Welcome to sosol

Editorial

The development of the sub-discipline of sport sociology in the UK has paralleled its progression elsewhere in the world. Its traditional marginalisation, not only within sport sciences, but also within the underpinning subjects of sociology, education and cultural studies, has resulted in limited publishing opportunities for scholars of the field. Although the neglect in the US has been partly overcome by the establishment of such publications as Sociology of Sport Journal and the Journal of Sport and Social Issues (Rowe, McKay & Lawrence, 1997), and there are opportunities to seek publication in the journals serving the broader areas of, for example, sociology, it is clear that the world community of sport sociologists can support further specialist outlets. Indeed, if we value our own work, and have confidence in our field of study, then perhaps we ought to encourage more specialist growth and development.

The absence of a broad-based sport sociology publication located in the UK, provided part of the rationale for this journal. Those which are located here are of excellent quality, but are mainly focused upon pedagogy ('Sport, Education and Society'), or multi-disciplinary studies in physical education (for example, 'European Physical Education Review', and 'European Journal of Physical Education'). In contrast, the aim of sosol is the stimulation and dissemination of sociological research in sport, physical education and coaching. Like Sage (1997) we recognise the close links between physical education, sociology and sport sociology and, following Greendorfer (1994), we believe that our study must be "more inclusive of a broad range of physical activity phenomena" (p.113). To that end, we would like to highlight the sociological analysis of coaching as part of sosol's remit. We see coaching as an integral part of sport which has, to date, received relatively little attention from sport sociologists (with notable exceptions of course - see, for example, Tomlinson and Yorganci, 1997).

A second rationale for the establishment of sosol is the range of opportunities afforded by the electronic medium. In this respect, we must acknowledge the lessons learnt from the electronic journal: 'Sociological Research On-line'. We can't yet aspire to their professional production, but we hope to emulate some of the responsiveness which is a key feature of the medium. As an example, in this edition we are able to incorporate views expressed in the most recent edition of the Sociology of Sport Journal (Vol 14, No 4, 1997) even though we only received it three weeks ago. Another feature of the electronic medium is ease of dissemination. Thus, the material is swiftly available to anyone with access to the World Wide Web, which may well be a broader church than those who have access to a specialist academic library. Furthermore, if we are able to obtain some funding, we would wish to maintain an open-access policy for the journal beyond its first year.

This first edition is somewhat unusual in style. We invited contributions from a number of our distinguished editorial board, asking them to outline their personal visions for sport sociology as we approach the next millennium. We felt that this would make an interesting starting point for sosol because the editors are drawn from so many different perspectives. Whilst it is difficult to draw common themes from the papers (nor was it our particular intention to try!), what does emerge is a passionate call to embrace applied research issues and a willingness to cross theoretical blockades. This reinforces a key principle for the journal: we welcome a range of theoretical perspectives within sport sociology and we hope to encourage dialogue between those perspectives. In essence, we are seeking to practise what we preach in a paper which follows: 'Sport Sociology 2000'. In that inclusive spirit, we also invited our Head of Department, Professor Peter Radford, to provide an introduction from a sports history perspective. Indeed, this reflects the spirit of the journal we had envisaged; a publication with both roots and wings!

The second edition of sosol will be available on 10th July 1998. Consequently, we invite contributions (electronically only - see 'guidelines for contributors') which will be subject to the normal blind, international review process. We would also like to publicise our student section, where we invite students to submit their work and to float their ideas (again, see guidelines for contributors). We hope that this is one way in which we can encourage motivated students to pursue their studies in the field of sport sociology.

Our intention is for sosol to be a quality publication, which complements existing outlets and attracts a wide international readership. Its roots are firmly grounded in our desire to provide a contemporary forum for the sociological examination of sport, physical education and coaching; its development has been fed by our desire to learn from and 'talk' to others; its future growth is in your hands.

RLJ/KMA/DSK

January, 1998

References

Greendorfer, S. (1994). Sociocultural aspects. In E.F.Zeigler (Ed.) Physical education and kinesiology in North American professional and scholarly foundations (pp.99-123). Champaign, Illinois : Stipes

Rowe,D., McKay, J. & Lawrence, G. (1997). Out of the shadows : The critical sociology of sport in Australia, 1986 to 1996. Sociology of Sport Journal, 14(4), 340-361.

Sage, G. (1997). Physical Education, sociology and sociology of sport : Points of intersection. Sociology of Sport Journal, 14(4), 317-339.

Tomlinson, A. & Yorganci, I. (1997) Male coach/female athlete relations: Gender and power relations in competitive sport Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 21, 2, 134-155.

Sociological Research Online, available: http://www.soc.surrey.ac.uk/socresonline/

Copyright sociology of sport online, 1998