Video assistant referee was officially introduced into soccer regulations in 2018, after many years in which referee errors were justified as being “part of the game.” The technology’s penetration into the soccer field was accompanied by concerns and much criticism that, to a large degree, continues to be voiced with frequency. This paper argues that, despite fierce objections and extensive criticism, VAR represents an important revision in modern professional soccer, and moreover, it completes a moral revolution in the evolution of the sport as a whole. Theoretically speaking, this technology enables an improvement in the sport’s professional standards and its public image and prestige, and especially its moral standards – Fair play. Furthermore, the introduction of this technology makes it possible to discover additional weaknesses (Standardization for extra time, a clear definition of a handball offense and more) that professional soccer regulations will probably be forced to address in the future.

Sports fans’ devotion and commitment to their team is well documented in the literature. Sports fanhood is described as a dominant component of fans’ identity, which is possibly why it is considered a comprehensive unqualified practice whose stability is undisputed. The current study examines whether and to what extent it is possible to identify fluctuations and changes in the nature and intensity of sports fanhood throughout fans’ lives. On the basis of variables taken from relevant models and interviews with soccer fans of various ages, the current study proposes an overarching view of the sports fan life cycle. As the heading for this model, the use of the life cycle concept is intentional: By tapping into various stages of this process, this study identifies an evolving reality that repeatedly reproduces itself in cyclic fashion over specific stages in a fan’s lifetime. Theoretically and practically, fanhood neither begins nor does it end at a specific point in time: Its dynamic nature encompasses processes that recur over a fan’s life and are passed down from one generation to the next. The proposed model enhances our understanding of the deep significance of sports fanhood and its role in fans’ lives as individuals, and as members of a family and members of a team or club.

The present study aims to illustrate the points of view of various female sports journalists as they relate the unique and defining experiences within their line of work, intending to identify the key elements at play in the shaping of the practice of women in sports journalism and its impact on the coverage of women’s sports. 17 Israeli female sports journalists were interviewed concurrently, alongside a select number of male editors of various sports sections. In addition, a survey regarding readers’ views on the coverage of women’s sports and a content analysis of sport coverage in national newspapers was conducted. The analysis of the study’s findings and, particularly, of the female sports journalists’ experiences, has even revealed similarities between the place of women in sports media and female presence within combative military units.

Media events theory, developed by Katz and Dayan in the 1990s, has become one of the most well-known and cited theories in communications research, well-aligned with television’s central role in social life at the time. However, three decades since, in which events have spilled over to other media spaces thereby reshaping the theory’s underlying concept, sports broadcasts have remained a consistently stable source of media events. Although the original theory addressed media events as a rare phenomenon of a distinct, well-defined nature, the current study describes sports events that globally now constitute a sequence of routine mega media events that effectively function as a key anchor in traditional television programing. In the era of multiple screens, content abundance, and flexible viewing times, media events have become classic linear television’s programing core—instrumental in retaining its viewer base and in exploiting television’s advantage over rival screens and content. As a result, sport has become television’s main resource, thus indicating a need to revise elements of media theory. This study suggests several revision possibilities and what they entail methodologically for researchers.

The presence of sports fans in the stands is considered a natural and essential element of sporting events. Beyond the atmosphere fans create and the color they add to the game, their presence reflects the idea that the game is more than a competition between two teams —it is a grand battle between communities and identities, which is also the reason that fans are willing to sacrifice so much on behalf of their team. As is other areas of life, the COVID-19 pandemic created an unusual situation, in which sporting events were held without spectators in the stadium stands. In many places around the world, professional sporting activities were permitted but spectators were not allowed into the stadiums due to social distancing restrictions. The current study examines this unique situation and through it, gains an understanding of fans’ beliefs concerning the significance of spectators and their presence in the stadium. Through in-depth interviews with football fans who regularly attend games (in the pre-pandemic period), the current study explores football fans’ experiences as they viewed “ghost games” (where teams played to empty stadiums). Findings show that this unique situation, caused by the global pandemic, heightened fans’ deep-rooted connection to sports and to their favorite team, and also exacerbated the social, emotional, and professional implications of viewing football games with no spectators.

Throughout the history of the nation-state, political leaders have used sport as a means of promoting individual and national agendas. Over the last few years, their hold over sport appears to have weakened. In an era of commercialization, individualism, and globalization, many sport fans have access to matches from all over the world at all hours of the day. This commentary argues that while the broadcasting of international football tournaments remains highly profitable for national television networks, their close relationship with national political agendas will continue to weaken.