Mapping of Literature on Sport and Religion Research: Scientometric Review

• Published in: Studia Sportiva
• Main Author: Sofyan D.; Saputra Y.M.; Nurihsan J.; Kusmaedi N.; Abdullah K.H.; Osiobe E.U.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Masaryk University 2023
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85173518796&doi=10.5817%2fSTS2023-1-7&partnerID=40&md5=997da4bf4bc3034684476e64012cea2b

Throughout history, many sports evolved from rituals performed at religious festivities. In light of this fact, it is apparent that religion and sports are symbolic systems or emblematic structures with shared values and goals. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the descriptive parameters of publications by visualising citation patterns, extracting authors' keywords, and determining the influence and performance of research on religion and sports. The current study examined 1,408 publications concerning sports and religion in the Scopus and WoS databases, spanning 1899 to 2022. The results revealed a notable rise in publications regarding sport and religion following 2015, with a more substantial increase in Scopus publications than WoS. The United States accounts for about 457 of the total worldwide publications. In addition, the title of the scientific source, "Games and Economic Behaviour", is the most active, with 19 documents. With 170 documents, the keyword "physical activity" appears most frequently in this analysis. The trending topic with the most considerable absolute growth is "physical activity". The trending topic with the most significant relative growth is "osteoarthritis". In general, the research in this field is still changing as new techniques and avenues for conveying significant findings about values, appropriate cultural behaviour, and the extent of health emerge. This investigation helps generate novel ideas in the diverse study of the connection between sports and religion. The significance of spiritual values in physical activity, athlete injuries, and athletes' psychological growth is an area that warrants additional exploration. ©Studia Sportiva. All rights reserved.