Sports historians and academics gather at the University of Glasgow
Academics and sports history enthusiasts from all over the world are gathering at the University of Glasgow for the 30th Annual Conference of the British Society of Sports History. This prestigious event, which takes place on 7-8 September 2012, aims to cultivate research and interest in the history of sport and leisure. Fifty papers will be presented with speakers attending from European, American, South African, and Australian institutions. Many are respected academics, some also have a background in professional sport, including former NFL player Professor Michael Oriard, who will be delivering the Sir Derek Birley Memorial Lecture on American Football Art as Sports History. In this Olympic year there will also be a historical perspective on the importance of the Games, with Kay Schiller of the University of Durham and Christopher Young of the University of Cambridge delivering a keynote lecture on The 1972 Munich Olympics and the Making of Modern Germany . Over the two day event, which is expected to attract around 70 delegates, panels focusing on topics as diverse as sport and politics, golf and commerce, football and the world and the role of fans in sport will take place. Three specialist panel discussions will also examine the historical aesthetics of boxing, the role of gender in shaping the unique culture of alpine climbing, and the lives of coaches whose approach to sport marked a great leap forwards in their respective fields.
