The Best Sociology of Sports Books 2024

1. Sport in the Global Society - Contemporary Perspectives: The Making of Sporting Cultures (Paperback)

The Making of Sporting Cultures develops a cultural historical approach to the study of sport, allowing for an appreciation of how sporting cultures are actively made by people as social agents and how sports become located within the 'common culture' of different nations across time. The Making of Sporting Cultures presents an analysis of western sport by examining how the collective passions and feelings of people have contributed to the making of sport as a 'way of life'. The popularity of sport is so pronounced in some cases that we speak of certain sports as 'national pastimes'. Baseball in the United States, soccer in Britain and cricket in the Caribbean are among the relevant examples discussed.Rather than regarding the historical development of sport as the outcome of passive spectator reception, this work is interested in how sporting cultures have been made and developed over time through the active engagement of its enthusiasts. This is to study the history of sport not only 'from below', but also 'from within', as a means to understanding the 'deep relationship' between sport and people within class contexts - the middle class as well as the working class. Contestation over the making of sport along axes of race, gender and class are discussed where relevant. A range of cultural writers and theorists are examined in regard to both how their writing can help us understand the making of sport and as to how sport might be located within an overall cultural context - in different places and times.The book will appeal to students and academics within humanities disciplines such as cultural studies, history and sociology and to those in sport studies programmes interested in the historical, cultural and social aspects of sport.This book was published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

Sport in the Global Society - Contemporary Perspectives: The Making of Sporting Cultures (Paperback)

2. Social Issues in Sport 3rd Edition, Pre-Owned (Hardcover)

Pre-Owned - Social Issues in Sport, Third Edition, explores common questions and issues about sport and its relation to society through various sociological and cultural lenses. Author Ronald Woods draws on a lifetime in sport as a participant, observer, fan, teacher, coach, administrator, and critic to explore historical perspectives and complex relationships that have emerged between sport and our modern society. The text's engaging writing style, full-color design, and ample learning tools keep students engaged. Social Issues in Sport, Third Edition, remains grounded in practical application and follows the framework of the previous editions to provide social theories through which students may examine real-world issues. Updated statistical information allows students to analyze trends in participation, popularity, gender, race, and class as they relate to sport. The third edition also features the following enhancements: - New Applying Social Theory activities in each chapter that foster an understanding of social theories that ground the subject area - Updated Activity Time-Out, Expert's View, Pop Culture, and In the Arena With . . . sidebars that offer a contemporary context to which students can apply the concepts in the text - Increased emphasis on emerging issues such as sport for development and peace as well as the growing role of electronic media - Updated instructor ancillaries that provide assistance in lecture preparation and give instructors new ways to engage students and reinforce concepts found throughout the text Social Issues in Sport, Third Edition, is divided into four parts, maintaining the student-friendly format and accessibility of previous editions. Part I presents the framework for study through defining terms and presenting six crucial social theories that are used throughout the rest of the text. Part II addresses various forms of participation in sport, from spectator to participant, recreational to professional, and explores sport marketing and commercialization, as well as the close relationship between sport and media. In part III, the role of sport programs and player development, from youth to intercollegiate, as well as the crucial role of sport coach and its many responsibilities. Part IV delves into sport and culture, focusing on social classifications and their powerful effects on sport participation. Ancillary materials are available to aid instructors using this text in the classroom. An updated instructor guide includes chapter summaries, student objectives, chapter outlines, and additional student activities. A test package, chapter quizzes, and presentation package provide instructors with support for lecture preparation and tools to ensure that students remain engaged. Social Issues in Sport, Third Edition, provides the foundations for examining the multifaceted roles of sport and physical activity in society and for studying sport from a critical perspective. The information and many activities used throughout the text invite students to understand and evaluate the sociocultural issues raised by sport and relate these themes to their own lives. Through this in-depth examination of sociocultural issues, students will be able to understand and appreciate the development of sport as a part and reflection of the development of society.

Social Issues in Sport 3rd Edition, Pre-Owned (Hardcover)

3. Five Minutes to Midnight [Paperback - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. The author recounts how he was personally attacked for his stand against racism in sports, explains how today's Black athletes are exploited, and looks back at the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Rens, an all Black team.

Five Minutes to Midnight : Race and Sport in the 1990s, Used [Paperback]

4. Sport in American Culture: From Ali to X-Games, Used [Library Binding]

A unique and timely exploration of the cultural impact of sport on American society, including lifestyles, language, and thinking. Sport in American Culture is the first and only reference work to provide an in-depth and up-to-date exploration of sport and its impact on American culture. Essays from more than 200 scholars, professionals, and sports enthusiasts address how sport has changed our lifestyles, language, and thinking. Arranged alphabetically, the work introduces key sport figures and national icons, with a focus on their cultural impact, examines individual sports and how they have influenced society, and discusses such phenomena as the billion-dollar athletic apparel industry, sport as big business, and the effect of sport on gender, racial views, pride, and nationalism. In addition to expected topics, the work also includes less studied areas such as myths, audience rituals, Wheaties, comic books, the hula hoop, and religion. 400 A-Z entries covering a wealth of topics, including sports heroes, artifacts of sport, culture of consumption, racial discrimination, and gender 200+ distinguished contributors, including academics and professionals from a wide variety of fields Lavish illustrations and photographs support the subject areas and examples covered Extensive bibliographic information with individual reading suggestions for further study

Sport in American Culture: From Ali to X-Games, Used [Library Binding]

5. Sport, Violence and Society [Paperback - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. Is violence an intrinsic component of contemporary sport? How does violence within sport reflect upon the attitudes of wider society? In this landmark study of violence in and around contemporary sport, Kevin Young offers the first comprehensive sociological analysis of an issue of central importance within sport studies. The book explores organized and spontaneous violence, both on the field and off, and calls for a much broader definition of 'sports-related violence', to include issues as diverse as criminal behaviour by players, abuse within sport and exploitatory labor practices. Offering a sophisticated new theoretical framework for understanding violence in a sporting context, and including a wide range of case-studies and empirical data - from professional soccer in Europe to ice hockey in North America - the book establishes a benchmark for the study of violence within sport and wider society. Through close examination of often contradictory trends, from anti-violence initiatives in professional sports leagues to the role of the media in encouraging hyper-aggression, the book throws new light on our understanding of the socially-embedded character of sport and its fundamental ties to history, culture, politics, social class, gender and the law.

Sport, Violence and Society [Paperback - Used]

6. Sports Talk (a Longman Topics Reader), Used [Paperback]

Sports infiltrate nearly every aspect of our society--mass media, the economy, our bonds with friends and strangers, our language, politics, industry, and international relations--and this lively anthology provides a foundation for critical discussions and good writing on a wide range of contemporary issues centered around sports.

Sports Talk, Used [Paperback]

7. A Whole New Ball Game: An Interpretation of American Sports, Used [Paperback]

Sports in America, particularly big-time collegiate and professional sports, have never been more popular. Modern sports events bring us breathtaking demonstrations of grace and power and provide the focal point for the leisure time of hundreds of thousands of Americans. But the world of sports is also increasingly a scene of moral corruption and physical abuse. In A Whole New Ball Game , Allen Guttmann examines the American fascination with sport and what that fascination reveals about our culture. Like the transformation of American society in the twentieth century, the modernization of American sports has seemed inevitable and ubiquitous. As Guttmann shows, American sports reflect American culture: our sports are secular, bureaucratic, and specialized, and as part of our democratic society, they require at least in theory an equality among competitors. The rules of modern sports reflect their evolution from earlier, less differentiated games. To master the skills required by modern sports, athletes train scientifically, employing the most technologically advanced equipment. And, like almost every other aspect of our lives, sports are quantified: our athletes and the media are almost obsessed with records. In tracing the development of modern sports in America from the rituals of pre-Columbian cultures to the late-1980s in this book, Guttmann discusses the failure of colonial New England and the antebellum South to influence the evolution of sports. He shows how baseball, a sport that combines premodern and modern characteristics, performed important social functions, helping to Americanize generations of immigrants. Examining basketball as the archetypal modern sport, Guttmann discusses its invention in the YMCA and its vulnerablity to corruption by gamblers, and he provocatively reviews the transformation of informal chlidren's play into adult-sponsored leagues. One chapter of this important study offers and engrossing account of the female athletes's transition from social outcast to superstar; another scrutinizes the failure to achieve racial equality in sports. Guttmann also presents a scathing analysis of the destruction of the athlete's body through drug use and an examination of the search for alternative forms of physical activity. A Whole New Ball Game demonstrates conclusively that sports are an integral part of modern society and that, taken as a whole, they may be the best indicators we have of who we are as a people.

A Whole New Ball Game : An Interpretation of American Sports, Used [Paperback]

8. America's Obsession : Sports and Society since 1945, Used [Paperback]

As the first in a series of books on America since 1945, Davies' book offers insightful historical interpretation as it examines sports as a microcosm of America's national life. From Americans' use of sports seasons (instead of weather seasons) to mark time to the nation's propensity for neglecting its educational system in favor of putting resources into high school athletic programs Davies presents facts and narratives that will provoke students to think critically about life in the United States."

America's Obsession : Sports and Society since 1945, Used [Paperback]

9. Sport and International Politics [Paperback - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. "Sport and International Politics" explores the role and significance of sport in international politics. Issues discussed include the impact of international organizations on domestic sport policy, the interpenetration of governmental, business, and sports interests, and the globalization of sport. The book focuses specifically on an analysis of the global infrastructure of sport and the significance of international sports events such as the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth games and the football World Cup.

Sport and International Politics, Used [Paperback]

10. Fair Play : The Ethics of Sport, Used [Paperback]

Addressing both collegiate and professional sports, the updated edition of Fair Play: The Ethics of Sport explores the ethical presuppositions of competitive athletics and their connection both to ethical theory and to concrete moral dilemmas that arise in actual athletic competition. This fourth edition has been updated with new examples, including a discussion of Spygate by the New England Patriots and recent discoveries on the use of performance enhancing drugs by top athletes. Two additional authors, Cesar R. Torres and Peter F. Hager, bring to this edition a discussion of the moral issues involved in youth sports and the ethics of being a fan, as well as a fresh perspective on the theories of broad internalism and the quest for excellence. Furthermore, major criticisms of broad internalism by philosophers William J. Morgan and Scott Kretchmar add a new dimension to the discussion on the moral foundations of winning.

Fair Play : The Ethics of Sport, Used [Paperback]