Sport, Leisure, and the Body Newsletter Written By : Michael O. Johnston Home: A Place to Live, Work, and Play According to Delitz (2017), architecture is a symbolic medium and a cultural technique through which a particular society constitutes itself. This is to say that built-environment is not meaningless. There is a synergy that exists between environmental design and human behavior, interaction, and identity. I am currently in the trenches studying the interplay that exists between built-environment and the meanings that people make/ associate with them. I look forward to sharing more about my findings soon! References Delitz, H. (2017). Architectural Modes of Collective Existence: Architectural Sociology as a Comparative Social Theory. Cultural Sociology, 12(1), 37-57. 2025 Annual Sports, Leisure, and the Body Conference Sessions Session 72 Renegades Rebels and Rogues: Player Resistance and Institutional Responses According to Huizinga (1938), play is a central activity for flourishing societies. The act of play, however, requires structure and participants who are willing to work within those limitations. The focus of this regular session is about the spoil-sport, a player who ignores or breaks the rules of a game. Players who conform to the structure of play are likely to respond to the spoil-sport by treating them as a threat to the play-world and casting them out of the game. Players for this session include people at all levels of leisure activities and/or games, including hobbyists, amateurs, semi-professionals, and professionals. An institution will be considered a collective used to maintain distinct norms, expectations, and functions to fulfill societal needs. References Huizinga, J. (1938). Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play Element in Culture. Angelico Press. Session 73 Insurgent Productions: The Use of Culture as a Vehicle for Social Change Thematic In this thematic session we will focus on productions that generate cultural goods for social purposes. Panelists for this session will have conducted research on the production of symbolic and material aspects that are associated with a group of people s shared beliefs, values, and practices (e.g., applied art, comedy, fine art, music, poetry, sport, and so on). They will particularly focus on production of cultural goods that are made to deliver social change. Session 74 We All Play: Unequal Recognition of Human in Sport and Leisure Social play refers to human behavior and interactions that occur in everyday life. It may be relaxed and spontaneous, planned, or compulsive. Playful activities are self-chosen, self-directed, and intrinsically motivated. All bodies are able to engage in play. This includes bodies of all abilities, ages, ethnicities, genders, race, mental health, and so on. The act of play occurs for its own sake and may involve social play, symbolic play, parallel play, cooperative play, or collaborative play. Results for Change of Division Name The results are in for the change of our division name are in. Based on the election results, our division name will not change. * Sport, Leisure, and the Body (10 votes) * Body and Culture (4 votes) * Abstain (1 vote) Vacancy - Division Chair for Sport, Leisure, and the Body This section is to share that the position that I hold as Chair for the Division of Sport, Leisure, and the Body (hereon referred to as DSLB) will become vacant at the end of the 2025 Annual Conference for the Society for the Study of Social Problems. The position does not require a great deal of work. It is a great leadership position for graduate students and early career faculty (but all DSLB members are welcome to apply). I am also willing to help mentor the incoming Chair for the DSLB. You will not be alone on an island as you come into this position. Additional information about the position of Division Chair can be found here. Please send Michael O. Johnston (johnstonmo@wmpenn.edu) an email if you are interested in having your name placed on the ballot.