On November 9, Pete Watson joined us for a discussion of his new book, Football and Nation Building in Colombia (2010-2018), available as a free download here.

32 participants attended the session, including Ryan Turcott and his students from the International Sports Management course at Gonzaga University, as well as Rwany Sibaja, Sergio Echeverry-Ruiz, David Kilpatrick, Shawn Stein, Andrew McFarland, Chuck Carlson, Jon Dart, Mauricio Borrero, Michelle Sikes, Andrew Guest, Patrick Ridge, Chris Gaffney, and Andrew Lee.

Listen to the audio recording below (for educational/personal use only):

Join us on Wednesday, November 9, at 2pm US Eastern Time (1900 London Time) for a discussion of Football and Nation Building in Colombia (2010-2018), by Peter J. Watson, lecturer in Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of Leeds.

“The first book on Colombian football in English explores the pivotal role that football played as part of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos’ national unity project centred on the peace process with the FARC” (from the publisher’s web site).

To register please contact Peter Alegi (alegi AT msu DOT edu).

On September 29, anthropologist Uroš Kovač joined us for a vigorous discussion of his book, The Precarity of Masculinity: Football, Pentecostalism, and Transnational Aspirations in Cameroon. This 2022-23 season opener was co-sponsored by Sports Africa Network.

Participants included: Gerard Akindes, Tarminder Kaur, Andrew Guest, Martha Saavedra, Michelle Sikes, Hikabwa Chipande, Robert Edelman, Chuck Carlson, David Kilpatrick, Yomi Ejikunle, Emy Lindberg, Itamar Dubinsky, John Boyd, Tom McCabe, Titi Kou, and Peter Alegi.

Listen to our conversation below (for personal/educational use only):

A new season of the Football Scholars Forum is ready for kick off!

On Thursday, September 29, at 2pm US Eastern Time (8pm CET, 9pm Nairobi and Doha time), we welcome anthropologist Uroš Kovač, author of The Precarity of Masculinity: Football, Pentecostalism, and Transnational Aspirations in Cameroon.

The book is available in epub format from the publisher for $34.95.

This session is co-sponsored by the Sports Africa Network — a leading organization of sport scholars and practitioners — which will also stream it as part of their Sports Africa Live series.

To participate, please contact Peter Alegi (alegi AT msu DOT edu).

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The next session in November (date/time tbc) will be with Peter J. Watson, author of Football and Nation Building in Colombia (2010-2018), available as an open access e-book (yes, free download!).

Andrew Guest, professor of psychology and sociology at the University of Portland, took the stage at the Football Scholars Forum on March 3, 2022, for a brilliant session devoted to his new book, Soccer in Mind: A Thinking Fan’s Guide to the Global Game.

Participants included: Chuck Carlson, Andrew Lee, Jeffrey Organ, Martha Saavedra, Adam Winkel, and Peter Alegi.

Listen to our conversation on the social science of soccer below (for personal/educational use only):

The Football Scholars Forum with Andrew Guest and his new book, Soccer in Mind: A Thinking Fan’s Guide to the Global Game, has been rescheduled for March 3, 2022 (3pm US ET, 8pm UK, 11pm Nairobi).

Use Promo Code RFLR19 on the publisher’s website for a 30% discount.

Contact Peter Alegi (alegi AT msu DOT edu) to participate via Zoom.

FSF’s final session before the winter break took place on December 13, 2021. It featured Carl Rommel and a discussion of his new book, Egypt’s Football Revolution: Emotion, Masculinity, and Uneasy Politics (University of Texas Press).

In addition to the author, participants included:

Abraham Seda, Andrew Guest, Brian Bunk, Derek Goncalves, Enrico Castro Montes, Frank Dell’Apa, Karl Zoller, Ryan Turcott, Tarminder Kaur, Tonunbo Ojo, Alon Raab, and Peter Alegi.

Listen to an audio recording of the session below (for personal/education use only).

Our next gathering is on March 3, 2022 (3pm US ET, 8pm UK) with Andrew Guest and his book, Soccer in Mind: A Thinking Fan’s Guide to the Global Game. Use Promo Code RFLR19 on the publisher’s website for a 30% discount.

Contact Peter Alegi (alegi AT msu DOT edu) to participate via Zoom. Happy Holidays!

On November 11, 2021, we welcomed historian and author Brian Bunk for a lively discussion of his new book, From Football to Soccer: The Early History of the Beautiful Game in the United States.

Participants included: Declan Abernethy, Matthew Brown, Chuck Carlson, Itamar Dubinsky, Andrew Guest, Pat Brown, Andrew Guest, Christian Hesle, David Kilpatrick, Tom Langton, Andrew Lee, Tom McCabe,Jeffrey Organ, Stefan Szymanski, Adam Winkel, and Peter Alegi.

Our next session is scheduled for December 13, 2021 (2pm US ET), featuring Carl Rommel’s book, Egypt’s Football Revolution: Emotion, Masculinity, and Uneasy Politics.

Contact Peter Alegi (alegi AT msu DOT edu) to participate via Zoom.

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

We opened the 2021-22 season with Simon Kuper and his new book, The Barcelona Complex: Lionel Messi and the Making—and Unmaking—of the World’s Greatest Soccer Club. 17 participants joined the author for 90 minutes of engaging conversation.

The discussion explored a variety of topics, including: modes of writing, Kuper’s positionality, and the intended audience for the book; Barcelona’s structure and identity; playing style and talent development at La Masia; Cruyff and Messi’s massive influence on the club; the role of Barca women; and club’s dire economic situation today.

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

Our next session is scheduled for November 11 with Brian Bunk and his new book, From Football to Soccer: The Early History of the Beautiful Game in the United States.

Contact Peter Alegi (alegi AT msu DOT edu) to participate via Zoom.

• October 5, 2021 (3pm US ET): Simon Kuper, The Barcelona Complex: Lionel Messi and the Making—and Unmaking—of the World’s Greatest Soccer Club [link]

• November 11, 2021 (2:30pm US ET): Brian Bunk, From Football to Soccer: The Early History of the Beautiful Game in the United States [link]

• December 13, 2021 (2pm US ET): Carl Rommel, Egypt’s Football Revolution: Emotion, Masculinity, and Uneasy Politics [link]

• March 2, 2022 (3pm US ET): Andrew Guest, Soccer in Mind: A Thinking Fan’s Guide to the Global Game [link]

• April 2022: Roundtable on the Qatar World Cup

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Zoom invitations will be made available one week prior to the event.

For more information, email Peter Alegi (alegi AT msu DOT edu).