"Leisure activities undertaken in nature_are immensely popular. This book examines the new serious leisure concept of nature challenge activity (NCA),_exploring how_NCA_unfolds in an aesthetically appealing natural environment with implications for consumption and environmental sustainability"

This original social science text approaches marathon running as an everyday practice and a designed event, to draw upon and contribute to the literature on practice theory, urban events, rhythmanalysis and mobility. It bridges sport studies and discussions within sociology and geography about practice, movement and the city. Inspired by theoretical debates about embodied and multi-sensuous mobilities, social and material practices, and urban rhythms, this book explores the characteristics of marathon running as a bodily practice on the one hand and, on the other, marathon training grounds and events as unique places. This account takes marathon running seriously, using sociological and geographical theory to understand the practice in and of itself. Based on original empirical research and accessible to readers, taking them to training sessions in Copenhagen and to marathons in Tokyo, Kyoto, Berlin, Frankfurt, Valencia and Copenhagen, it draws out the globalised, codified and generic nature of marathon practices and design, yet also brings out the significant local differences. The book examines in ethnographic detail how marathon practices and places are produced by various materialities, cultural scripts, experts, runners and spectators, and practiced in embodied, multi-sensuous and 'emplaced' ways by ordinary runners. It develops a sociological practice approach to marathon running and geographical understanding of marathon places and rhythms. It demonstrates that marathon running is of broad interest because it calls for and allows lively and expressive ways of conducting and writing research and understanding the becoming of bodies, the intertwining of biological and mechanical rhythms, and the eventful potential of streets. It will appeal to postgraduate students and scholars in sport studies, geography and sociology interested in running, active mobility and ethnography, as well as tourism and urban events. The book will also appeal to general readers with an interest in marathon running.

This original social science text approaches marathon running as an everyday practice and a designed event, to draw upon and contribute to the literature on practice theory, urban events, rhythmanalysis and mobility. It bridges sport studies and discussions within sociology and geography about practice, movement and the city. Inspired by theoretical debates about embodied and multi-sensuous mobilities, social and material practices, and urban rhythms, this book explores the characteristics of marathon running as a bodily practice on the one hand and, on the other, marathon training grounds and events as unique places. This account takes marathon running seriously, using sociological and geographical theory to understand the practice in and of itself. Based on original empirical research and accessible to readers, taking them to training sessions in Copenhagen and to marathons in Tokyo, Kyoto, Berlin, Frankfurt, Valencia and Copenhagen, it draws out the globalised, codified and generic nature of marathon practices and design, yet also brings out the significant local differences. The book examines in ethnographic detail how marathon practices and places are produced by various materialities, cultural scripts, experts, runners and spectators, and practiced in embodied, multi-sensuous and 'emplaced' ways by ordinary runners. It develops a sociological practice approach to marathon running and geographical understanding of marathon places and rhythms. It demonstrates that marathon running is of broad interest because it calls for and allows lively and expressive ways of conducting and writing research and understanding the becoming of bodies, the intertwining of biological and mechanical rhythms, and the eventful potential of streets. It will appeal to postgraduate students and scholars in sport studies, geography and sociology interested in running, active mobility and ethnography, as well as tourism and urban events. The book will also appeal to general readers with an interest in marathon running.

Drawing on primary research within voluntary sports clubs in the UK and secondary analysis of the wider international literature on social capital, this text focuses on the micro-processes of social capital development and how they play out in specific social settings. In so doing, it adds to existing research by developing a rich, contextualised, process-based view of social capital in action. Critically reviewing theoretical and empirical literature on social capital, the book highlights the key current debates. The empirical core of the book draws on ethnographic observation over 18 months at voluntary sports clubs in the UK, including in-depth interviews with sports club members and organisers. The text explicitly seeks to set this empirical work in its wider context, by considering the findings in relation to other international studies of social capital in both sports clubs and other types of organisation. The book draws on international research from a whole range of countries: UK, USA, Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Japan, Vanuatu, Czech Republic, Germany, and many others. The book establishes a transferable, process-based understanding of how social capital develops - both within sports clubs and beyond. This is an illuminating reading for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers with an interest in the sociology of sport, sport development, sport management, sport policy, social theory, social policy, or social networks.

In the 1970s the subject of leisure was attracting interest among both social scientists and people concerned with developing recreation policies. A relative newcomer to the sociological scene at the time, leisure was beginning to compete in research effort and theory-building with the more established fields of sociology. As well as making an academic contribution, this book, originally published in 1976, provided practitioners (such as planners, administrators and managers) with an up-to-date and comprehensive review of social research finding over the whole field of leisure. Part One deals with the cultural context in which leisure, as we knew it, had developed, and includes the history of leisure in industrial society and the variety of ways in which people can experience leisure at various stages of the life cycle. In Part Two leisure is related to other spheres of life - work, the family, education and religion. Part Three relates academic to practical concerns of planning and providing for leisure, including factors in demand and supply. The final chapter examines what the sociology of leisure had to tell us about current trends in society and the directions of probable future change. The illustrative material, drawn from a wide variety of sources, is mainly British but also includes some contributions from the United States and other countries.

This book examines the relationships between the Nordic social democratic welfare system ('The Nordic Model') and physical culture, across the domains of sport, education, and public space. Presenting important new empirical research, it helps us to understand how the paradoxical blend of social democracy and liberalism in the Nordic countries influences physical culture, which in turn contributes to a quality of life that ranks highest in the world. Drawing on perspectives from sociology, cultural studies, history, education, political science, outdoor studies, and urban studies, the book explores topics such as dance education for sport students, doping in cross-country skiing, outdoor education, the active body, and the ideology of public parks. It includes research material from across the region, including Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, and Denmark. This is fascinating reading for anyone with an interest in physical culture, sport studies, leisure studies, or outdoor studies, as well as sociologists or political scientists with an interest in Nordic politics, culture, and society.

Analyzing the key players and political moments in women's professional tennis since 1968, this book explores the historical lineage of social activism within women's tennis and the issues, expressions, risks, and effects associated with each cohort of players. Drawing on original qualitative research, including interviews with former players, the book examines tennis's position in debates around gender, sexuality, race, and equal pay. It looks at how the actions and choices of the pioneering activist players were simultaneously shaped by, and had a part in shaping, larger social movements committed to challenging the status quo and working towards increased economic equality for women. Taking an intersectional approach, the book assesses the significance of players from Althea Gibson and Martina Navratilova to Venus and Serena Williams, illuminating our understanding of the relationship between sport, social justice, and wider society. This is important reading for researchers and students working in sport studies, sociology, women's studies, and political science, as well as anybody with an interest in social activism and social movements. It is also a fascinating read for the general tennis fan.

African Footballers in Europe traces the social and economic evolution of African football and examines the strategies and resources that players mobilise in their migrations, with a particular focus on 'Give Back Behaviours' (how players contribute to their countries or communities of origin). It shines new light on contemporary migrations, labour markets in sport, and processes of development in Africa. Using a multidisciplinary approach and Weberian methodology to analyse players' 'Give Back' behaviour, the book highlights the complex rationale behind this behaviour, based on a combination of social, cultural, and economic elements. It features interviews with former and current African professional players, providing a vivid picture of the role of communities in players' migration projects, the allure of the European football market, and investment initiatives that can contribute to local and regional development. This is a vital read for academics, researchers, and students of sport sciences, sociology of sport, sport management, sociology, geography, political sciences, management, sociology of Africa, migration studies, sociology of the labour market, and economic sociology. It is also an important resource for professional organisations, NGOs, football agents, football administrators, federations, confederations, and governments.

This book is a philosophical and cultural critique of contemporary boxing. It broadens and deepens our understanding of the empirically and normatively entwined complexities of a sport that is often misunderstood and all too easily reduced to stereotypes. Moving between and among work in ethnography, sociology, urban studies and, especially, the philosophy of sport, and drawing on research in boxing gyms in the US, the book presents a stereoscopic view of professional boxing as both situated cultural practice and formalized competitive sport. It takes us inside and outside the ring in discussions of the cultural embeddedness of boxing and boxing gyms, the formation of pugilistic selfhood and 'boxer cool', the nature and function of combat sport violence and sparring, and the aesthetics and ethics of cornering a boxing match. With its interdisciplinary focus on the empirical and normative dimensions of professional pugilism, On Boxing makes explicit the bittersweetness of the 'sweet science' and provides a new theoretical framework for analysing boxing and, indeed, sport in general. Written for a broad audience, this is important reading for scholars and students working in the areas of philosophy and sociology of sport and combat sport studies, as well as policy makers, coaches, and commentators engaged in the sport of boxing.

Barcelona 92: A Legacy Case Study examines the effects of the organisation of Barcelona's Olympic Games in 1992. Divided into five compelling chapters, the authors discuss issues concerning the definition of legacy, whilst also presenting new models of legacy management and measurement methods, and providing an in-depth examination of sporting, economic and social dimensions. This book offers the most significant studies and research on the 92 Olympics to date, presenting cutting-edge proposals for comparing different Olympic hosting cities into the future.

This book brings together a collection of critical essays that challenge the existing dogma of leisure as an unmitigated social good, in order to examine the commodification and marketisation of leisure across a number of key sites. Leisure and consumer culture have become symbolic of the individual freedoms of liberal society, ostensibly presenting individuals with the opportunity to display individual creativity, cultural competence and taste. This book problematizes these assertions, and considers the range of harms that emerge in a consumer society predicated upon intense individualism and symbolic competition. Approaching the field of commodified leisure through the lens of social harm, this collection of essays pushes far beyond criminology's traditional interest in 'deviant' forms of leisure, to consider the normalized social, interpersonal and environmental harms that emerge at the intersection of leisure and consumer capitalism. Capturing the current vitality and interdisciplinary scope of recent work which is underpinned by the deviant leisure perspective, this collection uses case studies, original research and other forms of empirical enquiry to scrutinise activities that range from alcohol consumption and gambling, to charity tourism; CrossFit training; and cosmetic pharmaceuticals. Drawn from researchers across the UK, US, Europe and Australia, Deviant Leisure: Criminological Perspectives on Leisure and Harm represents the first systematic attempt at a criminological consideration of the global harms of the leisure industry; firmly establishing leisure as a subject of serious criminological importance.

o Series - the book will be a key part of the overall series o Authors - team of academic leaders with industry background and an industry CEO with an academic/writing background. o Sponsorship - COVID notwithstanding, a growing and popular field of work and study. o Content that can be applied in practice. o Global leaders on the topic (SponsorshipX, CSLS, etc.).

The latest addition to the acclaimed series showcasing the best sports writing from the past year For over twenty-five years, The Best American Sports Writing has built a solid reputation by showcasing the greatest sports journalism of the previous year, culled from hundreds of national, regional, and specialty print and digital publications. Each year, the series editor and guest editor curates a truly exceptional collection. The only shared traits among all these diverse styles, voices, and stories are the extraordinarily high caliber of writing, and the pure passion they tap into that can only come from sports.

This book brings together a body of new research which looks both backwards and forwards to consider how far the London 2012 Olympic legacy has been delivered and how far it has been a hollow promise. Cohen and Watt consider the lessons that can be learnt from the London experience and aptly apply them other host cities, specifically Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. The Olympics are often described as a 'mega-event' in a way that assumes the host cities have no other existence outside, before or beyond the contexts imposed by the Games themselves. In terms of regeneration, the London 2012 Olympics promised to trigger a mega-regeneration project that was different to what had come before. This time the mistakes of other large-scale projects like London Docklands and Canary Wharf would be put right: top-down planning would be replaced by civic participation, communication and 'the local'. This edited collection questions how far the 2012 London legacy really is different. In so doing, it brings fresh evidence, original insights and new perspectives to bear on the post-Olympics debate. A detailed and well-researched study, this book will be of great interest to scholars of urban geography, sociology, urban planning, and sports studies.

This open access book is unique in presenting the first oral history of individuals with an intellectual disability and their families in China. In this summary volume and the two accompanying volumes that follow, individuals with an intellectual disability tell their life stories, while their family members, teachers, classmates, and co-workers describe their professional, academic, and family relationships. Besides interview transcripts, each volume provides observations and records in real time the daily experiences of people with an intellectual disability. Drawing on the methodologies of sociology and oral history, the summary volume provides an unprecedented account of how people with intellectual disabilities in China understand themselves while also examining pertinent issues of public policy and civil society that have ramifications beyond the field of disability itself.

This third edition takes a fresh approach to the study of sport, presenting key concepts such as socialization, race, ethnicity, gender, economics, religion, politics, deviance, violence, school sports and sportsmanship. While providing a critical examination of athletics, this text also highlights many of sports' positive features. This new edition includes significantly updated statistics, data and information along with updated popular culture references and real-world examples. Newly explored is the impact of several major world events that have left lasting effects on the sports realm, including a global pandemic (SARS-CoV-2, or COVID-19) and social movements like Black Lives Matter and Me Too. Another new topic is the "pay for play" movement, wherein college athletes demanded greater compensation and, at the very least, the right to profit from their own names, images and likenesses.

How does the simple act of running make us human? As a form of enskilled movement that shapes how we perceive our surroundings, running enacts a mindful bodily engagement with the world, an engagement that generates our very minds through perceptual learning. Thomas F. Carter examines the interrelated aspects of a runner's being-mind, body, and environs-to illustrate that the skillful act of locomotion is one of principle ways that we as human beings become integral parts of the larger world. Synthesizing recent developments in neuroscience, anthropology, and philosophy of mind, On Running proves there is more to running than merely clocking up the miles.

Visibility matters in contemporary societies; online, in the media and in the public eye. But who is seen and how? Are women still seen through a male gaze? This book explores the politics of looking and being looked at, and the relationship between actual and virtual worlds, for example in sport, art and cinema.

This book offers a collection of cutting-edge essays on the relationship between crime, harm and consumer culture. Although consumer culture has been addressed across the social sciences, it has yet to be fully explored in criminology. The editors bring together an impressive list of authors with original ideas and a fresh perspective to this field. The collection first introduces the reader to three sets of ideas which will be especially useful to students and researchers piecing together theoretical frameworks for their studies. New concepts such as pseudo-pacification, the materialist libertine and the commodification of abstinence can be used as foundation stones for new explanatory criminological analyses in the 21st century. The collection then moves on to present case studies based on rigorous empirical work in the fields of consumption and debt, 'outlaw' gangs, illegal drug markets, gambling, the mentality that drives investment fraudsters and the relationship between social media and state surveillance. These case studies showcase the strength of the research skills and knowledge these scholars offer to the field of criminology. Written in a clear and direct style, this book will appeal to students and scholars in criminology, sociology, cultural studies, social theory and those interested in learning about the effects of consumer culture in modern society.

This book explores the fascinating phenomenon of place event marketing in the Asia Pacific region. It examines procedures in the promotion and branding of places that use events to shape their identities. It considers how events are used in forming a branded image of a place and disseminate information about it. This innovative book offers theoretical insights of the opportunities and challenges related to place event marketing. With contributions from leading thinkers in the field, chapters also draw on empirical examples to showcase a variety of events across the Asia Pacific, such as MICE, sporting events, festivals, and religious and cultural celebrations. The book explores the importance of such events for the socio-economic development of urban regions. Today, the Asia Pacific is one of the world's fastest developing regions and its rising economic power is accompanied by the growing importance of the tourism and event sector. The book is a unique study relating to a very exceptional region of the world. The role of events in tourism development and the rise of the region's soft power is presented through carefully selected examples of cities from different countries. The book concludes with commentary on the future directions for research in this area. Written in an accessible style, this book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and practitioners working in events studies, urban studies, tourism, place branding and promotion, business and management studies, geography, sociology, and sport and leisure studies.

Unleashing Manhood in the Cage: Masculinity and Mixed Martial Arts addresses the question "Why do mixed martial arts participants endure grueling workouts and suffer through injury, with little or no pay, just to compete?" The answer is because the participants enjoy a form of idolization from their supporters, each other, and culture more generally, which is linked to masculinity. In fact, MMA organizers, from the very beginning, purposefully created elements of the sport that are linked to dominant narratives about manhood. In this context, men don thin open-fingered gloves, lock themselves in a caged enclosure, and slug it out in a fight with few rules to see who comes out on top. This all occurs while "ring girls" in high-heels and skin-tight shirts and shorts stride around outside the cage holding signs and peddling t-shirts. The sum of these elements is the creation of a type of a publicly accessible and consumable form of masculinity. The sport of mixed martial arts is a rich and intriguing space where the construction of gender can be explored through a sociological and ethnographic lens.

This book presents a fresh perspective on football fandom in England, going beyond existing debates surrounding the structural transformations English football has seen in recent decades, to consider the contested cultural ground upon which football fandom exists. Supporter Ownership in English Football connects cultural conflict experienced across society associated with negotiating structural changes such as globalisation, commodification and social exclusion, with supporter ownership in football - which is in itself an expression and reflection of broader social and political shifts in class-consciousness. Discourses of identity, authenticity, loyalty, ownership and above all, the possibilities and limitations for ordinary people to influence change, play a decisive role in how fans come to decide whether they could, or should, have a meaningful say in the future of their club and the game itself. While celebrating the achievements, progress and potential of the supporter ownership movement, the book is also careful to take account of the various setbacks, contradictions and limiting tendencies that continue to shape its developmental trajectory. Porter's relation of football supporter ownership to the political and social class dynamics of contemporary society will be of interest to scholars of sport studies, sociology, cultural studies and politics, and those interested in social movements, consumerism, identity, authenticity and community.

The Power of New Urban Tourism explores new forms of tourism in urban areas with their social, political, cultural, architectural and economic implications. By investigating various showcases of New Urban Tourism within its social and spatial frames, the book offers insights into power relations and connections between tourism and cityscapes in various socio-spatial settings around the world. Contributors to the volume show how urban space has become a battleground between local residents and visitors, with changing perceptions of tourists as co-users of public and private urban spaces and as influencers of the local economies. This includes different roles of digital platforms as resources for access to the city and touristic opportunities as well as ways to organise and express protest or shifting representations of urban space. With contemporary cases from a wide disciplinary spectrum, the contributors investigate the power of New Urban Tourism in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and Oceania. This focus allows a cross-cultural evaluation of New Urban Tourism and its dynamic, and changing conception transforming and subverting cities and tourism alike. The Power of New Urban Tourism will be of great interest to academics, researchers and students in the fields of cultural studies, sociology, the political sciences, economics, history, human geography, urban design and planning, architecture, ethnology and anthropology.

This book offers a timely and critical exploration of leisure and forced migration from multiple disciplinary perspectives, spanning sociology, gender studies, migration studies and anthropology. It engages with perspectives and experiences that unsettle and oppose dehumanising and infantilising binaries surrounding forced migrants in contemporary society. The book presents cutting edge research addressing three inter-related themes: spaces and temporalities; displaced bodies and intersecting inequalities; voices, praxis and (self)representation. Drawing on and expanding critical leisure studies perspectives on class, gender, sexuality and race/ethnicity, the book spotlights leisure and how it can interrogate and challenge dominant narratives, practices and assumptions on forced migration and lives lived in asylum systems. Furthermore, it contributes to current debates on the scope, relevance and aims of leisure studies within the present, unfolding global scenario. This is an important resource for students and scholars across leisure, sport, gender, sociology, anthropology and migration studies. It is also a valuable read for practitioners, advocates and community organisers addressing issues of forced migration and sanctuary.

This book offers the first, full academic analysis of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. Adopting an international relations perspective, the authors critically interrogate the politics and controversy that has surrounded arguably the most controversial sports event ever. In doing so, this text offers up an imperative examination of Qatar's desired objectives through their investment in global sport and sports events, as well as provides readers with an academic explanation on why major event hosts - such as Qatar - receive so much international scrutiny in the pre-event stage of the event hosting process. On the back of this international scrutiny, this text also provides the first full analysis on how such negative scrutiny has forced Qatar to implement various social-political changes at home.