliberalism and globalization. 3 June.
[Professor McCarthy situates the topic of race within the context of a discussion of globalization, neoliberalism and the class conquest of the city, focusing attention particularly on how developments associated with these dynamic processes present us with new philosophical and practical challenges to address the topic of racial antagonism within the school and the university in the new century. This is formulated against the backdrop of important changes in social, economic, and cultural dynamics taking place on a global scale—dynamics which have as profound implications for racial affiliation and “its” cultural and social uses in the new century as “they” have for the organization of knowledge in schooling and in the university.]
2009
Fred Coalter, University of Stirling, SCOTLAND. Sport for Development: Pessimism of the Intellect, Optimism of the Will. 2 November.
[co-hosted with Department of Exercise Sciences, Graduate Seminar]
2008
Brenda Librecz. Parks, Forestry and Recreation City of Toronto. “Everyone gets to play:” The City of Toronto’s new approach to equity and access in physical activity, sport and recreation. 4 February.
[co-hosted with Department of Exercise Sciences, Graduate Seminar]
Bruce Kidd. University of Toronto. Providing evidence for Sport for Development and Peace (the Literature Reviews). 25 February.
[co-hosted with Department of Exercise Sciences, Graduate Seminar]
Peter Donnelly. University of Toronto. Olympic reform: Understanding kleptocracy. 29 September.
[co-hosted with Department of Exercise Sciences, Graduate Seminar]
Kristine Toohey. Griffith University, AUSTRALIA. Olympic legacies. 24 November.
[co-hosted with Department of Exercise Sciences, Graduate Seminar]
Richard Giulianotti. Durham University, UK. Sport mega events and the security legacy: Contemporary research issues and agendas. 5 December.
2007
Rob Pitter. Acadia University, NS. Life style, class, and space: Reflections on life politics, the production and consumption of sport and physical activity, and local politics. 4 April.
Don Sabo. D’Youville College, NY, USA. Enhancing girls’ health: How to merge sport research with public policy. 20 April.
[co-hosted with the Centre for Girls and Women’s Health and Physical Activity]
[Dr. Sabo's presentation focuses on a variety of nationally-scaled research initiatives in the U.S. that have confirmed links between sports and girls' health. A number of collaborative strategies are also identified that mobilize mass media coverage in order to produce extensive educational and policy impacts.]
Andrew Jennings. Investigative Journalist, UK <www.transparencyinsport.org> The Olympic Games: Past Their Sell-By Date? 24 May.
2006
Peter Donnelly. University of Toronto. Sport-related violence as an outcome of cultures of control in sport. 20 January.
Samantha King. Queen’s University. Sport, culture, and the neo-liberal state. 20 January.
Barrie Houlihan. Loughborough University, UK. London 2012: Olympic legacies in the UK. 30 October.
Steve Jackson. University of Otago, NEW ZEALAND. Exploring the policy dimensions of an indigenous sporting ritual: The Aotearoa / New Zealand haka. 4 December.
Ian Bird. Sport Matters, Ottawa. Something happened on the way to the podium. 5 December.
[Considering the experience of globalization and the response by Canadian sport leaders, Ian Bird explores a history of the present of Canadian sport policy, the capacity for interventions and cooperative strategies within sport networks, and why this means that a robust research agenda is required to guide future policy options.]
2005
Peter Donnelly. University of Toronto. Child labour, sport labour. 19 September.
[co-hosted with Department of Exercise Sciences, Graduate Seminar]
Jan Wright (University of Wollongong, AUSTRALIA); Michael Gard (Charles Sturt University, AUSTRALIA). Liberal Democracy and the War on Obesity. 2 November.
[followed by a book launch for Wright & Gard’s (2005) The Obesity Epidemic: Science, Morality and Ideology, Routledge]
2004
David Whitson. University of Alberta. Costs and Benefits of Hosting Olympic Games: Montréal Revisited / Lessons for Vancouver. 20 April.
John Horne. University of Edinburgh, SCOTLAND. Sports Policy, World Cup 2002 Investment, and Regional Development Initiatives in Contemporary Japan. 20 April.
Richard Giulianotti. University of Aberdeen, SCOTLAND. Sport and Globalization: Policy and Cultural Dilemmas Facing Scottish Soccer. 4 May.
Kim In-Hyung. Pusan National University, KOREA. Club Sports in Korea: Current status and future trends. 4 May.
Steve Jackson. University of Otago, NEW ZEALAND. Lost in Translation: Globalisation, sport advertising and social policy. 25 November.
Kim In-Hyung. Pusan National University, KOREA. Multi-Role Conflict of Housewives in Korea. 25 November.
2003
Nancy Theberge. University of Waterloo. Professional and Popular Accounts of the Gendering of Sport Injury: ACL Injuries in Women Athletes. 13 March.
Joseph Maguire. Loughborough University, ENGLAND. Civilized Games?: The IOC, global politics, and the awarding of the 2008 Olympic Games to Beijing. 13 March.
2002
Phil White. McMaster University. Sport Injuries: Sociocultural Approaches to Research. 4 March.
Kari Fasting. Norwegian University of Sport, NORWAY; Jean Harvey. University of Ottawa. Bruce Kidd. University of Toronto. National Sport Policy in Norway and Canada. 21 May.
[A panel discussion held on the occasion of the 1st reading of Bill C-54, the new Act to Promote Physical Activity and Sport. This was an appropriate time to discuss our national sport policy, and to take the opportunity to compare Canada’s approach with that of Norway, a country with a long tradition of promoting physical activity and sporting excellence.]
Taketo Kai. Aichi University of Education, JAPAN. Learning to Labour: Sport and student cultures in a Japanese Agricultural High School. 18 June.
Mick Green. Loughborough University, ENGLAND. Understanding and Explaining Policy Change in High Performance Sport. 18 June.
Jim McKay. University of Queensland, AUSTRALIA. Gender Equity Policy in Sport: Canada, Australia and New Zealand. 12 September.
Taketo Kai. Aichi University of Education, JAPAN. Nagano Olympics and the Promotion of Domestic Junior Skiers: Can we call it legacy or not? 12 September.
Jennifer Smith Maguire. City University of New York, USA. Women Consumers and the Marketing of Fitness as Empowerment. 19 September.
Joseph Maguire. Loughborough University, ENGLAND. Performance Efficiency or Human Development?” Reconfiguring Sport Sciences. 19 September.
[co-hosted with the Centre for Girls’ and Women’s Health and Physical Activity]
2001
Joseph Maguire. Loughborough University, ENGLAND. Migration, Power, and the Governance of Global Sport. 6 April.
Jennifer Smith Maguire. City University of New York, USA. Service Work and the Fitness Industry: Problems for Health Policy in Consumer Culture. 6 April.
Brian Wilson. University of British Columbia. Jocks, Goths and Cyberspace: Thoughts on the Anti-Jock Movement. 24 May.
[Following the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, Professor Wilson began to focus on the rumours that some students (Goths) had been bullied by other students (Jocks) at the high school, and that the massacre was a response to the bullying. He has been following the 'anti-jock movement' on the internet, and presents some of that work here.]
Kazunori Matsumura. Tsukuba University, JAPAN. The Environmental Footprint of the Nagano Olympics. 24 May.
[Prof. Matsumura is the Visiting Professor at the Centre for Sport Policy Studies this summer. His research is on rural sociology, especially the impact of resort development and mega-events on rural areas. In this talk, he will consider the effects of the Nagano Winter Olympics on this region of Japan.]
2000
Nancy Theberge. University of Waterloo. Higher Goals: Women’s ice hockey and the politics of gender. 4 December.
1999
Joseph Maguire. Loughborough University, ENGLAND. Sport and Globalization: Causes and Consequences. 20 September.
1998
Kristine Toohey and Tracy Taylor. University of Technology Sydney, AUSTRALIA. Women, Sport and Ethnicity: Perceptions, Challenges and Best Practices. 16 September.