ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews basic concepts and indicators of leisure, relevant methods of data collection and analysis. It also reviews the various types of research question posed as part of the sociological study of leisure, the issue of data comparability, and finally the developing links between leisure theory and research. Sport is one form of recreation, and has been defined as 'a human activity that involves specific administrative organization and a historical background of rules which define the objective and limit the pattern of human behavior. The chapter looks briefly at comparable leisure data in three respects: various historical periods, multi-national surveys, and international comparisons based on separate national inquiries. It considers various sociological theories in relation to the study of leisure and to its influence on or by other life spheres and social institutions; theories relevant to particular types of leisure; and the status of 'leisure' sociology in relation to other sociologies and to general sociology.
