On February 21, at 1pm U.S. Eastern, FSF is thrilled to welcome award-winning novelist Joseph O’Neill for a discussion of his latest novel, Godwin.

Book description from the publisher: “the odyssey of two brothers crossing the world in search of an African soccer prodigy who might change their fortunes. Mark Wolfe, a brilliant if self-thwarting technical writer, lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Sushila, and their toddler daughter. His half-brother Geoff, born and raised in the United Kingdom, is a desperate young soccer agent. He pulls Mark across the ocean into a scheme to track down an elusive prospect known only as “Godwin”—an African teenager Geoff believes could be the next Lionel Messi. Narrated in turn by Mark and his work colleague Lakesha Williams, Godwin is a tale of family and migration as well as an international adventure story that implicates the brothers in the beauty and ugliness of soccer, the perils and promises of international business, and the dark history of transatlantic money-making.”

If you would like to join the Football Scholars Forum, please email Peter Alegi.

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FSF closed out 2024 with a long-awaited session on teaching fútbology at the university level. We received 18 syllabi [link] that served as shared texts for the group’s discussion. The award for best-looking syllabus went to . . . Rwany Sibaja [link]!

The session was structured in three acts:

Pre-game: a brief overview by Peter Alegi about the state of the field and of fútbology syllabi.

1st Half: The Big Picture (Organizing the event) — David Kilpatrick facilitated a discussion about (trans)disciplinarity; Andrew Guest guided a conversation about learning objectives and outcomes.

2nd Half: The Methods (Playing the game) — Adam Winkel steered a quasi-workshop on course content, assignments, speakers, and what actually happens/works in our classes.

Participants included: Alon Raab, Ron Krabill, Rwany Sibaja, Tom McCabe, Andrew McFarland, Brenda Elsey, David Roberts, Patrick Ridge, Jon Dart, Simon Rofe, Jermaine Scott, Rachel Allison, Brian Bunk, Chuck Carlson, Declan Abernethy, Cas Mudde, James Flynn, Jed Murr, Patrick Sullivan, David Kilpatrick, Andrew Guest, Adam Winkel, and Peter Alegi.

Listen to an audio recording of the session (for personal/educational use only):

Happy Holidays! See you in 2025!

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December 20, 2024, @ 1pm US Eastern

This final session of 2024 focuses on teaching fútbology courses (or units) at university level. Adam Winkel, David Kilpatrick, and Andrew Guest will facilitate the discussion based on course syllabi listed below (in alphabetical order). Instructors from a diverse range of academic fields will share experiences, ideas, and lessons learned. Feel free to borrow from these materials for your teaching purposes and please acknowledge the source.

• Peter Alegi, Global Soccer [link]; Sport and Society in African History [link]
• Andrew Guest, The World Cup in Mind and Society [link]
• Jesus Hidalgo, Sports and Global Affairs [link]
• David Kilpatrick, Sport Literature [link]; Sports & Society [link]
• Ron Krabill, International Study Abroad: The Politics of Soccer in Spain and Beyond [link]
• Andrew H. Lee, Hillsborough, April 15, 1989 [link]
• Tom McCabe, Britain and the Global Game [link]
• Andrew McFarland, Global History of Modern Sport [link]
• Patrick Ridge, Culture of Fútbol [link]
• David Roberts, Cities and Mega-events [link] and [link]
• Rwany Sibaja, FIFA World Cup: Soccer and Global History [link] & Sports and the Making of the Americas [link]
• John Sloop and Lutz Koepnick, Soccer: Media, Art, Society [link]
• Adam Winkel, The Beautiful Game: Aesthetics of Soccer [link]; Spanish Study Abroad
  Contemporary Spain through Soccer [link]; Hispanic Cultures through Sport [link]

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Additional (older) syllabi are available here.

For more information, please contact Peter Alegi [link].

On September 27, we kicked off the 2024-25 FSF season with Nicholas Blincoe, author of More Noble Than War: The Story of Football in Israel and Palestine.

Participants included: Alon Raab, Ron Krabill, Brendan O’Connor, Chen Chen, Chuck Carlson, Andrew Lee, Kirk Bowman, Stefan Szymanski, Andrew Guest, Ryan Turcott and his “Sports and Society” students at Gonzaga University.

Listen to an audio recording of the session (for personal/educational use only):

On Friday, April 19, Jean Williams joined us to discuss her new book, Legendary Lionesses: The England Women’s Football Team, 1972–2022. What a brilliant way to bring the 2023-24 season to a close.

Participants included: Mauricio Borrero, Chuck Carlson, Jon Dart, Bob Edelman, Yomi Ejikunle, Andrew Guest, Andrew Lee, John Sloop, Karl Zoller, and Peter Alegi.

Listen to an audio recording of the session (for personal/educational use only):

See you in September to kickoff the 2024-25 FSF season!

On March 22, 2024, Andrew McFarland joined us for a wide-ranging session on his recent book, Regeneration through Sport: Football, Sport, and Cultural Modernization in Spain, 1890-1920.

Participants included: Andrew Lee, Adam Winkel, David Kilpatrick, Brian Bunk, Karl Zoller, Andrew Guest, John Sloop, and Peter Alegi.

Listen to an audio recording of the session (for personal/educational use only):

On Friday, December 8, we welcomed John Sloop (Professor of Communication Studies, Vanderbilt Univ.) for a discussion of his new book Soccer’s Neoliberal Pitch: The Sport’s Power, Profit, and Discursive Politics (Univ. of Alabama Press, 2023).

Participants included: Rachel Allison, Andrew Lee, Martha Saavedra, Stefan Szymanski, Karl Zoller, Jon Dart, David Kilpatrick, Chuck Carlson, Antony Kaminju, and Peter Alegi.

Listen to an audio recording of the session (for personal/educational use only):

On November 10, anthropologist Itamar Dubinsky joined us for a discussion of his fascinating book, Entrepreneurial Goals: Development and Africapitalism in Ghanaian Soccer Academies [link].

In addition to the author, participants included Gerard Akindes, Martha Saavedra, Robert Edelman, David Kilpatrick, Antony Kaminju, Ron Krabill, Chris Gaffney, Yomi Ejikunle, Andrew McFarland, Noah Drymalski, Jon Dart, Derek Catsam, and Peter Alegi.

Listen to an audio recording of the session (for personal/educational use only):

Our next session is on Friday, Dec. 8, at 1pm US ET with John Sloop’s Soccer’s Neoliberal Pitch: The Sport’s Power, Profit, and Discursive Politics [link]. Click here to find your time zone.

Zoom invites will be available closer to the date of each event. For more info and to be added to our email list please contact Peter Alegi (alegi AT msu DOT edu).

The opening convo of the 2023-24 season took place on October 13 at the doors of Fútbology’s version of the Schlosskirche. It featured a discussion and debate of David Kilpatrick’s provocative 95 Theses for the Reformation of Football.

Participants included: David Kilpatrick, Adam Winkel, Gabe Logan, Andrew McFarland, Mauricio Borrero, Jon Dart, Brian Wesaala, Martha Saavedra, Eric Wolcott, Brian Bunk, James Brown, Jack Huckle, and Peter Alegi.

Listen to an audio recording of the session (for personal/educational use only):

Welcome to the 2023-24 season of the Football Scholars Forum. The first half of the calendar has been set. Here it is (drum roll):

Click here to find your time zone.

Zoom invites will be available closer to the date of each event. For more info and to add your email address ot the FSF list please contact Peter Alegi (alegi AT msu DOT edu).