These sensors on the legs and feet enable researchers at the EPFL Laboratory of Movement Analysis and Measurement to determine the strain placed on the knee joint. | Photo: Gian Paul Lozza.

“Sports science was only recognised as an academic discipline at a late date”, a colleague of mine on the Horizons editorial team told me. “Of course”, I thought, “it’s not as if sports are so important anyway”. But since then I’ve been paying greater attention, and it’s increasingly struck me just what a crucial role sports actually play in society.

Let’s take the European Football Championship as an example. When Switzerland beat France in a spectacular game, the event dominated the discourse everywhere here. Before this, the COVID-19 pandemic had shown just how boring a football game can be when there’s no one in the stands. But then the 70,000 spectators at the Wembley Final provided ample fodder for the Swiss TV commentator to offer a commentary on health policy instead. And the digital billboards around the pitch offering advertisements in Chinese prompted concerned journalists to pen articles about Chinese power politics. Racism is a frequent topic in football too: but taking the knee before the starting whistle still can’t prevent racist criticism when players miss their penalties.

Sports are also omnipresent in our everyday lives. Overweight people are looked down upon and told they don’t get enough exercise, while those who hurry from a marathon on the Jungfrau to the next Ironman triathlon are suspected of being addicted to it. Giving boxing lessons to a young violent offender so he can let off steam has triggered massive criticism in the media, but spending your leisure hours on the ski tours of the Swiss Alpine Club is regarded as a well-nigh patriotic act.

Even science is full of sports metaphors – from science Olympics for young people to league tables for universities, and comparisons between European Research Council grants and the Champions League. So I’ve changed my mind, and am now of the same opinion as Achim Conzelmann, a professor of sports science who explains his reasons in our Focus article: sports are a highly relevant aspect of society. And they deserve a discipline of their own.