Women fans have entered the traditionally male domain of the sports stadium in growing numbers in recent years. Watching professional sport is important for women for so many reasons, but their expectations and experiences have been largely ignored by academics. This book tackles these shortcomings in the literature and sheds new light on the many ways in which women become sports fans. 　

This ground-breaking study is the first to focus on the phenomenon of the feminization of sports fandom. Including original research on football and rugby union in the UK, it looks at the...

What does it mean when a hit that knocks an American football player unconscious is cheered by spectators? What are the consequences of such violence for the participants of this sport and for the entertainment culture in which it exists? This book brings together scholars and sport commentators to examine the relationship between American football, violence and the larger relations of power within contemporary society.

From high school and college to the NFL, "Football, Culture, and Power" analyses the social, political and cultural imprint of America s national pastime. The NFL s...

This book explores the activism of football fans and its impact on contemporary football culture in England, Italy, and the Czech Republic. It focuses on three main themes: the reaction of fans to security measures, the critical engagement of fans with socio-cultural aspects of football games and activism related to football governance. The book will have theoretical implications, not only for studies of football or sport but also for understanding the impact of social movements and activism more broadly in other social spheres. In this regard, it will provide a theoretical perspective on...

This book develops a new way of understanding the impact of surfing on the environment, society and the economy. It contextualizes surfing within current debates on sustainability, considering its impact on communities as well as individual health and wellbeing. The book analyses the capacity of surfing to influence behaviour both at an individual and organizational level. It explores notions of sustainability from a range of perspectives including higher education, industry, the charity sector, media and celebrity culture. Featuring a range of international case studies, it analyses the...

This book is about the sexual abuse of children and young people in sports contexts. It documents and evaluates this important issue through a critical investigation of the research, policy and practice which has emerged within sport over the past two decades. It also provides a new theoretical framework through which child sexual abuse in sport may be understood and further explored. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including survivor accounts, sport agencies records and wider media, this book is important reading for any researcher, policy-maker or practitioner working in youth sport,...

There is a clear sense in which sport has played, and continues to play an important role in the normalization and legitimization of routine, excessive and problem drinking; sport and alcohol have become inextricably linked. Alcohol companies provide funding in the form of sponsorship, fans consume alcohol when watching, and players celebrate, bond and relax with alcohol. Sport and Alcohol: an ethical perspective aims to critically examine the various ways in which sport and alcohol interact.　

In doing so, the book casts an ethical eye over the following...

The relationship between sport, medicine and health in our society is becoming increasingly complex. This important and timely study explores this relationship through an analysis of changing political economies, altered perceptions of the body and science s developing contribution to the human condition. Surveying the various ways in which medicine interacts with the world of sport, it examines the changing practices and purposes of sports medicine today.

Drawing on the latest research in the sociology of sport, this book investigates the scientific discourse underlying the...

This book provides a major contribution to the religious and theological study of sport. It explores the dialectical relationship between sport and Christianity across diverse global cultures, extending beyond a Western perspective of Christianity. It contains contributions from leading experts within the field to provide ethnographic, theoretical and theological reflections on sport in Africa, Australasia, Asia and Europe. Its chapters also examine violent sports such as boxing and mixed martial arts from a Christian standpoint, as well as reflecting on sporting celebrity and the theology...

This book examines the exclusion of British Asians from the football industry, drawing on a wealth of empirical work with players, coaches, scouts, managers, fans, anti-racist organisations, community officers, and key stakeholders. It adopts a critical race theory (CRT) perspective to offer a platform for excluded communities to discuss their experiences and offer their advice, guidance and criticisms. Notions of whiteness, intersectionalities and gender are explored and filter throughout. This book highlights historical and contemporary reasons for the British Asian exclusion from...

This multidisciplinary book draws on sociology, cultural studies, anthropology and history, to explore the diversity, challenges and achievements of Latin American women in sport. It offers an in-depth analysis of women s sport in ten countries across Latin America, insights into the sport activities of indigenous peoples, and the contributions of Latin American women to sport living outside of the region. The book also provides a comprehensive overview of international developments in gender and sport research, policy development and theory, and addresses sport participation at many...