Leisure Life is a ground-breaking study of men and masculinity. Focusing on the social networks and leisure lifestyles of a particular group of working-class men - 'the lads' - Tony Blackshaw argues that traditional social collectivities such as class are being superseded. Instead, leisure life is now the central arena in which individuals assert their identities and confirm their belonging. For 'the lads', leisure time is the pivotal point in a fragmented life which not only allows them to fashion some sense of order in a world of endemic disorder but also provides opportunities for the assertion of their masculinity.

The book uniquely combines 'the lads'' own raw and compelling accounts of their leisure experiences with a sophisticated interpretive analysis. In doing so, it draws on the work of major theorists such as Baudrillard, Derrida, Foucault, and especially Bauman to develop new critical insights into our understanding of the meaning of leisure.

Leisure Life awakens the sociological imagination. It offers a new approach to the study of masculinity and the ethnography of leisure, making it appropriate for courses in sociology, leisure, cultural and gender studies.

Originally the preserve of Afro-Brazilian slaves, the marginalized and the underclasses in Brazilian society, capoeira is now a mainstream sport, taught in Brazilian schools and practised by a range of social classes around the world. Some advocates now seek Olympic recognition for Capoeira.
This apparent change in the meaning and purpose of Capeoira has led to conflicts between traditionalists, who view capoeira as their heritage descended from the maroons, a weapon to be used against the injustice and repression; and reformers, who wish to see Capoeira develop as an international sport.
Capoeira: The History of Afro-Brazilian Martial Art explores Capoeira as a field of confrontation where the different struggles that divide Brazilian society are played out. It contains both the first comprehensive English language review of archive and contemporary literature relating to Capoeira, as well as the first scholarly account of Capoeira's history and development.

Although female athletes are successful in all types of sport, in many countries sport is still a male domain. This book examines and compares the sporting experiences of women from different countries around the world and offers the first systematic and cross-cultural analysis of the topic of women in sport.

Sport and Women presents a wealth of new research data, including in-depth case-studies of 16 countries in North and South America, Asia, Eastern and Western Europe and Africa. In addition, the book offers comparative assessments of the extent to which women are represented in global sport and the opportunities that women have to participate in decision-making processes in sport.

The book illuminates a wide range of key international issues in women's sport, such as cultural barriers to participation and the efficacy of political action. It is therefore essential reading for anybody with an interest in the sociology, culture and politics of sport.

This book draws upon the disciplines of politics, sociology, history and philosophy to provide a critical analysis of power relations throughout the world of sport, while offering important new case-studies from such diverse sporting contexts as the Olympics, world football, boxing, cricket, tennis and windsurfing. Power Games can be used as a complete introduction to the study of sport and society, and will be essential reading for any serious student of sport. At the same time, it is a provocative book that by argument and example challenges those who research and write about sport to make their work relevant to social and political reform.

'Sport' and 'religion' are cultural institutions with a global reach. Each is characterised by ritualised performance and by the ecstatic devotion of its followers, whether in the sports arena or the cathedral of worship. This fascinating collection is the first to examine, in detail, the relationship between these two cultural institutions from an international, religiously pluralistic perspective. It illuminates the role of sport and religion in the social formation of collective groups, and explores how sport might operate in the service of a religious community.
The book offers a series of cutting-edge contemporary historical case-studies, wide-ranging in their geographical coverage and in their social and religious contexts. It presents important new work on the following fascinating topics: * sport and Catholicism in Northern Ireland
* Shinto and sumo in Japan
* women, sport and the American Jewish identity
* religion, race and rugby in South Africa
* sport and Islam in France and North Africa
* sport and Christian fundamentalism in the US
* Muhammad Ali and the Nation of Islam.
With God on their Side is vital reading for all students of the history, sociology and culture of sport. It also presents important new research material that will be of interest to religious studies students, historians and anthropologists.

The players' strike and owners' lockout in 1994 and 1995 brought the game under great scrutiny, revealing a side of baseball that is not admirable, honorable or enjoyable. Nor is this darker side of ""America's Favorite Pastime"" a recent development. The majority of problems in today's major leagues are a continuation of ills that have plagued organized baseball since its inception. This book examines the business of baseball, addressing its most significant problems and proposing solutions. It covers some of major league baseball's greatest players and their effect on the business. Among the many topics analyzed are the roles of franchise owners, commissioners, and players' unions in organized baseball. The book also examines major league ballparks and baseball fans, and considers how they are relevant to baseball as a game and a business.

This book introduces the structure, economic arguments, and business strategies for entrepreneurship in sport. Here, the entrepreneurial process is usually initiated by organizations, people or governments who are embedded in both economic and social contexts. The development of technologies that have enhanced the diffusion of information and the creation of new international markets has impacted sports entrepreneurship activities. The goal of this book is to introduce readers to emerging issues in sport entrepreneurship and management. The book focuses on the role of entrepreneurship in the sports context by examining how to leverage the opportunities that arise from networks and optimize resources by identifying where they can most effectively be put to use. As a unique discipline, sport entrepreneurship helps to identify the conditions under which and the processes in which upcoming business ventures need to be pursued. The book will be useful for sports organizations, athletes and government organizations promoting the use of entrepreneurship to generate competitive advantages on the global marketplace.

Although female athletes are successful in all types of sport, in many countries sport is still a male domain. This book examines and compares the sporting experiences of women from different countries around the world and offers the first systematic and cross-cultural analysis of the topic of women in sport.

Sport and Women presents a wealth of new research data, including in-depth case-studies of 16 countries in North and South America, Asia, Eastern and Western Europe and Africa. In addition, the book offers comparative assessments of the extent to which women are represented in global sport and the opportunities that women have to participate in decision-making processes in sport.

The book illuminates a wide range of key international issues in women's sport, such as cultural barriers to participation and the efficacy of political action. It is therefore essential reading for anybody with an interest in the sociology, culture and politics of sport.

The study of sport in the economy presents a rich arena for the application of sharply focused microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics to both team and individual outcomes. This unique book offers a survey of recent research that follows the tradition of empirical and theoretical analysis of sport economics and econometrics. Including contributions by many of the leading experts in the field, the authors address four central branches, namely: competitive balance, labor relations, attendance and demand, and the economic impact of sport in communities. A wide range of topics is explored within these themes, including: the effect of uncertainty of outcome on attendance players' labor markets, wages and team performance variations in fan loyalty between teams and through time the determinants of soccer match attendance. Case studies of Major League Baseball, the National Football League (NFL) and college athletics in the US, the English Premier League, the Spanish football league and other (major and minor) European football leagues underpin the discussion. This important book will prove to be a fascinating and stimulating read for academics, researchers and students interested in the econometric analysis of sport. Contributors: G.M. Ahlfeldt, J. Banos, R. Baumann, D.J. Berri, R. Fort, B. Frick, J. Garcia, W. Greene, B.R. Humphreys, L. Kahane, G. Kavetsos, S. Kesenne, Y.H. Lee, N. Longley, V.A. Matheson, R.G. Noll, P. Rodriguez, R. Simmons, S. Szymanski, J. Vrooman

Women hold up half the sky and Women can do what men can do are not just popular slogans peddled by Chairman Mao, but recent actualities of China's elite sport. In every Olympics since 1988 women have increased their representation over men. Their extraordinary performances have thrust Chinese women into the global limelight and sparked considerable interest, not to mention controversy, with accusations of drug violations, and yet there remains a paucity of analytical literature on Chinese elite women's sport not only in China but throughout the world.

Critical and radical perspectives have been central to the emergence of the sociology of sport as a discipline in its own right. This ground-breaking new book is the first to offer a comprehensive theory and method for a critical sociology of sport. It argues that class, political economy, hegemony and other concepts central to the radical tradition are essential for framing, understanding and changing social and political relations within sport and between sport and society.
The book draws upon the disciplines of politics, sociology, history and philosophy to provide a critical analysis of power relations throughout the world of sport, while offering important new case studies from such diverse sporting contexts as the Olympics, world football, boxing, cricket, tennis and windsurfing. In the process, it addresses key topics such as:
* nations and nationalism
* globalisation
* race
* gender
* political economy.
Power Games can be used as a complete introduction to the study of sport and society. And will be essential reading for any serious student of sport. At the same time, it is a provocative book that by argument and example challenges those who research and write about sport to make their work relevant to social and political reform.

Sport and physical education represent important components of German national life, from school and community participation, to elite, international level sport. This unique and comprehensive collection brings together material from leading German scholars to examine the role of sport and PE in Germany from a range of historical and contemporary perspectives.
Key topics include:
* sport and PE in pre-war, post war and re-unified Germany
* sport and PE in schools
* coach education
* elite sport and sport science
* women and sport
* sport and recreation facilities.
This book offers an illuminating insight into how sport and PE have helped to shape Germany. It represents fascinating reading for anyone with an interest in the history and sociology of sport, and those working in German studies.

'Sport' and 'religion' are cultural institutions with a global reach. Each is characterised by ritualised performance and by the ecstatic devotion of its followers, whether in the sports arena or the cathedral of worship. This fascinating collection is the first to examine, in detail, the relationship between these two cultural institutions from an international, religiously pluralistic perspective. It illuminates the role of sport and religion in the social formation of collective groups, and explores how sport might operate in the service of a religious community.
The book offers a series of cutting-edge contemporary historical case-studies, wide-ranging in their social and religious contexts. It presents important new work on the following fascinating topics:
* sport and Catholicism in Northern Ireland
* Shinto and sumo in Japan
* women, sport and the American Jewish identity
* religion, race and rugby in South Africa
* sport and Islam in France and North Africa
* sport and Christian fundamentalism in the US
* Muhammad Ali and the Nation of Islam.
With God on their Side is vital reading for all students of the history, sociology and culture of sport. It also presents important new research material that will be of interest to religious studies students, historians and anthropologists.

Sport and physical education represent important components of German national life, from school and community participation, to elite, international level sport. This unique and comprehensive collection brings together material from leading German scholars to examine the role pf sport and PE in Germany from a range of historical and contemporary perspectives.
Key topics include:
* sport and PE in pre-war, post war and re-unified Germany
* sport and PE in schools
* coach education
* elite sport and sport science
* women and sport
* sport and recreation facilities.
This book offers an illuminating insight into how sport and PE have helped to shape Germany. It represents fascinating reading for anyone with an interest in the history and sociology of sport, and those working in German studies.

Fair Play in Sport presents a critical re-working of the classic ideal of fair play and explores its practical consequences for competitive sport. By linking general moral principles and practical cases, the book develops a contemporary theory of fair play.
The book examines many of the key issues in the ethics of sport, including:
* fairness and justice in sport
* moral and immoral interpretation of 'athletic performance'
* what makes a 'good competition'
* the key values of competitive sport.
The notion of fair play is integral to sport as we know and experience it, and is commonly seen as a necessary ethos if competitive sport is to survive and flourish. Fair Play in Sport provides an invaluable guide to the subject for all those with an interest in ethics and the philosophy of sport.

In a culture obsessed with celebrity, sportmen and women are some of the highest profile figures. We are fascinated by sport stars' lifestyles, love lives, and earning power. Sport Star investigates the nature of contemporary sporting celebrity, examining stars' often turbulent relationships with the media, and with the sporting establishment.
Through a series of case studies of sporting stars, including Diego Maradona, Michael Jordan, Venus Williams and David Beckham, contributors examine the cultural, political, economic and technological forces which combine to produce sporting celebrity, and consider the ways in which these most public of individuals inform and influence private experience.

In a culture obsessed with celebrity, sportmen and women are some of the highest profile figures. We are fascinated by sport stars' lifestyles, love lives, and earning power. Sport Star investigates the nature of contemporary sporting celebrity, examining stars' often turbulent relationships with the media, and with the sporting establishment. Through a series of case studies of sporting stars, including Diego Maradona, Michael Jordan, Venus Williams and David Beckham, contributors examine the cultural, political, economic and technological forces which combine to produce sporting celebrity, and consider the ways in which these most public of individuals inform and influence private experience.

Fair Play in Sport presents a critical re-working of the classic ideal of fair play and explores its practical consequences for competitive sport. By linking general moral principles and practical cases, the book develops a contemporary theory of fair play.
The book examines many of the key issues in the ethics of sport, including:
* fairness and justice in sport
* moral and immoral interpretation of 'athletic performance'
* what makes a 'good competition'
* the key values of competitive spport.
The notion of fair play is integral to sport as we know and experience it, and is commonly seen as a necessary ethos if competitive sport is to survive and flourish. Fair Play in Sport provides an invaluable guide to the subject for all those with an interest in ethics and the philosophy of sport.

While the questions of ethics have become increasingly important in recent years for many fields within the humanities, there has been no single volume that seeks to address the emergence of this concern with ethics across the disciplinary spectrum. Given this lack in currently available critical and secondary texts, and also the urgency of the issues addressed by the critics assembled here, the time is right for a collection of this nature.

Casino and Gaming Resort Investigations addresses the continued and growing need for gaming security professionals to properly and successfully investigate the increasing and unique types of crime they will face in their careers. As the gaming industry has grown, so has the need for competent and highly skilled investigators who must be prepared to manage a case of employee theft one day to a sophisticated sports book scam the next. This book provides the reader with the fundamental knowledge needed to understand how each gaming and non-gaming department functions and interacts within the overall gaming resort, allowing the investigator to determine and focus on the important elements of any investigation in any area. Each chapter delivers a background of a department or type of crime normally seen in the gaming environment, and then discusses what should be considered important or even critical for the investigator to know or determine in the course of the investigation. Likely scenarios, case histories, and tips, as well as cautions for investigators to be aware of, are used throughout the book. This book was written for and directed at gaming security and surveillance professionals, including gaming regulators, and tribal gaming authorities, who are almost daily confronted by the ingenious and the most common scams, theft, and frauds that are perpetrated in the gaming world.

Sport has become a major industry as well as a major cultural preoccupation in the contemporary world. Cities are increasingly using major sporting events and activities to re-image themselves, promote urban development and fund economic growth and regeneration. Including case-studies from the Sydney Olympics to urban school sports, Sport in the City 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.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203471407

This new ground-breaking analysis explores the social history and politics of 'mega-events' from the late 19th century to the present. Through case studies of mega-events such as the 1851 Crystal Palace Expo, the 1936 Berlin Olympics and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Maurice Roche investigates the impact Expos and Olympics have had on national identities, on the marking of public time and space, and on visions of national citizenship and international society in modern times.
Historical chapters deal with the production of Expos by power elites, their impacts on mass culture, and the political uses and abuses of international sport and Olympic events. Chapters also deal with the impact of Olympics on cities, the growth of Olympics as 'media events' and the current crisis of the Olympic movement in world politics and culture.

This book is unique in that it offers the first truly rigorous application of economic principles to its subject. The authors analyse:
* the economic literature on sporting leagues
* the demand for professional team sports
* the players' labour market.
Amongst the topics discussed are the US system of franchising and draft picks and the chances of their being adopted elsewhere, the implications of player strikes, the onset of pay-per-view and digital television, and the relatively new notion that sport is a business like any other.