On school playgrounds and sporting fields, the words 'you throw like a girl' are often used to denigrate particular players. Caricatures on Native Americans continue to fill billboards and sport stadiums, even in our nation's capital, despite the outcry of many American Indian organizations and supporters. These words, images, and the actions associated with them have meanings, and say much about the role of sport in our world and in our lives. Yet sport is rarely examined critically, despite the fact that it is an integral part of our society, and an important force in our lives. While we often complain about certain aspects of sport, rarely are solutions explored. This book provides coaches, educators, parents, and others dealing with students and athletes with an engaging and critical venue by which to examine contemporary issues and controversies surrounding sport. In this text, authors take up the challenges faced by sport in our world, especially as it relates to the lives of young people, providing multiple perspectives on the issues, problems, and possibilities of sport in contemporary American society. The authors represent a variety of positions_scholars, coaches, teachers, athletes, and community members_providing readers with different lenses through which to examine sport and its role in our society. This book helps readers to recognize that sport is not just a game, but also a serious piece of our culture that needs to be examined critically from multiple perspectives.

In today's culture, sports wield a weight influence; this influence, however, is rarely examined. Similar to the first edition, this second edition of Learning Culture Through Sports provides coaches, educators, parents, and others dealing with students and athletes with an engaging and critical context for probing the sociological basis of this influence. The book's sections each address a particular issue in sport: youth and sport; gender and sexuality; race and ethnicity; sport, media, and big business; and international perspectives on sport and participation. Leading experts in the field present new and exciting avenues for exploring sport in our world, allowing us to recognize its tremendous influence, both positive and negative, in our lives and in our world. This new edition also includes cutting-edge research examining contemporary issues and controversies surrounding sport today. These issues, analyzed from multiple perspectives, will inspire readers to change the game in positive ways.

In today's culture, sports wield a weight influence; this influence, however, is rarely examined. Similar to the first edition, this second edition of Learning Culture Through Sports provides coaches, educators, parents, and others dealing with students and athletes with an engaging and critical context for probing the sociological basis of this influence. The book's sections each address a particular issue in sport: youth and sport; gender and sexuality; race and ethnicity; sport, media, and big business; and international perspectives on sport and participation. Leading experts in the field present new and exciting avenues for exploring sport in our world, allowing us to recognize its tremendous influence, both positive and negative, in our lives and in our world. This new edition also includes cutting-edge research examining contemporary issues and controversies surrounding sport today. These issues, analyzed from multiple perspectives, will inspire readers to change the game in positive ways.