The meaningful sport thematic series has now been going for about 1.5 years as a part of Physical Activity Researcher podcast. During this time, the podcast has grown steadily and we have been delighted to have a third host, Liis Kukkonen, leading her “practitioner viewpoint” series. Meaningful Sport episodes have been released on Fridays and this is the plan for the New Year as well.
Interested in the most listened Meaningful Sport episodes in 2021? Number 1: John Kaag on running, Camus, and fleeing the absurdity of existence. Number 2: Brian Glenney and Paul O’Connor on skateboarding in the Olympics. And number 3: Øyvind Standal on using phenomenology in physical education. Interestingly, these were also among 4 most listened to episodes in the whole podcast.
A quick access to John Kaag’s (the author of Hiking with Nietzsche: On Becoming Who You Are and Sick Souls, Healthy Minds) episode here:
So, the New Year? We’re starting off with two episodes I am very excited about. Sigmund Loland shares his thoughts on meaningful movement activities and environmental sustainability, including what he has written on The poetics of everyday movement: Human movement ecology and urban walking. And Martin Camiré explores the ways that he has reimagined life-skills in sport from social justice and postqualitative perspectives, opening up new ways of understanding ‘becoming’ through physical culture practices (see, for example, A move to rethink life skills as assemblages: a call to postqualitative inquiry.)
More broadly, I am hoping to have more guests in the topics of sustainability, post-growth, and meaningful movement activities; meaningful work in the sport sector (academics, teachers, coaches, etc., some guests invited already); ‘dark side’ of meaningfulness (exploitation, alienation, etc.); and advancing our theoretical and conceptual understandings of meaning and meaningfulness in sport and physical activity context. I am also happy to receive any further ideas via the contact form or Twitter (@meaningfulsport).
Thank you to everyone who listened in and for all the inspirational conversations last year, both on and off the podcast.