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...

When this book was first published the study of sport had been largely neglected by sociologists. The contributions to this volume bring the sports field, the leisure centre and everyday leisure activities to a more central position within the sociological enterprise. Whether amateur or professional, sport contributes to wider relations of power, privilege and domination and this debate represents an important phase in the sociology of sport and leisure.

How do new technologies come to be used in sport? This book provides an answer that moves beyond simple functionality. It argues that while technologies must work in order to be used, the functionality of the technology is less relevant for athletes and sporting bodies where there are myriad of other factors that contribute to their decisions to utilize particular technologies.
Few doubt the complexity of producing an elite athletic performance; the high-level of training, combined with intense competition plus pressure from media and sponsors can be challenging for athletes and sporting...