The breadth of our moral experience is more extensive than has been believed over the past several millennia. There is more to morality than being honest and good, or aspiring to universal principles. In fact, in many ways the morality of our distant ancestors bears a remarkable resemblance to the moral experiences of modern athletes. In A Moral Theory of Sports, ethicist Richard J. Severson brings together stories from today's sports world and the moral practices of hunter-gatherers to shed new light on both sports and morality. Guided by anthropologists, biologists, neuroscientists, and others, Severson discusses what the moral life actually looked like for hunter-gatherer bands in the late Pleistocene epoch and argues that the championing of group success that was the epitome of their morality is the epitome of modern sports, as well. With fascinating analogies and anecdotes from football, basketball, tennis, cycling, and more, A Moral Theory of Sports offers a unique interpretation of human nature and our love affair with sports.

"Expert Performance in Sports: Advances in Research on Sport Expertise" presents an overview of the critical issues facing researchers who study how athletes reach--and stay at--the pinnacle of their sports. The text will allow you to update your knowledge of sport expertise with the most current research and practical applications for the development of sport expertise in athletes, referees, and judges.

This comprehensive reference reflects both theoretical underpinnings and future directions in the understanding of sport expertise research and is the first book to look specifically at how elite athletes are developed.

Editors Janet L. Starkes and K. Anders Ericsson identify the questions typically asked in the study of sport expertise; they provide a stimulating, scientific debate that addresses the question of whether a general theory of expert performance is achievable; and they conclude with a glimpse of future directions for research on sport expertise.

This new reference answers controversial questions that arise with regard to the training of high-level performers: -How can you potentially speed up the acquisition process?

-How easy or difficult is it for experts to retain high performance levels as they age?

-How can coaches structure practices to maximize active time and preparation for the next competition?

-What is the role of coaches and mentors who work with elite performers?

-What aspects of performance best reflect expert behaviors in a particular sport--anticipation, perceptual accuracy, decision speed, attention focus, response selection, response consistency, strategy, or others?With "Expert Performance in Sports, " you not only can read about sport expertise research but also find out how athletes and coaches benefit the most. "Experts' Comments" at the end of each chapter present the opinions of two world-class experts, Therese Brisson and Nick Cipriano. These experts' opinions bridge the gap between the research presented and its practical applications. Dr. Therese Brisson's academic training is in motor behavior; she also is an Olympic gold medalist, silver medalist, and six-time world champion in ice hockey. Professor Nick Cipriano is both an academic and an international-level wrestling coach. He is a former international-level wrestler and world-renowned coach in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, and he has coached both male and female athletes from the high school level to the Olympic team.

This is a must-have reference that will challenge researchers to identify both their theoretical underpinnings and future directions in their study of how the best excel at sports.

A strong relationship between sport fans and teams is an essential component for the success of the sport brand. This book provides an in-depth examination of the use of Twitter as a tool to enhance and maintain the fan-team relationship. As social media platforms have expanded beyond purely personal use, brands have had to adjust their strategic communication and marketing efforts. Drawing on research and theory from advertising, marketing, mass communication, and public relations, this book uses a mixed methods approach to better understand how online fan engagement using Twitter can help strengthen the fan-team relationship. Findings from this research has implications for the continued scholarly work on online engagement and relationship building as well as practical applications for effective use of Twitter as a strategic communication tool.

Performance Excellence: Stories of Success from the Real World of Sport and Exercise Psychology provides concise and effective lessons on a variety of psychological skills and broader concepts within the domains of exercise, sport, and performance psychology. These skills and concepts include team cohesion, dynamics, and leadership; goal-setting, motivation, and adherence; exercise identity, athletic identity, transitions, and self-awareness; mental training; mindset; and facing and overcoming challenges such as anxiety, burnout, and rehabilitation. Each chapter includes a short educational piece that centers on the select concept and subsequent examples that highlight how the concept works in real life. At the end of each lesson a few takeaways are provided. Over 60 stories of real-world examples provide poignant and compelling lessons and make the material come alive. These stories show the reader in an accessible and engaging way how to apply the sport and exercise psychology concepts outside the classroom. Ultimately, Performance Excellence serves as a wonderful resource for students, as well as for sport and exercise practitioners.

Former Major League pitcher and mental skills coach for two of baseball's legendary franchises (the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants) Bob Tewksbury takes fans inside the psychology of baseball. In Ninety Percent Mental, Bob Tewksbury shows readers a side of the game only he can provide, given his singular background as both a longtime MLB pitcher and a mental skills coach for two of the sport's most fabled franchises, the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants. Fans watching the game on television or even at the stadium don't have access to the mind games a pitcher must play in order to get through an at-bat, an inning, a game. Tewksbury explores the fascinating psychology behind baseball, such as how players use techniques of imagery, self-awareness, and strategic thinking to maximize performance, and how a pitcher's strategy changes throughout a game. He also offers an in-depth look into some of baseball's most monumental moments and intimate anecdotes from a "who's who" of the game, including legendary players who Tewksbury played with and against (such as Mark McGwire, Craig Biggio, and Greg Maddux), game-changing managers and executives (Joe Torre, Bruce Bochy, Brian Sabean), and current star players (Jon Lester, Anthony Rizzo, Andrew Miller, Rich Hill). With Tewksbury's esoteric knowledge as a thinking-fan's player and his expertise as a "baseball whisperer", this entertaining book is perfect for any fan who wants to see the game in a way he or she has never seen it before. Ninety Percent Mental will deliver an unprecedented look at the mound games and mind games of Major League Baseball.

The measure of a great coach is bringing the best out of athletes. This is the first guide to motivational interviewing (MI)--the proven approach to harnessing the power of conversations to build relationships and trust--for coaches, sport psychologists, training and rehabilitation specialists, and other affiliated staff. Revealing why conventional ways of giving feedback and addressing conflict are often counterproductive, the book presents tried-and-tested methods for getting through to athletes and helping them to thrive. Leading sport psychologists and MI experts--including MI cofounder Stephen Rollnick--provide effective strategies to fire up motivation, promote ownership of personal goals, address problem behavior on and off the field, enhance performance, and improve teamwork. Included are step-by-step examples and inspiring stories from coaches at all levels. Purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the book's reproducible quick-reference sheets on key MI skills. This book is in the Applications of Motivational Interviewing series, edited by Stephen Rollnick, William R. Miller, and Theresa B. Moyers.