Category Archives: General information

2024 McNamee Student Essay Prize

The British Philosophy of Sport Association (BPSA) invites submissions to the McNamee Student Essay  Prize in the Philosophy and Ethics of Sport. The Prize is named in honour of Prof. Mike McNamee (KU Leuven and Swansea University), founder of the BPSA.

Eligibility 

Candidates must be enrolled in a university undergraduate or graduate level course at the time of submission There is no geographical restriction on eligibility.
Submissions must be single-authored and the candidate’s own work, and they must address an issue in the Philosophy or Ethics of Sport.
Each candidate may submit one essay only, and submissions must be in English.

IMPORTANTthe essay must be a new essay. Candidates are not allowed to submit essays previously submitted as coursework (Turnitin system will check if this is the case).

Criteria 

Essays may address any topic in the Philosophy or Ethics of Sport.  
In assessing submitted papers, the jury will place a strong emphasis on the following considerations: 

  • Originality of the essay topic and its treatment; 
  • Analytical rigour of the essay’s argument; 
  • Critical engagement with relevant philosophical literature

The jury reserves the right not to award a prize if submissions fail to achieve an appropriate standard. Candidates will not usually receive feedback on their submission. 

To Enter 

Submissions should be emailed in Word or PDF format to:
silvia.camporesi@gmail.com with subject line ‘BPSA Essay Prize 2024’ by Monday July 15th, at midnight. Candidates should submit two separate documents:  

  1. Cover sheet that includes the candidate’s information (i.e. name, email address, university, and essay title);
  2. Essay document that is anonymised so as not to reveal the identity of the candidate.  

Essay Format 

The word limit is 2500 words (excluding references).
Please use Harvard style of referencing. Please avoid footnotes/endnotes.

Prizes

Winner – £500 cash (by bank transfer)
Runner-up – £200 cash (by bank transfer)
Commendations x 3 – each of the three commended essays will receive £100 cash (by bank transfer)

The Winner and Runner-up will be invited to present their essays at a BPSA online work-in-progress seminar in the fall of 2024 and will be encouraged to submit their papers to the the Association’s journal Sport, Ethics and Philosophy: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rsep20/current 

For any questions, get in touch, and have fun writing!


Dr Silvia Camporesi
Deputy Chair British Philosophy of Sport Association
https://silviacamporesiresearch.org/

Call for the new Editor-in-Chief of Sport, Ethics and Philosophy

Sport, Ethics & Philosophy is the peer-reviewed journal of the British Philosophy of Sport Association (BPSA), published four times a year by Routledge, Taylor & Fran-cis. It publishes high quality articles from a wide variety of philosophical traditions, providing a forum for both theoretical and applied philosophical approaches concern-ing the nature, value and understanding of sports and related practices.

BPSA and Sport, Ethics & Philosophy are seeking applications for the position of Editor-in-Chief. The position will begin on 1 January 2025, with a transition period in 2025 with the current Editor-in-Chief,
Dr Andrew Edgar.

READ THE FULL CALL HERE
(REQUIREMENTS, APLLICATION, RESPONSIBILITIES)

Deadline for applications: 3rd  June 2024

All applications should be sent via email to Professor Mike McNamee, Editor- Emeritus (mike.mcnamee@kuleuven.be), Dr Andrew Edgar (edgar@cardiff.ac.uk) and Alfred Archer, BPSA Chair (atmarcher@gmail.com).

Further information about the Journal is available on the Journal’s website:  http://www.tandfonline.com/RSEP.

Call for Abstracts – BPSA Annual Conference 2024

Deadline Extension:
The new deadline for abstract submissions is
1st December 2023.

The 21st British Philosophy of Sports Association Conference will be hosted by Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen, Scotland, 21-23rd March, 2024.

One of the world’s leading conferences on the philosophy of sport, the 2024 event will bring together researchers from across the globe to the North-East of Scotland for a vibrant forum to network, exchange ideas and discuss the importance of games, play, and sport. The conference will feature keynote speakers from academia as well as the sporting professions, providing delegates with a unique opportunity to hear different perspectives on the nature and value of human movement.

Enquiries should be directed to:

Organizing Committee: Dr Alfred Archer, Chair of the British Philosophy of Sport Association; Prof Steve Olivier, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Robert Gordon University; Dr Silvia Camporesi, Vice-Chair, British Philosophy of Sport Association; Prof Dr Jim Parry, Secretary, British Philosophy of Sport Association.

Keynote Speakers:

  • Erin Tarver, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Emory University.
  • John William Devine, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Ethics, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Swansea University.
  • Panel Discussion featuring leading sports personalities on “Winning is everything!”

Conference Registration & Accommodation: 
The official conference website

Call for Abstracts

Guidelines for Abstract Submission:

  • Send abstract (300 words) by: Friday December 1st, 2023 at midnight.
  • Accepted abstracts will receive notification by Friday December 15th, 2023.
  • Include: name, institution, abstract, indicative bibliography; all to fit on one side of A4. Required format is MS Word Times New Roman 12pt, single spacing.
  • Abstracts should be in English and must involve philosophical treatment of a topic related to sport.
  • Abstracts to be submitted to s.j.parry@leeds.ac.uk with filename <ABSTRACT – last name – title> e.g. <ABSTRACT – Parry – Is ‘Robot Wars’ a sport?>
We look forward to receiving your abstracts and seeing you in Aberdeen!

BPSA Annual Conference / 21-23 March 2024

Join us for the British Philosophy of Sport Association (BPSA) Annual Conference 2024 hosted by Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen, Scotland.

The official conference website

One of the world’s leading conferences on the philosophy of sport, the 2024 event will bring together researchers from across the globe to the North East of Scotland for a vibrant forum to network, exchange ideas and discuss the importance of games, play, and sport.

The conference will feature keynote speakers from academia and sporting professions, providing delegates with a unique opportunity to hear different perspectives on the nature and value of human movement.

More information will follow on how to get involved, including a call for abstracts, booking details and a social programme.

We look forward to seeing you there.
Kind regards,

Professor Steve Olivier,
Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Robert Gordon University
and
Dr Alfred Archer
Chair of the British Philosophy of Sport Association

British Philosophy of Sport Association Seminars 2023/24 (UPDATE)

The British Philosophy of Sport Association (BPSA) is delighted to announce our online Seminar Series for the academic year 2023/2024:

September

Dr. John William Devine (Swansea University)

Trust, Sport, and Preventive Justice

September 6th, 3 p.m. U.K. time

October

Dr. Mika Hämäläinen (University of Turku)

A perspective on corruption in sport

October 4th,3 p.m. U.K. time

November

Dr. Catherine Robb (Tilburg University)

Talented Teams

November 1st, 3 p.m. U.K. time

December

Dr. Nina Windgätter (University of New Hampshire)

Improving the use of Video Assistant Referees in Soccer: Balancing the Need for Expertise and Game Management with the Need for Transparency and Justification

December 6th, 3 p.m. U.K. time

January

Dr. Paul Davis (University of Sunderland)

January 10th, 3 p.m. U.K. time

February

Dr. Victoria Lozano Esparza (Kings College London)

February 7th, 3 p.m. U.K. time

March, April, May (TBA)

More information about our seminars you can find HERE.

2022 BPSA Work-In-Progress Seminar Series

The British Philosophy of Sport Association (BPSA) is delighted to announce our online work-in-progress seminar series for the spring 2022 semester. 


Our speakers include leading figures in the philosophy of sport community addressing fundamental and applied philosophical issues in sport:


January 

Dr. Sandra Meeuwsen (Erasmus University)

‘On the Relationship Between Sport and Politics’

26 January, 3 p.m. U.K. time

February 

Prof. Scott Kretchmar (Penn State University)

‘Game Complexities and Community’

16 February, 3 p.m. U.K. time

March 

Prof. Francisco Javier Lopez Frias (Penn State University) and Dr Christopher Yorke (Langara College)

Return of the Grasshopper: Editing Suits’ Unpublished Works

23 March, 3 p.m. U.K. time

April

Prof. Gwen Bradford (Rice University)

‘Failure’

27 April, 3 p.m. U.K. time


May 

Prof. Mitchell Berman (University of Pennsylvania)

“Eligibility Rules and Transgender Athletes: Lexicality Versus Balancing”


18 May, 3 p.m. U.K. time

June 

Winners of the BPSA Student Abstract Competition

(Details to be announced following the competition)

Each session will last 1 hour (30 min presentation and 30 min Q&A) and will be hosted on Zoom. Sessions are open to BPSA members only, and new members especially are encouraged to attend. The Zoom link will be circulated to members one hour in advance of each session.
Details of what membership includes and how to join the BPSA can be found here: http://philosophyofsport.org.uk/membership/

Any questions about the series can be directed to j.w.devine@swansea.ac.uk

2021 BPSA Work-In-Progress Seminar Series

The British Philosophy of Sport Association (BPSA) is delighted to announce a new online work-in-progress seminar series. 


Our speakers include leading figures in the philosophy of sport community addressing fundamental and applied philosophical issues in sport:

July – Dr. Christopher C. Yorke (Open University)

‘Examining the Ethics of Utilizing Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Competitive Sport’, 28 July (3 p.m. U.K. time); co-authors Jon Pike, Jo Morrison; sponsored by the International Olympic Committee

August – Prof. Leslie Howe (University of Saskatchewan)

‘Time, Digitisation, and Human Effort: An Existentialist Perspective on VAR’, 25 August (3 p.m. U.K. time)

September – Dr. Emily Ryall (University of Gloucestershire)

Title TBA, 15 September (3 p.m. U.K. time)

October – Dr. Alfred Archer (Tilburg University)

‘It’s Much More Important Than That: Against Fictionalist Approaches to Fandom’, 27 October (3 p.m. U.K. time)

November – McNamee Student Essay Prize Winner and Runner-up

Date and Title TBA. 

Details of how to enter the Essay Prize can be found here (deadline 1 September ’21):

http://philosophyofsport.org.uk/mcnamee-student-essay-prize-in-the-philosophy-of-sport/

December – Dr. Andrew Edgar (Swansea University)

‘Sport and Psychoanalysis’, 8 December (3 p.m. U.K. time)

Each session will last 1 hour (30 min presentation and 30 min Q&A) and will be hosted on Zoom. Sessions are open to BPSA members only, and new members especially are encouraged to attend. The Zoom link will be circulated to members one hour in advance of each session.


Details of what membership includes and how to join the BPSA can be found here: http://philosophyofsport.org.uk/membership/

Any queries about the series can be directed to j.w.devine@swansea.ac.uk

McNamee Student Essay Prize in the Philosophy of Sport

Sponsored by Routledge / Taylor & Francis

The British Philosophy of Sport Association (BPSA) invites submissions for the McNamee Student Essay Prize in the Philosophy of Sport. The Prize is named in honour of Prof. Mike McNamee (Swansea and KU Leuven), founder of the BPSA, and it is kindly sponsored by Routledge / Taylor & Francis. 

Prizes

Winner – £500 cash + £50 Routledge voucher

Runner-up – £200 cash + £50 Routledge voucher

Commendations x 3 – each of the three commended essays will receive £100 cash + £50 Routledge voucher

The Winner and Runner-up will be invited to present their essays at a BPSA online work-in-progress seminar in November ’21.

Essay Format

2500 words (including footnotes / endnotes but excluding works cited) on any topic in the Philosophy of Sport. 

To become acquainted with topics considered in the Philosophy of Sport, please consult the Association’s journal Sport, Ethics and Philosophy:

https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rsep20/current

Eligibility

Candidates must be enrolled in a full-time university undergraduate or graduate level course on 1 September ’21. Submissions must be single-authored and the candidate’s own work, and they must address an issue in the Philosophy of Sport. Each candidate may submit one essay only and submissions must be in English. There is no geographical restriction on eligibility.  

Criteria

In assessing submitted papers, the jury will place a strong emphasis on the following considerations:

  • Originality of the essay topic and its treatment;
  • Analytical rigour of the essay’s argument;
  • Critical engagement with relevant philosophical literature, including relevant work in the Philosophy of Sport.

Candidates will not receive feedback on their submission. The jury reserves the right not to award a prize if submissions fail to achieve an appropriate standard. The decision of the jury is final.

To Enter

Submissions should be emailed in Word or PDF format to j.w.devine@swansea.ac.uk with subject line ‘BPSA Essay Prize’
Candidates should submit two separate documents: 

  1. Cover sheet that includes the candidate’s information (i.e. name, email address, university, and essay title); and
  2. Essay document that is anonymised so as not to reveal the identity of the candidate. 

Deadline

September 1st, 2021

CANCELLATION: IAPS2020 SPLIT, CROATIA

A STATEMENT FROM THE ORGANISERS:

It is with great disappointment that we announce the postponement of the 2020 IAPS conference scheduled for this September in Split, Croatia. The degree of uncertainty about future conditions and restrictions, in our multiple and various member countries, makes it impossible to proceed as scheduled. Our intention is to hold the conference next fall in Split, when we anticipate travel limitations and restraints regarding social distancing will no longer be in place. 

A new call for abstracts will go out early in 2021; abstracts from this year will not be retained, but can be resubmitted. In fairness to current students, the Kretchmar Student Essay Award will be awarded this year, with an opportunity for presentation at next year’s conference.

Please send any questions to: Pamelasailors@missouristate.edu

CANCELLATION: EAPS & BPSA (4th Conference) PARIS

EAPS and BPSA regret to announce that the 2020 Conference at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport in Paris University has been cancelled.

The health and safety of conference participants and Paris University staff members are our highest priorities and were the determining factors in this difficult decision. 

As the conference dates approach, we have been closely monitoring developments related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The number of confirmed cases has continued to rise. The outbreak has continued to spread. Several states have declared a state of emergency or a public health emergency.

Meanwhile, colleges, universities, and state systems across the world have taken measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19, including the imposition of restrictions on travel. These prudent restrictions also influenced the decision to cancel the conference.

Planning is currently underway to reschedule the conference in October.