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David Rowe

@davidroweics.bsky.social
97 followers 3 following 36 posts

Sociologist and cultural researcher

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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Sport, place & social class in play in Australia, focused on underdog NRL team the Newcastle Knights. TV full of excited de-industrialised provincial city fans heading for a big city final. Last week it was AFL's Fremantle Dockers in Melbourne. Takes me back to: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
DRUNK FOR THREE WEEKS - David Rowe, Pauline McGuirk, 1999
This article analyses the role of sport in the projection of city image (especially in non-metropolitan areas) and its significance as an urban and regional mar...
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Remember Australian B-girl Raygun going global at the Paris Olympics? Netflix certainly does. A chance to revisit a breaking scandal stemming from a macropod pose. theconversation.com/raygun-turne...
theconversation.com
Raygun turned her Olympic flop into a media career. Now Netflix is helping with the rewrite
Netflix’s new documentary Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly tries to show the human behind the memes – but lacks thorough interrogation.
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
To mark the passing of Dolly Parton, I note that her song 'Jolene' is part of the music field survey component of our Australian Cultural Fields Project. It's in the social space of musical tastes in Figure 1 here, not so far from Dark Side of the Moon and The Mikado! Vale Dolly. lnkd.in/gVmcdj7Q
lnkd.in
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Inducements are at the centre of the government’s long-awaited gambling reform. What actually are they? theconversation.com/inducements-... I'm inducing you to read about inducements.
theconversation.com
Inducements are at the centre of the government’s long-awaited gambling reform. What actually are they?
What are betting inducements, which are a key sticking point in the government’s gambling reform bill?
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
This is what I found when I tried to re-open the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) page (lnkd.in/gJ7uqvxZ) today. A sorry exercise indeed. And why does a woman have to apologise for Infantino?!
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Just after the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup, there is talk of a boycott by football's most powerful confederation. How did we get here and is it a real prospect or largely shadow play? theconversation.com/world-game-a...
theconversation.com
World game at war: why some European nations have threatened a World Cup boycott
There is widespread unease about changes to the world game that will hyper-commercialise it, with the fallout potentially enormous.
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
This tumultuous North American 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup has ended. What might it all have meant? Talking sociology, politics, history, culture and legacy with reference to Trump, Infantino and Durkheim. Plus resources of hope for the analyst-fan. www.openforum.com.au/forums/three...
openforum.com.au
Three lessons from the World Cup - Openforum
Despite a dour final and its fair share of controversy on and off the pitch, the 2026 World Cup has comprehensively underlined the global popular cultural appeal of the beautiful game.
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
My fantasy 2026 World Cup travelogue, spiced with musical, literary and filmic signposts. worldcupanalysis.ws/paris-2024-l...
worldcupanalysis.ws
Looking for America at the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup – World Cup Analysis
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
So, I and others wrote a lot about the 2026 FIFA men's World Cup and geopolitics leading into the tournament. Then the first ball was kicked and the politics has receded. Not for the first time. Here I discuss the rhythms of mega sport event attention. theconversation.com/with-the-wor...
theconversation.com
With the World Cup in full swing, why have the geopolitical criticisms quietened?
It is a difficult juggling act to be both a soccer fan and social critic. After tournaments start, it becomes even harder.
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
On the day Iran played Aotearoa New Zealand at the 2026 FIFA men's World Cup in Los Angeles, this book (warning, I'm a self-interested co-author) seemed especially relevant! idrottsforum.org/macmal_rowee...
idrottsforum.org
Important regional study challenges the view of sport from the Euro-(North) American nexus
In Playing on the Edge: Sport, Society and Culture in Asia and Oceania (Peter Lang Publishing) authors David Rowe, Bonnie Pang and Keith D. Parry go beyond orthodox globalization theory, deploying the...
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
More on the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup in a radio interview, including ambivalence and the football fan as ethical being. www.thewire.org.au/story/geopol...
thewire.org.au
Off-Pitch Tensions Could Take Centerstage at the FIFA World Cup - The Wire
The FIFA World Cup kicks off in 2 days and the spotlight isn’t entirely focused on the beautiful game. Previous...
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
A news podcast interview on some of the less palatable aspects of the 2026 FIFA men's World Cup, including the banning at the border of Africa's best referee. play.listnr.com/podcast/the-...
play.listnr.com
Trump's FIFA World Cup scandals + Coalition opens door to One Nation deal
Headlines: Angus Taylor isn't ruling out One Nation preference deal Trump's $US100,000 H-1B skilled worker visa fee struck down by Judge New research calls for urgent Jobseeker boost with A...
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Regional legacy news media is in rapid decline. A few words from me and others on why this is a significant loss for local culture and politics. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06...
abc.net.au
Fears of job losses as WIN confirms overhaul of 50-year-old news bulletins
Media academics fear for the future of regional journalism after the drastic downsizing of one of Australia's oldest nightly news bulletins.
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Not so long ago, most elite male association football/soccer players made only modest incomes from short careers in the game. Then came a court case ending its neo-feudalism. Game changers: how soccer’s mega-money era was sparked by a little-known Belgian athlete theconversation.com/game-changer...
theconversation.com
Game changers: how soccer’s mega-money era was sparked by a little-known Belgian athlete
An obscure Belgian soccer player arguably made a bigger mark on the world game than stars such as Diego Maradona and Cristiano Ronaldo.
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Why Trump and FIFA are perfect bedfellows as the World Cup heads to the US theconversation.com/why-trump-an... An odd couple perhaps, but a 'Presmance' made in heaven.
theconversation.com
Why Trump and FIFA are perfect bedfellows as the World Cup heads to the US
The 2026 World Cup is likely to reveal a deep ethical poverty at the heart of ‘the world game’ thanks to two leaders who have much in common.
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
A little Seasonal Sociology from Australia with some remarks on radio about temperature, cultural fantasy, and material circumstances. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
abc.net.au
Why we love getting cosy as the seasons change - ABC listen
Do you have a favourite blanket that you only bring out when it gets to a certain level of cold? When the temperatures drop there are certain rituals and attitudes that emerge as we try to make ourse...
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
World Aquatics is the latest Olympic sport allowing Russian & Belarusian flags and anthems. A few multiplatform words from me about this reintegration as Ukraine slips from view and LA 2028 closes in, its White House Taskforce chaired by Putin-friendly Donald Trump. www.youtube.com/shorts/rQadK...
youtube.com
Russian flags return at some international swimming events
YouTube video by ABC News (Australia)
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
World Aquatics is the latest Olympic sport allowing Russian & Belarusian flags and anthems. A few multiplatform words from me about this reintegration as Ukraine slips from view and LA 2028 closes in, its White House Taskforce chaired by Putin-friendly Donald Trump. www.youtube.com/shorts/rQadK...
youtube.com
Russian flags return at some international swimming events
YouTube video by ABC News (Australia)
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Here comes another epic women's association football (soccer) tournament in Oceania but classified as an Asian Football Confederation event. The most valuable sport brand in Australia is the Matildas. Can they win it for the first time since 2010 and progress? www.openforum.com.au/forums/waltz...
openforum.com.au
Waltzing Matildas - Openforum
Australia's hosting of the Women’s Asian Cup this year has the potential to rekindle public interest in women's football and create some more epic moments for the Matildas.
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Another mega media sport events, another sport diplomacy, sportswashing and PR disaster opportunity. humanities.org.au/power-of-the...
humanities.org.au
Sports diplomacy & the Winter Olympics & Paralympics
The hands of the global sport mega event clock have turned to the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Hosted by the cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo at venues across northern Italy, around two ...
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Time for some real action on gambling harm in Australia, where the losses are the highest in the world per capita. You spin some, you lose more: how Albanese’s gambling rhetoric falls short theconversation.com/you-spin-som...
theconversation.com
You spin some, you lose more: how Albanese’s gambling rhetoric falls short
Anthony Albanese states he’s taken more action on problem gambling than any government since Federation. How does this claim stack up?
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
Vince Rugari explores British-Australian variations in sporting fandom. I find myself saying, "My rule of thumb is that a British football crowd of 5000 is noisier than a 20,000-25,000 crowd at Australian rules or rugby league.“ Plymouth Argyle is inevitably mentioned. www.smh.com.au/sport/why-do...
smh.com.au
Why don’t Aussie sporting crowds sing like the Brits do? Blame the Beatles
We’ve borrowed so much from British sporting culture – but their fans sing with gusto, and we’re so sheepish in comparison.
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
One from my archive as struggling England face the Adelaide Ashes Test. The media in Australia having fun with what symbolises success and failure. Then it was the moustache over health food, now it's the mullet over the beach break. Cultural Sociology the winner! theconversation.com/the-ashes-au...
theconversation.com
The Ashes: Australian masculinity reborn amid English tumult
After losing three Ashes series on the bounce and following much soul-searching about the decline of its national sporting prowess, Australia is giving England a pounding in the cricket. For many, all...
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
Good piece by La Trobe Uni student Joshua Grobbelaar, with a few words from me, about regulating and refereeing rugby union. I & many others getting tired of arcane rules & constant whistleblowing to the point of the great media sport sin - reaching for the remote. www.upstart.net.au/theres-a-lot...
upstart.net.au
'There's a lot of grey': Does rugby union have an officiating issue? - upstart
Over the past few years rugby union referees have come under increasing scrutiny from players, coaches and fans for their on-field decisions. Is it the referee's fault or is the sport just too complic...
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
On the threshold of this year's Melbourne Cup, the claimed 'race that stops the nation' beset by concern about animal cruelty & human gambling harm, Catharine Lumby & I venture to the (dis)course to take on the cultural politics of this somewhat tarnished sporting spectacle. youtu.be/0KG8Vt1JaBA?...
youtu.be
Standing at the Threshold — Part One: what happens when a national ritual outgrows its story?
YouTube video by Mindful Creativity Studio
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
I did a quickfire Guardian interview after Australian PM Albanese was criticised in Parliament for wearing a Joy Division Unknown Pleasures T-shirt (I have one too). I don't recall any outrage when Joy Division Orchestrated played the Sydney Opera House in 2019. theconversation.com/will-time-te...
theconversation.com
Will time tear us apart? Exploring the appeal of Joy Division 40 years on
The music alone, despite its unquestionable majesty, cannot entirely explain the enduring appeal of a band that existed for barely two years before its lead singer took his own life.
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Tonight, ABC TV's Four Corners program asks why there's been so little government action to reduce online gambling harm in Australia. I recommend watching it (it's online too). I posed the same troubling question about the gamblification of sport last February. theconversation.com/will-the-gov...
theconversation.com
Will the government’s online gambling advertising legislation ever eventuate? Don’t bet on it
There are deep historical and immediate political reasons why the online gambling advertising legislation has been bogged down.
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
It Was 25 Years Ago Today: Revisiting Cathy Freeman’s Sydney 2000 Olympics Victory Free event light refreshments provided. Time: 4-6pm, Thursday 25th September, 2025 Place: IPSQ, PC-01.6.53 (LS), Western Sydney University RSVP: Please email d.rowe@westernsydney.edu.au if you’d like to attend.
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
To accompany my recently reposted reflections on the Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics, a review I wrote at the time of a famous event moment, adopting the persona of an irascible and self-centred sport fan obsessed with the cultural capital of 'being there'! webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20010131...
webarchive.nla.gov.au
01 Feb 2001 - M/C Reviews:
M/C Reviews: "The Olympics" feature issue website as it appeared on 01 Feb 2001.
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
The Sydney 2000 Olympics and Paralympics commenced 25 years ago today. So, I've been doing media interviews, partly prompted by this piece written for the 20th anniversary. Debates continue over the legacy of the big, expensive party that was the Millennial Games. theconversation.com/the-sydney-o...
theconversation.com
The Sydney Olympics: How did the ‘best games ever’ change Australia?
Sydney 2000 may not have seen a sustained increase in sport participation. But the Olympics did leave a mark on Australia.
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
The United Nations, by resolution, declares an annual World Football Day. A chance to celebrate and critique a game that is by turns 'beautiful' and, shall we day, 'tarnished'. humanities.org.au/power-of-the...
humanities.org.au
This World Football Day, how hyperbolic is your adjective? – Australian Academy of the Humanities
The 25th of May, like every day of the year, is globally themed. It ranges from the celebratory (Africa Day) to the tragic (International Missing Children’s Day) to the whimsical (Towel Day, in honour...
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
For anyone working in the area of community and rugby league, the Wes Smythe Award could support your work. Applications close on Monday 9 June 2025. www.tombrock.com.au/the-wes-smyt...
tombrock.com.au
Wes Smythe |
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
Legislation promised in Australia before the next election to deal with online ad gambling harm, but put on ice. Wouldn't be vested interest lobbying to blame, would it? Will the government’s online gambling advertising legislation ever eventuate? Don’t bet on it theconversation.com/will-the-gov...
theconversation.com
Will the government’s online gambling advertising legislation ever eventuate? Don’t bet on it
There are deep historical and immediate political reasons why the online gambling advertising legislation has been bogged down.
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David Rowe @davidroweics.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
My first post - apologies if the image is a little disturbing. This piece starts with the old saying about law and sausage-making being similarly unsightly activities. It ends with new metaphors of cauldrons, spoons and competitive reality TV cooking shows. www.openforum.com.au/forums/sausa...
openforum.com.au
Sausages and cauldrons: Making law and policy in 21st Century Australia - Openforum
The divergent fates of proposed federal legislation to restrict social media use by children and online gambling adverts for everyone highlight the complex interplay of public concern, political conve...
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