A Companion to Christianity and Sport in Europe and North America (19th-21st centuries)

Volume 1: Western and Eastern Europe

Dries Vanysacker, Brian Bolt, Chad Carlson, Ivo Jirásek, Matt Hoven (eds)

Pages: approx. 420 p.
Size:178 x 254 mm

Language(s):English
Publication Year:2026

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This Companion wants to study the interconnections between Christian traditions and sports and to understand how these key aspects of society influenced / influence in both positive and negative ways our daily life and provide ways to understand human experience and its meaning and purpose.

Subject(s)

BIO

Dr. Dries Vanysacker is Professor at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, KU Leuven (Belgium).

Dr. Brian Bolt is Dean of Education and Professor of Kinesiology at Calvin University (Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA), where he also serves as Men’s Golf Coach.

Dr. Chad Carlson is Professor of Kinesiology and Sport Studies and the Director of the Character Hub at Hope College (Holland, Michigan, USA).

Dr. Matt Hoven is Professor and Kule Chair at St. Joseph's College, University of Alberta (Edmonton, Canada).

Dr. Ivo Jirásek is Professor at the Faculty of Physical Culture of Palacký University in Olomouc (among other roles as guarantor of the study programme in recreology) and also teaches at the Faculty of Humanities of Tomas Bata University in Zlín (Czech Republic).

Summary

Why should the Church not be interested in sport?’

Pope Pius XII asked this famous question rhetorically during his address to Italian sportsmen on May 20, 1945.

This Companion examines the historical interconnections between various Christian traditions and sports: to understand how a key aspect of society influenced church organizations and lives of citizens, while seeing how churches helped sports to better understand how they impacted human experience and its own meaning and purpose.

Bringing together specialists in the field of religious studies, theology, philosophy, history, social sciences, the collection presents the state of the field of the study of Christianity and Sport, creates interdisciplinary and interdenominational engagement, and acts as a stimulus for future research.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Volume 1: Western and Eastern Europe

General Introduction (Dries Vanysacker, Brian Bolt, Chad Carlson, Matt Hoven and Ivo Jirásek)

Part 1: Western Europe

Introduction (Dries Vanysacker)

Scandinavia (Martin Nykvist)

Germany (Dries Vanysacker)

Low Countries: Belgium and the Netherlands (Dries Vanysacker)

France (Dries Vanysacker)

Switzerland (Dries Vanysacker)

Austria (Gilbert Norden)

Italy (Dries Vanysacker)

Vatican / Holy See / Popes (Dries Vanysacker)

Spain (Rafael Valencia Candalija and J. Luis Pérez Triviño)

Portugal (Álvaro Campelo and Daniel Seabra)

Part 2: Eastern Europe

Introduction (Ivo Jirásek)

Czech Republic (Ivo Jirásek and Martina Kočerová)

Poland (Michał Mazurkiewicz)

Slovenia (Jernej Pisk)

Croatia (Matija Mato Škerbić)

Romania (Pompiliu-Nicolae Constantin)

Bulgaria (Nevena Dimitrova)

Serbia (Đorđe Stefanović)

Russia (Igor L. Biryukov and Tamara Olenich)

About the authors and editors (Volume 1)