Upon first consideration, sport and art seem to occupy separate, even opposing, realms--sport, associated with physical prowess, and art, with the highest reaches of the human mind. But because sport is such a powerful metaphor for so many human experiences, it has found its way into artistic traditions all over the world. Part One of this book provides a basic understanding of sport as symbol. Part Two gives attention to animals as adversaries and traces the origins of sporting art back to the hunt. Part Three considers humans competing against humans in combat sports, ball games, stick-and-ball games, and racquet sports, as well as in warfare. Part Four concentrates on contesting with oneself in races and sports of grace and beauty such as gymnastics, figure skating and ice dancing. The book concludes with a discussion of the athlete's relationships to society.

 Examining the phenomenon of nationalism in the world of sport, this collection of new essays identifies moments when athletes became national symbols through their actions on and off the field. Since the break-up of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, and related global events of the 1980s and 1990s, scholars have explored how race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality shape and are shaped by nationalism and national participation. Topics include: race, golf and the struggle for social justice in South Africa; sport as a battleground within the Israel/Palestine conflict; multiculturalism and the Olympic Games; and white privilege in sport. These case studies explore the strength (and fragility) associated with national identity, and how athletes become icons for their nations.

Filling a gap in the literature on the history of sport in Europe, the book brings together complementary studies on diverse aspects of the interrelation between sport and urban space. Going from geography to political science, from sports history to urban and transport history, it suggests a three-fold approach. A first thematic group of researches ranges around "Sport Development and Urban Spaces", exploring the impact of the city on the rise of sport. A second focal point is related to "Sport Policies and Local Identities" with a special attention given to the making of sport venues and competitions in the making of urban identity. A third thematic group includes studies on "Sport Facilities, Engineers and Workers". The articulation of the three parts builds a unique contribution to the process of identity making at a European level. This book was published a sa special issue of the International Journal of the History of Sport.

This Great Symbol is the definitive study of the origins of the modern Olympic Games and of their founder, Pierre de Coubertin, whose ideological stamp the Olympics still bear. Behind this fascinating blend of biography and history lies an impressive framework of cultural, social, and psychological theories skilfully employed to interpret the creation and symbolism of the modern Olympic Games. Hailed as both a classic in sport history and as a paradigmatic study in the anthropology of the past, This Great Symbol helped launch the new collaboration between historians and cultural anthropologists that continues to mark the human sciences worldwide. For this 25th anniversary edition, Professor MacAloon adds a new preface evaluating subsequent scholarship on Coubertin and the Olympic origins and a highly personal afterword describing the impact of This Great Symbol on his own subsequent career as an Olympic anthropologist and cultural performance theory. This book was published as a special issue of the International Journal of the History of Sport.

Cases in Sport Marketing, simulates real-life scenarios for sport marketers as exhibition games in the preseason simulate the regular season for professional athletes. The text begins with four introductory chapters to explain the case study method and then dedicates the remaining fifteen chapters to fifteen sport marketing cases that cover a wide range of issues and sport industry segments. By working through the cases, students can examine an array of situations and gain experience grappling with actual problems faced by managers. Each case presents the critical issues at hand, possible alternatives for consideration, and the criterion necessary to make an informed decision. The final chapter provides an overview of the sport marketing field.

Sport Law: A Managerial Approach, third edition, merges law and sport management in a way that is accessible and straightforward. Its organization continues to revolve around management functions rather than legal theory. Concise explanations, coupled with relevant industry examples and cases, give readers just enough legal doctrine to understand the important concepts that apply to each area. This book will help prepare students as they get ready to assume a broad range of responsibilities in sport, education, or recreation. Whether readers work as coaches or teachers; administer professional programs; manage fitness/health clubs; or assume roles in a high school, college, Olympic, or professional sport organization, legal concerns will inevitably be woven into their managerial concerns. This book provides knowledge of the law that helps create a competitive advantage and build a more efficient and successful operation that better serves the needs of its constituents. Special Features of the Book Managerial context tables. Chapter-opening exhibits act as organizational and study tools identifying managerial contexts in relation to major legal issues, relevant law, and illustrative cases for the chapter. Case opinions, focus cases, and hypothetical cases. Legal opinions--both excerpted (case opinions) and summarized (focus cases)--illustrate relevant legal points and help readers understand the interplay between fact and legal theory. The cases include questions for discussion, and the instructor’s manual provides guidance for the discussion. Hypothetical cases further highlight topics of interest and include discussion questions to facilitate understanding of the material; analysis and possible responses appear at the end of the chapter. Competitive advantage strategies. Highlighted, focused strategies based on discussions in the text help readers understand how to use the law to make sound operational decisions and will assist them in working effectively with legal counsel. Discussion questions, learning activities, and case studies. Thoughtful and thought-provoking questions and activities emphasize important concepts;they help instructors teach and readers review the material. Creative case studies stimulate readers, as future sport or recreation managers, to analyze situations involving a legal issue presented in the chapter. Annotated websites. Each chapter includes a collection of web resources to help readers explore topics further. Accompanying the web addresses are brief descriptions pointing out key links and the sites' benefits. Bookmarking these sites will help readers in future research or throughout their careers.

Although national and international aspects of the global sport system have become more important in the past decades, it is still at the local level where most of the sporting activities are realized. In order to draw attention to this aspect, the European Association for the Sociology of Sport (eass) chose the title “Local sport in Europe” for its 4th conference that was held in Münster, Germany in 2007. This volume is a collection of papers that were presented at this conference, containing amongst others the three keynote lectures by Horst Hübner (Local sports activity and sports facilities), Fabien Ohl (Local sport between identity and economy) and Gertrud Pfister (Sport for all – opportunities and challenges in different sport systems). The papers cover a great variety of topics that mirror problems and issues of contemporary society, such as violence, racism, gender and health issues, but also current problems of funding and organizational changes in the field of sport. The volume is subdivided into three principal themes: Sport, culture and society, Sport, ethics and identity and Sport, management and politics.

Sport is often at the centre of battles for rights to inclusion linked to class, race and gender, and this book explores struggles centred on disability in different cultural settings in Europe, North America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It challenges oversights and assumptions about the ‘normal’ body, and describes how individual and organizational transformations can occur through sport. The abilities of a person are recognised and placed centre stage - instead of the individual being forgotten, excluded, or placed at the margins simply because they have a disability. National, regional and global change is part of the shift to the rights based approach reflected in the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Making sport inclusive affects the accessibility of facilities, funding, the media, policies, programs, organisations, sponsors and spectators, and at the same time changes the cultural values of the wider society. It also raises issues about competition access and eligibility for ‘different’ and technologically enhanced ‘cyborg’ bodies, and for those most socially disadvantaged. Addressing these questions which ultimately touch on the real meaning of sport can lead to profound changes in people’s attitudes, and how sport is organized locally and globally. Growth in the influential global organisations of the Paralympic Games, Special Olympics and Deaflympics is examined, as is the approach to disability in sport in both advantaged and resource poor countries. The embodied lives of persons with disabilities are explored utilizing new theoretical models, perspectives and approaches. This book was previously published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

Introduction to the Sociology of Sport offers a comprehensive overview of topics, theories, definitions and results of sport sociological research and discussions. A unique approach to the social specificity of sport is outlined.