Iceland is a tiny Nordic nation with a population of just 330,000 and no professional sports leagues, and yet its soccer, basketball and handball teams have all qualified for major international tournaments in recent years. This fascinating study argues that team sport success is culturally produced and that in order to understand collective achievement we have to consider the socio-cultural context. Based on unparalleled access to key personnel, including top coaches, athletes and administrators, the book explores Icelandic cultural capital as a factor in sporting success, from traditions of workmanship, competitive play and teamwork to international labour migration and knowledge transfer. The first book to focus specifically on the socio-cultural aspects of a small nation's international sporting success, this is an original and illuminating contribution to the study of the sociology of sport. Sport in Iceland: How small nations achieve international success is fascinating reading for team sport enthusiasts, coaches, managers and organisers, as well as for any student or scholar with an interest in the sociology of sport, strategic sports development, sports policy or sports administration.

This book focuses on the advent of professional football in Liverpool and, in particular, the formation of Everton and Liverpool football clubs and their development prior to World War I. This book details the factors that led to the early dominance within Liverpool of Everton FC, and addresses the complexity of the dispute within that club leading to the later formation of Liverpool FC by expelled club members. This book also highlights, via a comparative study, the different patterns of ownership and control that emerged within the two clubs between their incorporation as limited liability companies in 1892. This book was originally published as a special issue of Soccer & Society.

What remains of a great sporting spectacle after the last race is run or the final match is played? How can the vast expense of mounting such events be justified? What if there is nothing left behind or what if the legacy is negative, a costly infrastructure which is unused or a debt-ridden host city? The Routledge Handbook of Sport and Legacy addresses perhaps the most important issue in the hosting of major contemporary sporting events: the problem of 'legacy'. It offers a rigorous, innovative and comparative insight into this contested concept from interdisciplinary and practical perspectives. Major events must now have a conscious, credible and defined policy for legacy to meet public expectations. The book provides a comprehensive survey of the various kinds of legacy that can be delivered, as well as a close examination of the potential benefits and practical challenges involved in each. From 'hard' legacies, such as stadia and infrastructure, to 'soft' legacies including skill development, attitude change and capacity building, the book offers both a historical case study and an innovative strategic management approach, and establishes the limits of what can realistically be achieved in terms of economic, social, cultural, physical and sporting development. The Routledge Handbook of Sport and Legacy includes contributions from world leading scholars and practitioners and features detailed case studies of major sports events from around the world, including the FIFA World Cup and ten Olympics Games from London in 1908 to London 2012. It is invaluable reading for students and researchers working in sport studies, events management, human geography, economics or planning, and an essential reference for any professional engaged in delivering legacy through sport.

Football is the most popular sport in the world. Globalisation and commercialisation of the game, however, have created new conflicts and challenges. This book explores the role of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) within the rising significance of football in Asia, drawing on three key theoretical perspectives: globalisation, neo-institutionalism and governance, as well as comprehensive data from interviews and archive material. It explores the organisational structure of AFC, its decision-making processes, relations with other actors, and policies put forward. To understand the specificities AFC has faced in its 60-year history, the broader historical, political, economic, socio-cultural and geographic contexts of football in Asia are taken into account.

During the more than one hundred years that baseball has been our national pastime, all types of individuals have been managers of teams. They have run the gamut from political appointees to tyrants, schemers, incompetents and geniuses. Legendary baseball stars have been managers such as Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, Walter Johnson, Mel Ott, George Sisler, and Honus Wagner. And Mediocre players, including Branch Rickey, Earl Weaver, Walter Alston have become managers. Antics galore have accentuated managerial behavior: the pratfalls of Charley Grimm in the third-base coaching box; the umbrella-carrying Frankie Frisch arguing with the umpires that a game should be called; the cap twisting, body-gyrating movements of Earl Weaver, puffing cigarettes in the dugout and attempting to use body language to will his players to perform better. Idiosyncrasies and special styles have characterized managers through the years. An entire collection of one-liners has developed over the years to characterize the managing profession. For trivia buffs, there's an entire world of statistical records about managers. This books attempts to capture the style and substance of some of the greatest managers of all time. An effort has been made to give representation to the different eras of baseball, the various managing styles, and all the nuances and nostalgia that shape this fascinating subject.

Over the last twenty years or so there has been a sharp increase in interest from national sports federations and governments in the development of effective elite sport systems, particularly focused on achieving success in the summer and winter Olympic Games. Many countries now have publicly funded elite sports strategies which provide specialist facilities and support staff and often provide direct financial support for athletes. These developments have stimulated academic interest in describing the elite sport systems, analysing the processes by which policy is established and evaluating the impact of these policies on elite athlete success. Far less attention has been placed on the operation of the elite sports systems and on how the system interfaces with the athlete. The aim of this book is to refocus attention on the management and operation of systems designed to deliver elite success. The book draws on the theoretical literature in implementation, organisation theory, leadership and complexity. This provides an initial context for analysis and a stimulus for theory development around key questions such as: How do coaches manage their relationship with athletes? How does talent identification operate in practice? Do coaches fulfil the role of gatekeeper between the athlete and other elements of the sports system e.g. sports science support? How do managers, support staff and athletes interpret the expectations placed on them? The first part of the book focuses on aspects of the effectiveness of elite sports systems and the second explores aspects of systems operation focused on the interface between the athlete and the sport development system, and cross-cutting themes within the book include the management of talent identification and coach development. This is illuminating reading for any student, researcher or practitioner working in sport development, sport management or sports coaching.

Sports surface design is crucial for the successful performance of sports skills and the reduction of injury risk. Surfaces have developed from natural materials such as turf, clay and cinder, to synthetic surfaces such as acrylic tennis courts, artificial turf for soccer and synthetic running tracks, while our understanding of natural turf has developed in terms of properties appropriate for different sports and surface sustainability. This book draws together the very latest research on biomechanical, medical and engineering approaches to the study of sports surfaces. Written by a team of leading international sport scientists, engineers and technologists, the book covers every key aspect of surface development and design, including: surface behaviour surface classification, function, construction and maintenance influence of surfaces on player performance and injury surface test methods and monitoring development of natural turf and synthetic surfaces shoe-turf interaction future developments in sports surface technology. Representing the most comprehensive and up-to-date study of sports surfaces, this book is important reading for all researchers and professionals working in sports technology, sports engineering, biomechanics or sports medicine.

The social, cultural and economic significance of sport has never been more evident than it is today. Adopting a critical management perspective, this book examines the most important themes and challenges in global sport management. From match-fixing, doping, bribery and corruption to corporate social responsibility, governance, and new media, it helps students, researchers and practitioners to understand the changing face of the global sport industry. Written by leading international sport management experts, Critical Issues in Global Sport Management includes twenty chapters and real-life case studies from around the world. It examines contemporary governance and management issues as well as the ethical challenges faced by the global sport industry, including questions of integrity and accountability in recent drug scandals that have been widely reported and debated. This book deals with such questions and many more, highlighting the fact that the global sport system is in urgent need of new and innovative solutions to these ongoing problems. Based on cutting-edge research from the US, UK, Australia, Europe and beyond, this book will add depth and currency to any course in sport management, sport business, sport development, or sport events.

This book analyzes and highlights the development and success of major league baseball teams in the National League and the American League, focusing on each team's performance in seasons and postseasons and to what extent each succeeded as a business enterprise despite competition for market share from other types of entertainment. The book discusses historical and financial information about the 30 major league franchises. Each chapter contains two core themes-Team Performances and Franchise Business. The former highlights which and how teams won division and league championships and World Series while the latter lists and compares financial data including their revenue, gate receipts, and operating income and describes interesting business topics. Each chapter also provides an overview of when each franchise organized and why it joined MLB, a brief profile of its current majority owner or ownership group, records of teams' special coaches and players, attendances at home games, and how their ballparks rank as a venue for fans. Baseball Business explains why particular teams located in large, midsized, or small markets win more games and titles than others and when and how frequently that occurs. Furthermore, it provides ways to compare franchises' financial success individually, by division, and by league. By linking and comparing the historical performances of MLB teams to financial information about them as business organizations, this book offers a unique contribution to the literature on the sports industry.

Sport governance has become an increasingly widespread subject for research and teaching in sports studies. This engaging and accessible textbook examines the governance of sport organisations in a changing political, legal, financial and socio-cultural context. It explains how sport organisations are governed, explores the issues and challenges faced by those governing sport today, and looks ahead to how sport can be governed better in the future. Covering sport at all levels, from community organisations and national governing bodies to international organisations such as the IOC and FIFA, this text examines key components of governance, such as legal and regulatory frameworks, stakeholding, performance, compliance and the reform of the non-profit sector in line with corporate governance. This text is also timely given that recent corruption scandals in sport have served to highlight the central importance of good governance in sport. Its nine chapters draw upon more than thirty international case examples across a range of sports including athletics, football, gymnastics, hockey, rowing, rugby, badminton and tennis. With extensive lists of learning activities and resources, original empirical research and insights into the politics of policymaking and implementation, this textbook is essential reading for any course on sport governance, policy, management or development.

Celebrating 150 years of The Open Championship. The official book produced in partnership with The R&A at St Andrews, to celebrate The 150th Open, which began its journey in Prestwick on the west coast of Scotland in 1860. This beautiful book captures and celebrates the stories and history that make The Open so unique, with a fascinating and lively narrative history of the Championship, including interviews and exclusive content from champions of the game past and present. From caddies to greenkeepers clubhouses to breathtaking courses, through archive imagery and stunning photography, these pages reveal the fascinating sights, stories and characters from this revered Championship’s long and remarkable history.

A glorious photographic record of the superhumans who have completed the Barkley Marathons, one of the most mythical running races on earth. It is a race like no other: There is no website to take entries; participants are selected from those who find a way to submit written applications and a $1.60 entry fee; only around 40 people are chosen to run, with condolences from the race director. The course, based in the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee, takes place amid unforgiving landscapes and harsh vegetation, often in horrendous conditions with poor visibility. Runners must complete five 20-mile loops - those who manage to complete only three laps are deemed to have achieved the 'fun run' - with a total elevation climb equal to two ascents of Mount Everest. Since 1986, only 15 people have ever finished. This exceptional publication celebrates their unbelievable achievements. Until relatively recently, the event was known only by true insiders, but with the increasing popularity of trail running and the race's inaccessibility to anyone except the participants and a handful of media, it has attained mythical status. Thanks to ultrarunning photographer Alexis Berg and L'Equipe journalist Aurelien Delfosse, we now have a record of these superhumans - many of whom are unknown in sporting circles - who have completed the race. Crisscrossing the United States to meet each finisher, Berg and Delfosse travelled from New Hampshire to Oregon via New Mexico, Colorado, California and Utah, capturing stunning photographs and in-depth interviews with the finishers. These stories inspire awe, respect and reflection at the limit of the human spirit.

The sports agent has become a highly significant figure in contemporary sport business. The role of the agent is essential to our understanding of labour markets and labour relations in an increasingly globalised sports industry. Drawing on extensive empirical research into football around the world, this book explains what agents do, how their role has changed, and why this is important for future sport business. Offering analysis from economic, legal, social and historical perspectives, the book explores key topics such as: the history of sports agents including the emergence of the modern agent in US sport typologies and demographic profiles of agents in football valuations and organisational analysis of leading European agents and agencies relations between agents and clubs future directions for research into sports agents. Focusing on the major European leagues, this book goes further than any other in illuminating an important but under-researched aspect of contemporary sport business. It is a valuable resource for any student, researcher or policy-maker with an interest in sport business, sport management, sport policy, the economics of sport or labour economics.

The Handbook of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is the first authoritative and comprehensive account of the world's greatest sporting and cultural event. It tells the complete story of the 2012 Games from inception, through the successful bidding process and the planning and preparation phase, to delivery, the post-Games period and legacy. Written by a world-class team of international Olympic scholars, the book offers critical analysis of the social, cultural, political, historical, economic and sporting context of the Games. From the political, commercial and structural complexities of organising an event on such a scale, to the sporting action that holds the attention of the world, this book illuminates the key aspects of the 2012 Games, helping us to understand better the vital role that sport and culture play in contemporary global society. The book is divided into two volumes: Volume Two - Celebrating the Games, examines the period of competition and immediately afterwards, covering key topics such as: London welcomes the world - hospitality and the look of the games experiencing the games -spectators, tourists, volunteers, shoppers, viewers media and communications running the games creating Olympic celebrities protesting the games commerce, retail and consumption documenting London 2012 in films and books the legacy of the 2012 Games for London, the UK and the Olympic Movement. Richly illustrated with the personal accounts of key stakeholders, from sports administrators and politicians to athletes and spectators, and including essential data and evocative visual material, this book is essential reading for anybody with a personal or professional interest in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, global culture or the development of sport.

Cities now seek to attract major sporting events and activities to re-image themselves, and frequently invest in community sports development to fund economic growth and regeneration. Including a range of case-studies from global (the Sydney Olympics) to local (urban school sports), this book looks closely at how sport has been used in contemporary cities across the world, and evaluates policies, strategies and managment. Five key areas are examined: * sport and urban economic regeneration * sports events: bidding * planning and organization * Urban Sports tourism * Sport and urban community development * Urban politics and sports policy. Sport in the City therefore represents an essential resource for urban policy makers and the sports policy community. It will be invaluable reading for sports studies students and urban geographers.

Football is the most widely played, watched and studied sport in the world. It's hard to develop a full understanding of the significance of sport in global society without understanding the significance of football. Studying Football is the first book designed specifically to guide and support the study of football on degree-level courses, across the full range of social-scientific perspectives. Written by a team of leading international football experts, and considering themes of globalization, corporatization and prejudice and discrimination throughout, it introduces key topics in football studies, including: media and celebrity identity, fandom and consumption gender violence racism corruption Every chapter includes up-to-date case study material, a 'Research in Action' section and features to aid student understanding and bring theory to life. Studying Football introduces all the key themes and facets of the social-scientific study of football, and is therefore an essential text for students on football studies courses and useful reading for any undergraduates studying the sociology of sport more generally.

Leading student textbook on sport marketing Fully revised new edition. Includes new chapter on new media, including social media. Chapters on customer service and promotion are substantially rewritten. Case studies and examples have been replaced to reflect current concerns. International examples, extensive pedagogical features Highly respected sport management authors

Football is the most widely played, watched and studied sport in the world. It's hard to develop a full understanding of the significance of sport in global society without understanding the significance of football. Studying Football is the first book designed specifically to guide and support the study of football on degree-level courses, across the full range of social-scientific perspectives. Written by a team of leading international football experts, and considering themes of globalization, corporatization and prejudice and discrimination throughout, it introduces key topics in football studies, including: media and celebrity identity, fandom and consumption gender violence racism corruption Every chapter includes up-to-date case study material, a 'Research in Action' section and features to aid student understanding and bring theory to life. Studying Football introduces all the key themes and facets of the social-scientific study of football, and is therefore an essential text for students on football studies courses and useful reading for any undergraduates studying the sociology of sport more generally.

The fifth edition of Successful Event Management covers every aspect of events management, from the planning and set up process through to delivery, close-down and evaluation. The wealth of case studies includes both successful and failed events, allowing you to really understand how the principles described in the text can affect the outcome of an event.

Processes of globalization, economic restructuring and urban redevelopment have placed events at the centre of strategies for change in cities. Events offer the potential to achieve economic, social, cultural and environmental outcomes within broader urban development strategies. This volume: analyzes the process of cultural event development, management and marketing and links these processes to their wider cultural, social and economic context provides a unique blend of practical and academic analysis, with a selection of major events and festivals in cities where 'eventfulness' has been an important element of development strategy examines the reasons why different stakeholders should collaborate, as well as the reasons why cities succeed or fail to develop events and become eventful. Eventful Cities evaluates theoretical perspectives and links theory and practice through case studies of cities and events across the world. Critical success factors are identified which can help to guide cities and regions to develop event strategies. This book is essential reading for any undergraduate or graduate student and all practitioners and policy-makers involved in event management, cultural management, arts administration, urban studies, cultural studies and tourism.

Effective performance management systems are essential in any successful organisation. In both commercial sport business and not-for-profit sport organisations, the pressure to follow international best practice in performance management has grown significantly in recent years. Organisational Performance Management in Sport is the first book to show how performance management concepts, tools and principles can be applied in the modern sport environment. Linking theory and practice throughout, the book defines fundamental performance parameters impacting on sport organisations, and introduces key issues such as individual performance management through to board-level governance structures, presenting extended real-world case studies and practitioner perspectives. As such, it offers the most clear and complete outline of performance management in sport organisations available. With case studies, insight boxes and industry examples integrated throughout the text, Organisational Performance Management in Sport offers accessible and vital reading for all sport management students, researchers and professionals with an interest in this important area of sport management research and practice.

When Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens opened in 1931, manager Conn Smythe envisioned an arena that would project an aura of middle-class respectability. In A Night at the Gardens, Russell Field shares how this new arena anticipated spectators by examining varying spectator behaviours, who the spectators were, and what the experience of spectating was like. Drawing on archival records, the book explores the neighbourhood in which Maple Leaf Gardens was situated, the design of the arena’s interior spaces, and the ways in which it was operated in order to appeal to respectable spectators at a particular intersection of class and gender. Examining a ticket ledger compiled by arena staff for the 1933–34 National Hockey League season, the book reveals that the average subscriber purchased more than two tickets, suggesting that attending hockey games was a social experience. It also shows that while ticket subscribers were overwhelmingly middle-class men, women were also present. Oral history interviews with twenty-one former spectators at the Maple Leaf Gardens detail the experience of watching the spectacle that unfolded on the ice during each hockey game. A Night at the Gardens tells the fascinating story of how one prominent public building became such an important part of Toronto society.

As the role of sport in society becomes ever more prominent and as sports organisations become increasingly influential members of the global community, so it has become more important than ever for sport to consider its wider social responsibilities. The Routledge Handbook of Sport and Corporate Social Responsibility is the first book to offer a comprehensive survey of theories and concepts of CSR as applied to sport, and the social, ethical and environmental aspects of sport business and management. It offers an overview of perspectives and approaches to CSR in sport, examines the unique features of the sport industry in relation to CSR, explores the tools, models, common pitfalls and examples of best practice on which managers can draw, and discusses how CSR and corporate citizenship can be integrated into the sport management curriculum. The book covers every key issue and functional area, including implementation, strategic benefits, communication and corporate image, stakeholder engagement, and the measurement and evaluation of CSR policies and practices, and includes detailed international case studies, from the NBA and the Olympic Games to Japanese soccer. The Routledge Handbook of Sport and Corporate Social Responsibility is important reading for any student, researcher, manager or policy maker with an interest in sport business, management, ethics or development.

The small and midsized cities of western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia reached their peaks of population and prosperity in the second quarter of the 20th century. The baseball teams from these towns formed the Middle Atlantic League, the strongest circuit in the low minors and the one with the most alumni to advance to the majors. The MAL played from 1925 through 1951 and went through three distinct phases. In the pre-Depression years, communities rallied around the home team, which always stood one step from financial disaster. During the Great Depression, the league flourished as president Elmer Daily magically found investors and night baseball boosted attendance working class. Middle Atlantic League clubs enjoyed a modicum of financial stability and an infusion of outstanding young players and became talent farms for major league teams. During this period Akron, Dayton, Canton, Springfield, Portsmouth and Zanesville, Ohio became the core cities of the league's strongest era. Following World War II, America and baseball experienced seismic cultural and economic shifts with television, the baby boom, suburban growth and changing family values, which overwhelmed the league and its cities.