Arve Hjelseth

Arve Hjelseth is a Professor of Sociology at the Department of Sociology and Political Science, NTNU. He holds a master's degree from the University of Oslo (1992) and a PhD from the University of Bergen (2006), focusing on supporter cultures in football. His academic career includes roles at NTNU since 1996, alongside positions at Molde University College, the University of Bergen, and Nord-Trøndelag University College. Hjelseth's research emphasizes sport sociology, cultural sociology, and the commercialization of sports.

Key research themes include modern sport development, youth sports participation, audience cultures, and the sociological analysis of new lifestyle sports like snowboarding and skateboarding. He co-authored the textbook Idrettssosiologi (2024) and received the Norwegian Sociological Association's Communication Award (2022) for public engagement.

His work spans academic journals (Sport in Society, Soccer and Society), popular media articles, and interdisciplinary studies on topics like gender pay equity in football, elite sports coaching dynamics, and fan culture evolution. Hjelseth actively engages in public discourse via media interviews and lectures, addressing issues like sport commercialization and youth sport dropout trends.

• Education: PhD in Sociology (UiB, 2006), MSc in Sociology (Oslo, 1992)
• Awards: Norwegian Sociological Association Communication Award (2022)
• Key Themes: Sportification, Mediatization, Sport Commercialization, Youth Sports Policy