In The Bottom Line, one of the foremost sports economists writing today, Andrew Zimbalist (National Pastime), analyzes the net value of sports. He examines motives for why owners buy franchises, the worth of the players and the profitability of teams, and the importance of publicly funded stadiums. In the essays collected hereOCowhich appeared in publications like The New York Times, Sports Business Journal, and The Wall Street Journal from 1998-2006OCoZimbalist considers the current state of organized sports, from football and baseball to basketball, hockey, and soccer. He also addresses antitrust and labor relations issues, gender equity concerns, collegiate athletics, and the regulation of steroid use, providing readers with a better understanding of the business of sports and the sports businessOCoand what makes both tick."

Sport and Exercise Science can measure many aspects of human performance but the spiritual dimensions of sport experience are less easily quantifiable. The spiritual experience of sport - be it described as 'flow', 'transcendence' or simply deep personal satisfaction - is central both to achieving success and to our basic motivation to take part in sports.

Exploring these human aspects of the sport experience through the perspectives of sport psychology, philosophy, ethics and religious studies, this valuable and broad-ranging text includes:

• introduction to Spirituality in the postmodern era
• spirituality, health and wellbeing
• theistic and atheistic perspectives on sport and the spiritual
• nature and transcendence - the mystical and sublime in outdoor sport
• sport and the Existential - applied sport psychology
• suffering and Destiny - spiritual perspectives on pain and mental toughness
• sport and the Virtues - ethical and moral development in the spirit of the game
• the Olympics - de Coubertin's religion of athletics.

Written by leading authors in the field, this groundbreaking and provocative text is likely to inspire much debate, making it the excellent choice for students of sport studies, sports coaching, sport and health psychology. It is also essential reading for those interested in the preparation, performance and wellbeing of athletes.

The first book of its kind dedicated to an assessment of the legality of boxing, The Legality of Boxing: A Punch Drunk Love? assesses the legal response to prize fighting and undertakes a current analysis of the status of boxing in both criminal legal theory and practice.

In this book, Anderson exposes boxing's 'exemption' from contemporary legal and social norms. Reviewing all aspects of boxing - historical, legal, moral, ethical, philosophical, medical, racial and regulatory - he concludes that the supposition that boxing has a (consensual) immunity from the ordinary law of violence, based primarily on its social utility as a recognised sport, is not as robust as is usually assumed.

It:

• suggests that the sport is extremely vulnerable to prosecution and might in fact already be illegal under English criminal law
• outlines the physical and financial exploitation suffered by individual boxers both inside and outside the ring, suggesting that standard boxing contracts are coercive thus illegal and that boxers do not give adequate levels of informed consent to participate
• advocates a number of fundamental reforms, including possibly that the sport will have to consider banning blows to the head
• proposes the creation of a national boxing commission in the US and a similar entity in the United Kingdom, which together would attempt to restore the credibility of a sport long know as the red-light district of sports administration.

An excellent book, it is a must read for all those studying sports law, popular culture and the law and jurisprudence.

Complete guidelines to developing and maintaining the most effective, environment-friendly irrigation systems for golf courses

Golf Course Irrigation offers valuable insight on the design, installation, management, and maintenance of irrigation systems–the most important management tool used on today’s golf courses. Without manufacturers’ bias, this useful resource provides hands-on guidance to the highest quality irrigation systems, including specifications and applications of the best pump stations, controllers, sprinkler heads, nozzles, valves, sensors, and other components that make the difference in top-quality irrigation systems.

Typically regarded as significant users of water, golf courses are under increasing scrutiny by governmental and environmental groups, making it essential that the up-to-date information found here–on such topics as water supply, plant irrigation requirements, application uniformity, and construction management–be at the fingertips of every golf course professional. While fostering the best playing conditions, these systems conserve water and energy with such technology as low-pressure heads and controls that use "if/then" logic to automatically adjust to changing conditions, which can improve playability while saving money.

Golf Course Irrigation is a practical tool to help golf course architects, builders, superintendents, irrigation consultants, designers, and installers to improve aesthetics and playing conditions in the face of diminishing natural resources. It is also an informative reference for golf course owners, developers, local officials, students, and fans of the game.

Have you ever wondered why states invest so heavily in sports mega-events? Ever considered who benefits from these (mostly publicly financed) 'mega' events? Part of the rationale of this edited collection is to go beyond the positive discourse that attends sports 'megas'. The volume of essays from a stellar international cast of experts offers a panoramic and interdisciplinary view of the growing field of Sports Mega-Event studies. The contributions cover discussion of the key concepts and debates in cutting-edge research, examples of leveraging strategies and the legacies from previous sports megas (such as London, Seoul, Sydney, Vancouver) and examples and analyses of recent and future 'emerging' states and their hosting strategies (such as India, China, Qatar and Russia).

The last 20 years have brought remarkable growth and change to the sporting goods industry. The term ""sporting goods"" once comprised only equipment like golf clubs, basketballs and tennis rackets. With the recent explosion in apparel and footwear sales, though, the industry has moved far beyond equipment manufacture. Skyrocketing marketing budgets have resulted in top-name athletic endorsements and relentless branding, and athletic companies' logos are now easily among the most recognizable corporate trademarks in world. This work, both a valuable text for students and an indispensable handbook for professionals, offers insight into every major function of the sporting goods industry. Chapters cover the development of the industry; the industry's structure and size; manufacturers' products and market shares; channels of distribution; sports medicine and product liability; sports marketing, including licensing, endorsement and sponsorship; the use of traditional media and market research; sales trends and profitability; and e-commerce. Each chapter includes discussion questions and exercises. Appendices provide directories of sporting goods vendors, retailers, and multi-sport media and trade associations.

As early as the 1880s, baseball owners and sportswriters were decrying the greediness of players as the leading threat to the national pastime. Nearly a century later in 1976, the Player's Association was able to finally tear down baseball's permanent reserve clause?the contract language that essentially bound a player to a single team until he was released or traded?and owners and sportswriters again insisted that the competitive balance of the game was threatened by player greed. The rhetoric from the baseball establishment did not match the on-field reality. From 1981 to 1993, the first significant era of free agency in the sport's history, all 12 of the National League's teams finished first at least once, as did 11 American League teams. From 1994 through 2001, however, there was a pronounced separation in strength between the haves and have-nots, as the local revenue streams of major markets such as New York and Boston overwhelmed the capabilities of small market franchises in such cities as Tampa, Montreal, and Milwaukee. This work examines how the sport has prospered and suffered during the free agency era, based in large part on how the game's various revenue streams are allocated. It further examines the revenue sharing plan in baseball's current collective bargaining agreement, identifying flaws that may well undermine its long-term effectiveness. It also explores how the baseball expertise of some organizations has allowed them to flourish despite the lack of revenue.

The wealth of data available on sports makes the industry a singular laboratory for observing economic and business behavior and theory. This unique reference on sports economics research provides a detailed perspective on the current state of the discipline. Covering both team and individual sports that include tennis, golf, and motor racing, the handbook explores what we know, what we do not know, what is stable, what is changing, what is certain, and what is controversial in sports economics. The expert contributors address issues in particular sports or comparisons among sports along major topics such as revenue and costs, labor markets, market structure, market outcomes, and public policy.

During the second half of the twentieth century, Major League Baseball and its affiliated minor leagues evolved from local and regional entities governing the play America's favorite pastime to national business organizations. The relocation of teams, league expansion, the advent of free agency and an influx of international players has made baseball big business, on an increasingly global scale. Focusing on the last fifty years, this work examines the past and present commercial elements of organized baseball, emphasizing the dual roles - competitive sport and profitable business - which the sport must now fulfill. Twenty-five essays cover five areas integral to the economic side of baseball: business and finance, human resources, international relations, management and leadership and sports marketing. Detailed discussions of the redistribution of revenues, the history of player unionization, aggressive global marketing, strategies of franchise owners and an evaluation of fan costs, among other topics introduce the reader to the important issues and specific challenges professional baseball faces in an increasingly crowded - yet geographically expansive - sports marketplace. The work is also indexed.

The word disaster is much used in the world of soccer - conceding a penalty, a sending off, an untimely defeat. Comparing these with real life disasters puts things into perspective and the results of the games become insignificant. Soccer is not more important than life or death!
For the first time, real life tragedies in the world of soccer are explored in one volume. From the loss of life of talented young players in the Munich and Zambian air disasters to fatal overcrowding at Hillsborough and Moscow. During the history of the game, fans and players alike have been the victims of negligence, complacency and misfortune. The causes, consequences and legacies of these and other disasters are examined in this book that reveals frightening parallels and important lessons.
A powerful book suitable for students of sociology, sports studies and social history.
This volume was previously published as a special issue of the journal Sport in the Global Society.

The word disaster is much used in the world of soccer - conceding a penalty, a sending off, an untimely defeat. Comparing these with real life disasters puts things into perspective and the results of the games become insignificant. Soccer is not more important than life or death!
For the first time, real life tragedies in the world of soccer are explored in one volume. From the loss of life of talented young players in the Munich and Zambian air disasters to fatal overcrowding at Hillsborough and Moscow. During the history of the game, fans and players alike have been the victims of negligence, complacency and misfortune. The causes, consequences and legacies of these and other disasters are examined in this book that reveals frightening parallels and important lessons.
A powerful book suitable for students of sociology, sports studies and social history.
This volume was previously published as a special issue of the journal Sport in the Global Society.

What does commercialisation mean for the future of sport? Modern sports links to commerce are highly visible. Stadiums and arenas bear the names of businesses, while sponsors' logos appear on athletes' clothing and equipment, on the facilities in which they play, and in the titles of the events in which they compete. Media companies pay vast sums for the rights to broadcast sports events, and advertisers pay a premium to promote products during the screening of these events. Cities invest, at the expense of other social projects, in the staging of major sports events and to attract professional teams to their areas. Star athletes are transferred for multi-million fees and professional sport franchises are sold for sums higher than the gross domestic products of some countries. Even recreational athletes are subject to a constant barrage of commercial pressures to improve their game. Sport's links to commerce have intensified over the past 30 years but have been subjected to little academic analysis. This book represents an attempt to fill that significant gap in the literature by examining five different aspects of the commercialisation of sport: * The sports industry * The public sector * The commercialisation of 'amateur' sport * Sport and television * Sports sponsorship There has been a rapid and widespread commercialisation of sport and it is vital that we now raise critical questions and analyse the changes that have taken place.

This essential textbook introduces the work of sport management and sport development from the perspective of the day-to-day operational challenges faced by managers and sport development officers. It addresses the practicalities of designing and delivering sport services safely, efficiently and effectively, for profit or in non-profit contexts. The book covers core topics such as time management, project management, customer care, developing partnerships, fundraising, crisis management and research. It adopts a problem-based learning approach, with a strong, practical focus on putting theory into practice, to illustrate good practice and to help the reader develop sound operational skills, knowledge and decision-making, underpinned by the principles of safety, effectiveness and efficiency. It features a range of diverse international case studies, covering different sports and operational management challenges, including global pandemics and terrorism. Connecting theories, ideas and scientific disciplines, the book helps managers approach operations management more creatively, combining both management and development work to show areas of difference and overlap. It also introduces systems theory and the principals of marginal gains or small wins, to help managers develop working cultures which can be utilised in all areas of management, encouraging a culture of learning, reflection and ethical action. Sport Operations Management and Development is designed for both practitioners and students working in sport management, development, coaching or aspects of sport science.

The 1930s saw the birth of the football idol - prototype for today's powerful media sport stars.
The players of the 1930s were the first generation of professionals, yet until recently the life and careers of footballers of this generation has been little studied.
In 1930s Britain, football became increasingly commercialized, and the rise and development of both local and national media enabled players to become widely recognized outside of their immediate local context for the first time.
Tracing the origins, playing careers and 'afterlives' of several First Division players of the era, Graham Kelly's revealing history explores the reality of living in Britain between the wars and draws interesting comparisons with lives of the modern football hero today.

Great sales coaching positively impacts individual, team and organisational sales performance. However, in today's results-driven and time-poor business world, the embedding of sales coaching into everyday practice is often overlooked. This guide utilises the authors' own experiences of helping companies and individuals turn average, static and infrequent sales coaching regimes into successful business strategies for winning sales teams. Looking at the reality of sales coaching today, the book explores the how, what and why of sales coaching. Through extensive research into elite coaches in the world of business and sports the authors explore the mindset, skills and behaviours required to be a top sales coach. They also consider how to be coached. How the sales person can overcome any natural shyness, fear of performance critique and seek out specific, timely and actionable coaching feedback. Using the latest thinking in neuroleadership and psychology, the book outlines the nine key behaviours of a great coach and provides a range of practical sales coaching models, tools and techniques which can be easily integrated into a sales leaders every-day pressurised role. Coaching Winning Sales Teams is an essential read for sales leaders and professionals, alongside researchers and practitioners working in HR, Learning and Development and Sales Effectiveness.

Divided into nine parts, Leisure Marketing: a global perspective guides the reader through leisure and marketing concepts, the marketing mix, key issues in different sectors, topical issues (such as globalisation, marketing research and ethics, for example branding and environmental issues), and the future of leisure marketing. A section of the book is devoted entirely to international case studies, which illustrate and highlight key themes and issues raised throughout in order to facilitate learning. Example of international cases used are: Disneyland Resort, Paris: The Marketing Mix Manchester United Football Club: Marketing the Brand The Growth of the Online Retail Travel Market Hilton Head Island, USA: The Leisure Island for Golf and Leisure Shopping Health, Leisure and Tourism Marketing including Spa Hotels, Health Clubs and lake Resorts. This book combines real world experience with a solid theoretical framework. It is essential reading for anyone studying, teaching or working in marketing in the leisure industry.

Cricket, law and the meaning of life ...

In a readable, informed and absorbing discussion of cricketa (TM)s defining controversies a " bodyline, chucking, ball-tampering, sledging, walking and the use of technology, among many others a " David Fraser explores the ambiguities of law and social order in cricket.

Cricket and the Law charts the interrelationship between cricket and legal theory a " between the law of the game and the law of our lives a " and demonstrates how cricketa (TM)s cultural conventions can escape the confines of the game to carry far broader social meanings.

This engaging study will be enjoyed by lawyers, students of culture and cricket lovers everywhere.

First published in 1979, this classic study of the development of rugby from folk game to its modern Union and League forms has become a seminal text in sport history. In a new epilogue the authors provide sociological analysis of the major developments in international ruby that have taken place since 1979, with particular attention to the professionalism that was predicted in the first edition of this text. Sports lovers, rugby fans and students of the history and sociology of sport will find it invaluable. Rugby football is descended from winter 'folk games' which were a deeply rooted tradition in pre-industrial Britain. This was the first book to study the development of Rugby from this folk tradition to the game in its modern forms. The folk forms of football were extremely violent and serious injuries - even death - were a common feature. The game was refined in the public schools who played a crucial role in formulating the rules which required footballers to exercise greater self-control. With the spread of rugby into the wider society, the Rugby Football Union was founded but class tensions led to the split between Rugby Union and Rugby League. The authors examine the changes that led to the professionalisation of Rugby Union as well as the alleged resurgence of violence in the modern game.

Despite the range of theoretical and methological positions adopted and the wide range of issues and topics related to advertising covered by cultural studies, relationships between sport and advertising have been largely overlooked.
Given its gobal popularity and its prevalence across the spectrum of cultural and commercial life it is not surprising that scholars interrogating the cultural politics of sport have begun to recognise advertising as an important site for the analysis of power relations, cultural politics and cultural repesentation.
Sport, Culture and Advertising presents a first step towards understanding the relationship between advertising and identity with a focus on sport. The book will be useful for scholars across a range of disciplines and will be of interest to students looking for a more critical examination of the commercial realm of sport.

Despite the range of theoretical and methological positions adopted and the wide range of issues and topics related to advertising covered by cultural studies, relationships between sport and advertising have been largely overlooked.
Given its gobal popularity and its prevalence across the spectrum of cultural and commercial life it is not surprising that scholars interrogating the cultural politics of sport have begun to recognise advertising as an important site for the analysis of power relations, cultural politics and cultural repesentation.
Sport, Culture and Advertising presents a first step towards understanding the relationship between advertising and identity with a focus on sport. The book will be useful for scholars across a range of disciplines and will be of interest to students looking for a more critical examination of the commercial realm of sport.

This book takes stock of British football at the beginning of the twenty-first century. It is written by a range of concerned academics and writers, all of whom have an active relationship with the contemporary football world. The book assesses the changes that have occurred in many areas of football culture and the political and academic debates that have accompanied these changes.
English football in particular, it seems, is 'fat city'. The Premiership, now eight years old, has, via satellite television, become a globalised phenomenon: there are Liverpool supporters in Bangladesh, Chelsea fans in sub-Saharan Africa and Manchester United followers across the globe. Grounds are full. Top class football attracts people to bars and pubs in huge numbers. Hooliganism appears a thing of the past. Everyone seems to love football and/or to support a team. The British football media are generally euphoric in their rendering of contemporary football culture.
However, the contributors to this book argue that the heavily commodified, PR-driven and cartelised British football world, with which so many contemporary politicians and other public figures rush to identify themselves, has either created, exacerbated or continued to ignore serious problems of social exclusion problems of class and community, race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality and age.

This book takes stock of British football at the beginning of the twenty-first century. It is written by a range of concerned academics and writers, all of whom have an active relationship with the contemporary football world. The book assesses the changes that have occurred in many areas of football culture and the political and academic debates that have accompanied these changes.
English football in particular, it seems, is 'fat city'. The Premiership, now eight years old, has, via satellite television, become a globalised phenomenon: there are Liverpool supporters in Bangladesh, Chelsea fans in sub-Saharan Africa and Manchester United followers across the globe. Grounds are full. Top class football attracts people to bars and pubs in huge numbers. Hooliganism appears a thing of the past. Everyone seems to love football and/or to support a team. The British football media are generally euphoric in their rendering of contemporary football culture.
However, the contributors to this book argue that the heavily commodified, PR-driven and cartelised British football world, with which so many contemporary politicians and other public figures rush to identify themselves, has either created, exacerbated or continued to ignore serious problems of social exclusion problems of class and community, race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality and age.

What does commercialisation mean for the future of sport? Modern sports links to commerce are highly visible. Stadiums and arenas bear the names of businesses, while sponsors' logos appear on athletes' clothing and equipment, on the facilities in which they play, and in the titles of the events in which they compete. Media companies pay vast sums for the rights to broadcast sports events, and advertisers pay a premium to promote products during the screening of these events. Cities invest, at the expense of other social projects, in the staging of major sports events and to attract professional teams to their areas. Star athletes are transferred for multi-million fees and professional sport franchises are sold for sums higher than the gross domestic products of some countries. Even recreational athletes are subject to a constant barrage of commercial pressures to improve their game. Sport's links to commerce have intensified over the past 30 years but have been subjected to little academic analysis. This book represents an attempt to fill that significant gap in the literature by examining five different aspects of the commercialisation of sport: * The sports industry * The public sector * The commercialisation of 'amateur' sport * Sport and television * Sports sponsorship There has been a rapid and widespread commercialisation of sport and it is vital that we now raise critical questions and analyse the changes that have taken place.

The past decade has seen a tremendous growth in the popularity of activities like skateboarding and snowboarding; sports that have been labelled as 'extreme' or 'lifestyle' and which embody 'alternative' sporting values such as anti-competitiveness, anti-regulation, high risk and personal freedom. The popularity of these activities goes beyond the teenage male youth that the media typify as their main consumers. This book examines the popularity, significance and meaning of lifestyle sport, exploring the sociological significance of these activities, particularly as related to their consumption, and the expression of politics of identity and difference. Including much unique ethnographic research work with skaters, surfers, windsurfers, climbers, adventure racers, and ultimate frisbee players., the central themes explored in The Cultural Politics of Lifestyle Sports include: How might we describe lifestyle sports? What influence do commercial forces have on lifestyle sports? Do lifestyle sports challenge the hegemonic masculinities inherent in a traditional sport environment? This book is a compelling exploration of sport as a way of life, and is a vital resource for any lecturer or student interested in Sociology and Cultural Studies in a Sports context.

This book examines the economic, social and environmental impacts and issues associated with the development of sport tourism globally, including the lack of research and coordination between industry and government. The book suggests the need for a more balanced analysis of the impacts and issues associated with future sport tourism development.