Tim Elcombe

Generally, my scholarship focuses on sociocultural/humanistic aspects of sport/human movement.

Within this context, current scholarly projects can be divided into three (interrelated) areas:

1. Complex intersections of (mega) sport, politics/international affairs, governance, and ethics
2. Application of pragmatism and complexity theory to address philosophical and ethical problems in sport
3. Sport development across a range of 'sporting practices' (from competitive sport to recreation/physical activity)

In addition to publishing in academic (peer-reviewed) journals and edited books, my scholarship recently featured in public forums including The Conversation, Fortune magazine, the CBC, BBC World Service, Corus national radio, i24 News (Israel) Al Jazeera, as well as radio stations in Kitchener-Waterloo, Edmonton, and Vancouver. Academic-informed projects have also been profiled by Laurier Research, Laurier's News Hub, The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo), and the American Kinesiology Association.

• British Philosophy of Sport Association (BPSA) Developing Researcher Award (2010).
• University of Windsor Faculty of Human Kinetics Distinguished Speaker (2016).
• Institutional Merit (Laurier)
  • 2020 (Service)
  • 2018 (Service)
  • 2017 (Teaching)

At this time Dr. Elcombe is not supervising MSc graduate students. Students may contact Dr. Elcombe to discuss possible graduate supervision in Kinesiology & Physical Education.

Students interested in graduate studies related to international affairs and sport can contact Dr. Elcombe regarding the Masters in International Public Policy program delivered through the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

Undergraduate students entering fourth year (with the requisite academic standing) may contact Dr. Elcombe to discuss possible KP490 Thesis opportunities related to sport ethics, sport development/governance, or cultural/political issues in sport.

• Elcombe, Tim L. (2022). Sport in Times of Turmoil: Political Uses of Sport in Global Crises. Global Society, 36 (4), 538-561. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/13600826.2021.1973382.

• Elcombe, Tim L. (2021). State Sponsored Boycotts of Sport Mega Events: Considerations for Sport Governors and State Policymakers. Balsillie Papers, 4 (4), 1-13. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.51644/bap44

• Elcombe, Tim L. (2020). The Significant Insignificance of International Sport in a Global Crisis. Balsillie Papers, 1 (1), 1-7. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.51644/bap14

• Elcombe, Tim (2014). “Reflections on Canadian Moral Nation-Making on the Occasion of the Summit Series’ Seventy-Fifth Anniversary”. In Brian Kennedy (Ed.), Coming Down From the Mountain: Reflections on the Summit Series (pp. 279-297). Hamilton, ON: Wolsak & Wynn.

• Wenn, Stephen, & Elcombe, Tim (2011). “A Path to Peace: Some Thoughts on Olympic Revenue and the IOC/USOC Divide”. The SAIS Review of International Affairs, 31 (1), 117-133. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27000241

• Elcombe, Tim L. (2010). “The Moral Equivalent of ‘Don Cherry’”. Journal of Canadian Studies, 44 (2), 194-218. DOI: doi.org/10.3138/jcs.44.2.194

• Elcombe, Tim L. (2010). “Hockey New Year’s Eve in Canada: Nation-making at the Montreal Forum”. International Journal of the History of Sport, 27 (8), 1287-1312. doi.org/10.1080/09523361003714347

•  Elcombe, Tim L. (2005). The Oberlin Experiment: The Limits of Jack Scott’s ‘Athletic Revolution’ in Post 1960s America. International Journal of the History of Sport, 22 (6), 1060-1085. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/09523360500286767

Select Sport Philosophy/Sport Ethics publications

• Elcombe, Tim L. & Kretchmar, R. Scott (2023). Philosophic Research in Physical Activity. In Jerry R. Thomas, Philip E. Martin, Jennifer L. Etnier, and Stephen J. Silverman (Eds.) Research Methods in Physical Activity (8^th ed.) (pp. 247-272). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. https://canada.humankinetics.com/products/research-methods-in-physical-activity-8th-edition-loose-leaf-edition?_pos=5&_sid=bbd04f88e&_ss=r.

• Elcombe, Tim L. & Hochstetler, Douglas (2022). Rethinking Sport Ethics in a Complex Post-COVID World. In Jeffrey Fry and Andrew Edgar (Eds) Philosophy, Sport and the Pandemic (pp. 247-260). London, UK: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003214243.

• Elcombe, Tim L., & Hardman, Alun R. (2020). Pragmatic Conventionalism and Sport Normativity in the Face of Intractable Problems. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 47 (1), 14-32. DOI: 10.1080/00948705.2019.1673763

• Elcombe, Tim L. (2018). "Sport Philosophy Inquiry in 3D: A Pragmatic Response to the (Sport) Philosophy Paradox." Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, 12 (3), 317-333.  doi.org/10.1080/17511321.2017.1377758

• Elcombe, Tim L. (2017). "Jogos Bonitos? Sport, Art, and Aesthetics". In R. Scott Kretchmar (Ed.) Philosophy: Sport. Macmillan’s Interdisciplinary Handbooks: Philosophy Series (pp. 299-317). Farmington Hills, MI: Macmillian Reference USA/Gale. https://www.gale.com/ebooks/9780028663371/philosophy-sport

• Elcombe, Tim, Hochstetler, Douglas, & McLaughlin, Douglas (2014). “The Sport Philosophy Literature: Foundations, Evolutions, and Annotations”. In Cesar Torres (Ed.), The Bloomsbury Companion to the Philosophy of Sport (pp. 427-461). London, UK: Bloomsbury. https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/bloomsbury-companion-to-the-philosophy-of-sport-9781472924087/

• Elcombe, Tim (2012). “Sport, Aesthetic Experience, and Art as the Ideal Embodied Metaphor”. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 39 (2), 201-217. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/00948705.2012.725901

Select Sport/Athlete/Physical Activity Development publications

• Tracey, Jill, & Elcombe, Tim L. (2015). "Expert Coaches’ Perceptions of Athlete Performance Optimization." International Journal of Sports Science, 10 (6), 1001-1013

• Robertson-Wilson, Jennifer, Gayman, Amy, Tracey, Jill, Elcombe, Tim L., Fortier, Michelle, & Manske, Steve (2018). Perceptions and experiences of pre-service teachers with physical education (PE) and daily physical activity (DPA). PHEnex Journal, 10 (1), 1-16. Available at: https://ojs.acadiau.ca/index.php/phenex/article/view/1669

• Fredericksen, Ashleigh, McLeman, Robert A., & Elcombe, Tim L. (2018). Building Backyard Rinks in Canada: An Exploratory Study. Leisure/Loisir, 42 (1), 47-68. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/14927713.2017.1411822

• Tracey, Jill, & Elcombe, Tim L. (2004). A Lifetime of Healthy Meaningful Movement: Have We Forgotten the Athletes? Quest, 56 (2), 241-260. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2004.10491825

KP141: Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Kinesiology

KP/GS343: Sport Development, Governance, and Globalization

KP443: Ethics in Sport and Physical Activity

Elcombe, Tim, Hardman, Alun, & Harman, Alanna (2022, December 18). Looking back on the 2022 FIFA World Cup: A tournament of surprises and controversy. The Conversation. Available at https://theconversation.com/looking-back-on-the-2022-fifa-world-cup-a-tournament-of-surprises-and-controversy-194493 

Elcombe, Tim (2022, June 2). Taking a look back at the evolution of sport during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. The Conversation. Available at https://theconversation.com/taking-a-look-back-at-the-evolution-of-sport-during-queen-elizabeths-platinum-jubilee-184119

Elcombe, Tim (2022, March 31). Heading to the FIFA World Cup impacts Canadian identity – and helps us play on a bigger political field. The Conversation. Available at https://theconversation.com/heading-to-the-fifa-world-cup-impacts-canadian-identity-and-helps-us-play-on-a-bigger-political-field-180277

Elcombe, Tim (2022, January 13). Get caught in the Olympic Spirit, but keep your (political) eyes wide open. The Conversation. Available at https://theconversation.com/get-caught-up-in-the-olympic-spirit-but-keep-your-political-eyes-wide-open-174223

Elcombe, Tim (2021, July 29). What the NFL’s vaccination policy says about the inescapability of politics. Fortune. Available at: https://fortune.com/2021/07/29/nfl-covid-vaccination-forfeit-policy-rules/ 

Elcombe, Tim L. (2019, November 17). Don Cherry’s Xenophobia Forces Canada to Grapple with Tough Questions. The Conversation. Available at https://theconversation.com/don-cherrys-xenophobia-forces-canada-to-grapple-with-tough-questions-126914 

Interview for i24News.tv article entitled “World Cup controversy: A sportswasher’s dream or a tool for peace?” (Written by Jake Pemberton). Article published [online] December 21, 2022. Available at: https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/sport/1671635687-world-cup-controversy

Interview for 570 AM CityNews Kitchener (The Mike Farwell Show) – Looking back on the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Available at: https://kitchener.citynews.ca/all-audio/the-mike-farwell-show/tuesday-december-20th-2022-6273827 (segment begins at -2:07:20), December 20, 2022.

Interview for 630 AM CHED Edmonton (CHED Mornings with Daryl McIntyre) – International Affairs and 2022 Qatar World Cup. December 20, 2022.

Interview for Corus Radio National (A Little More Conversation with Ben O’Hara-Byrne – Chelsea Bird guest host) – Looking back on the 2022 FIFA World Cup: A reflection on the tournament’s best moments, surprises, and controversies. Available at: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/a-little-more-conversation-with-ben-ohara-byrne/id1604604064?i=1000590703697. December 19, 2022

Interview (featured scholarship) for The Record article entitled “Laurier prof tackles politics and soccer through World Cup news hub” (Written by Josh Brown). Article published [print pp. A1, A5 and online] December 8, 2022. Available at: https://www.therecord.com/sports/soccer/2022/12/08/laurier-prof-tackles-politics-and-soccer-through-world-cup-news-hub.html

Interview for CBC.ca article entitled “Despite the protests, celebrities have their reasons for appearing at the World Cup” (Written by Jenna Benchetrit). Article published [online] December 4, 2022. Available at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/world-cup-celebrities-1.6673006 

Interview (featured scholarship) for Laurier News Hub entitled “Laurier researcher takes a kick at World Cup international affairs analysis.” Article published [online] December 1, 2022. Article available at https://wlu.ca/news/spotlights/2022/dec/laurier-researcher-takes-a-kick-at-world-cup-international-affairs-analysis.html

Interview for AM800 Windsor (The Morning Drive with Mike Kakuk & Lisa Williams) – World Cup and Global Politics. Available at: https://www.iheartradio.ca/am800/audio/world-cup-and-global-politics-1.18863684?mode=Article. November 30, 2022.

Interview for i24News.tv (Israel) article entitled “Sportswashing: ‘A dirty, rewarding game’” (Written by Jake Pemberton). Article published [online] July 9, 2022. Article available at https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/sport/1656590390-sportswashing-a-dirty-rewarding-game

Interview for BBC World Service (BBC SportsHour) – The Queen and Sport. Available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w172yg8j6792lc0 (segment begins at 8:45), June 4, 2022.

Interview for Corus Radio National (A Little More Conversation with Ben O’Hara-Byrne) – How heading to the World Cup could help Canada play on a bigger political field. Available at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/a-little-more-conversation-with-ben-ohara-byrne/id1604604064?i=1000556744326 (segment begins at 0:00), April 9, 2022

Interview for 980 CKNW Vancouver (Weekend Mornings with Raji Sohal) – Canada Qualification for the FIFA World Cup. April 3, 2022.

Interview for 630 AM CHED Edmonton (CHED Mornings with Chelsea Bird and Daryl McIntyre) – Canadian Soccer and World Politics. April 1, 2022.

Interview for Zoomer Radio AM740 Toronto (Fight Back with Libby Znaimer) – The Beijing Olympics: How China is hosting a Games in a tense political climate. Available at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/erin-otoole-ousted-impact-of-truck-protest-on-businesses/id1451843877?i=1000549988964 (segment begins at 39:15), February 3, 2022.

Interview for Al Jazeera English (@AJStream Discussion) – Politics and the 2022 Winter Olympics. Available at https://youtu.be/fYFwfVhVfXw (segment begins at 8:25), originally aired January 27, 2022

Interview for 980 CKNW Vancouver (Weekend Mornings with Stirling Faux) – China Olympic guidelines. Available at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/saturday-podcast-china-olympic-guidelines-feds-pending/id1593658246?i=1000548675814 (segment begins at 0:00), January 22, 2022.

Interview for 630 AM CHED Edmonton (CHED Mornings with Daryl McIntyre) – Politics and the Beijing Olympics. January 17, 2022.

Interview for 570 AM CityNews Kitchener (Kitchener Today with Brian Bourke) – Olympics and Politics. January 17, 2022.

Interview for BBC World Service (BBC SportsHour) – NFL Vaccination Policy and Politics. Available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w172y0q3zwdtdgj (segment begins at 40:00), September 4, 2021