I don’t normally make fundraising pleas on this blog, but I’m going to make an exception to that rule today.
Very soon, I will be contributing articles to a new online sports journal The Allrounder, one to be marked by its thoughtfulness and breadth; it will feature the writing of some 60 different writers, who bring their in-depth knowledge on all facets of world sport:
What can a sociologist tell us about fan violence?
How does a legal scholar view the latest player scandal?
What are the real effects of doping, according to a biochemist?
And what do we learn from the journalist who sits back in the press box, looks around and asks: Why do we watch these games anyway?
The Allrounder will be distinct from existing sports media sites in covering the whole world of sport. The site will feature writers from different countries, whose expertise ranges from basketball, cricket, and hockey to all codes of football. And The Allrounder will aim for the global fan—for the Indian who is up in the middle of the night watching the Champions League, the American who follows Six Nations rugby, the Brit who cheers for the Maple Leafs, the Brazilian with a LeBron jersey, and the Aussie who loves baseball novels.
The Allrounder will also offer a different take on sport. Most of our contributors are academic researchers at universities around the world. The site will bring their insights out of the seminar room and make them available to educated, curious fans—without getting overly theoretical or ponderous. We’ll be smart without being stuffy or snide.
Here is a list of contributors (including some links to our work and latest scholarship; here is a digest of articles currently available on The Allrounder; it includes a piece of mine on American sports coaches) and here is a very good interview with Yago Colas that further explains what The Allrounder is attempting to accomplish.
If this sounds interesting to you, please consider donating to our Kickstarter.
Samir Chopra 