ABSTRACT

In the decade or more since publication of the first edition of Understanding Sport, both sport and wider global society have undergone profound change. In this fully updated, revised and expanded edition of their classic textbook, John Horne, Alan Tomlinson, Garry Whannel and Kath Woodward offer a critical and reflective introduction to the relationship between sport and contemporary society and explain how sport remains an important agent and symptom of socio-cultural change.

Fully integrating historical, sociological, political and cultural analysis, the book covers every key topic in the study of sport and society, including:

  • debate, interpretation and theory
  • sport and the media
  • sport and the body
  • sport and politics
  • commercialization
  • globalization.

Retaining the accessibility and scholarly rigour for which Understanding Sport has always been renowned, this new edition includes entirely new chapters on global transformations, sports mega-events and sites, sporting bodies and governance, as well as a succinct guide to researching sport. With review and seminar questions included in every chapter, plus concise, helpful guides to further reading, Understanding Sport remains an essential textbook for all courses on sport and society, the sociology of sport, sport and social theory, or social issues in sport.

chapter Chapter One|17 pages

Industrial Society, Social Change And Sports Culture

chapter Chapter Two|16 pages

Case Studies in the Growth of Modern Sports

chapter Chapter Three|16 pages

Debates, Interpretations, Theories

chapter Chapter Four|17 pages

Social Stratification and Social Division in Sport

chapter Chapter Six|18 pages

Sport and Representation

chapter Chapter Seven|18 pages

Sporting Bodies

Disciplining and Defining Normality

chapter Chapter Eight|17 pages

Sport, the State and Politics

chapter Chapter Nine|18 pages

Governance and Sport

chapter Chapter Ten|19 pages

The Labour Market

chapter Chapter Eleven|17 pages

Sport, Commercialisation and Commodification

chapter Chapter Twelve|17 pages

Global Transformations

chapter Chapter Thirteen|17 pages

Sport Spaces, Sites and Events

chapter Chapter Fourteen|8 pages

Conclusion

Methods for Understanding Sport Culture