The book provides contemporary insight to the American Dream via the critical lens of soccer. It challenges the notion that America is different, exceptional or unique in the global order, either in real socio-economic-political terms or in perceived cultural terms. The book explores the motives of American university students in undertaking a soccer scholarship, considering the impact of family, social class, social mobility and career development upon social mobility and soccer.

Women worldwide are making their presence felt as sport fans in rapidly increasing numbers. This book makes a distinctive and innovative contribution to the study of sport fandom by exploring the growing visibility and interest in women who follow sport. It presents the latest data on women's sport spectatorship in different regions of the world, posing new theoretical paradigms to study the globalised nature of female sport fandom.

This book goes beyond conventional approaches to analysing the practices of women sport fans. By using a critical feminist perspective to investigate...

The state and status of cricket in British national life has always been a cultural bellwether and this has never been more true than today. Since England regained the Ashes in 2005, to a crescendo of popular interest and acclaim, cricket has been in notable decline, in terms of public awareness and participation. Based on extensive empirical research, this book investigates this decline and assesses the winners and losers, as well as neglected groups such as Afro-Caribbean and Asian communities. It considers the international context and offers comparisons with other cricketing nations,...

Sporting mega events are playing an increasingly important role in the governance of community regeneration and development across the globe. This book examines the ways in which sporting organisations engage with local communities through projects that target youth, health or social issues and act as key partners in governance mechanisms. Showcasing original research to suggest that sporting organisations, mega events and legacies are now operating as governing instruments in renewal programmes, it sheds new light on the role that sport plays in community regeneration and development on...

Based on empirical research, this book offers a critical cultural analysis of the idea that sport can promote the integration of migrants and their descendants. It examines the origins of this idea, the concept of integration, perceptions about target groups, and analyses the methods, results and organisation of sport-based integration programmes. The book also considers the prevalent nationalist (neo-assimilationist) view of integration and uniformity in immigrant groups in the context of migration studies focused on super-diversity, and explores the various ways in which transnational...

In the past, sport, particularly football, has been defined as a male domain. Women's interest stereotypically ranges from gentle tolerance to active resistance. But increasingly, women are proudly identifying themselves as supporters of their teams, and have become highly desirable audiences for sport organizations and merchandisers. Football provides a unique site at which to examine the complex interplay between three theoretical areas: identity formation and maintenance, commercialization of cultural practices, and gender hegemony. This book explores how women experience their fandom,...

As Islam's visibility in global society increases, Muslim populations grow, and Muslim countries compete to take up positions at the heart of global sport, the interplay between sport and Islam becomes ever more illuminating. Sport in Islam and in Muslim Communities is the first book to analyse this relationship through a pluralist lens, exploring the questions it raises about contemporary Islam, globalisation, and the challenges faced by (in particular young) Muslims in negotiating their place in global society.

With contributions from Muslim and non-Muslim authors, the book...

This book explores the cultural, social, spatial, and political dynamics of skateboarding, drawing on contributions from leading international experts across a range of disciplines, such as sociology and philosophy of sport, architecture, anthropology, ecology, cultural studies, sociology, geography, and other fields. Part I critiques the ethos of skateboarding, its cultures and scenes, global trajectory, and the meanings it holds. Part II critically examines skateboarding in terms of space and sites, and Part III explores shifts that have occurred in skateboarding's history around...

Since the turn of the twenty first century, there has been a trend for urban "mega events" to be awarded to cities and nations in the East and Global South. Such events have been viewed as economic stimulant as well as opportunities to promote national identity, gain greater international recognition and exercise a form of 'soft power.' However, there has also been on-going controversy about the value, impact and legacy of global mega events in these cities and nations.

This book provides a critical examination of the ambition for spectacle that has emerged across the East and...

Running is a fundamental human activity and holds an important place in popular culture. In recent decades it has exploded in popularity as a leisure pursuit, with marathons and endurance challenges exerting a strong fascination. Endurance Running　is the first collection of original qualitative research to examine distance running through a socio-cultural lens, with a general objective of understanding the concept and meaning of endurance historically and in contemporary times.

Adopting diverse theoretical and methodological approaches to explore topics such as...