Showcasing some of the most important current research in football studies, this book demonstrates the value of social theory and sociology in helping us to better understand the world's favourite sport. This book sheds critical new light on key issues in contemporary football, with each chapter using a different theoretical lens, drawing on the work of key thinkers from Elias and Foucault to Hall and Maffesoli. It explores issues and topics central to the study of modern football, including homophobia, feminist-informed coaching practice, the racialised experiences of black professional footballers, the concussion crisis and the role of identity in online football communities. It also looks ahead at the issues that are likely to define the research agenda in football studies in years to come. This is fascinating reading for any student or researcher with an interest in football, the sociology of sport, social theory or social issues in wider society.

Health Communication and Sport: Connections, Applications, and Opportunities aggregates sport and health communication into a collective resource that advances scholarly inquiry at the intersection of these two fields. Through bringing together a collaborative of scholars and practitioners who are doing work in areas ranging from mental health, to media, to youth sports, and social media, this volume evaluates health communication issues in sport contexts and inspires work that will answer contemporary questions and problems.

The global professionalisation of women's football has gathered momentum in the twenty first century, and professional women footballers are now more prevalent and evident in cultures around the world. Despite increased professionalisation and record-breaking viewing and participation figures for women's football, there are persistent challenges for women in the game. Professional football is now a viable career opportunity for women globally; however, as Women's Football in a Global, Professional Era demonstrates, there are pressing issues and unanswered questions that remain in the game. In this collection, a range of scholars contribute research covering three key areas as women's football shifts into a global, professional era: issues surrounding the historical development of professional women's football, documentation of the lived experiences of women in an emerging professional space and, finally, discussions around commercialisation and media coverage of the sport. Women's Football in a Global, Professional Era is an important addition to discussions on sport as work for women, and an essential reference point for students, researchers and sports professionals interested in the debates around the professionalisation of women's football internationally.

As women's sport continues to grow and develop there is an increasing need to critically examine the conditions in which women as athletes operate. The Professionalisation of Women's Sport discusses the processes of professionalisation in women's sports as distinct from, and different to, that seen in men's sport, identifying different challenges that face the growth of women's elite sport. Within this collection, the complex and often fragmented nature of women's involvement across a range of sports are critically discussed. Contributions span the fields of sport sociology, sport history, sport economics and beyond, and across the varying geographical contexts of North America, Europe, Australia and South Africa. Examining American football, basketball, cricket, cycling, golf, ice hockey, tennis, rugby union and rugby league, scholars consider the emergence of professionalisation, the role of the media, and experiences in and of women's (semi-)professional sport. The Professionalisation of Women's Sport is an essential reference point for any student, researcher or professional interested in, or working in, elite women's sport settings.