Margaret Gatz is Professor of Psychology at the University of Southern California, and the editor of Emerging Issues in Mental Health and Aging. Michael A. Messner is Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at the University of Southern California, and the author of Politics of Masculinities: Men in Movements and Power at Play: Sports and the Problem of Masculinity. Sandra J. Ball-Rokeach is Professor of Communication and Sociology at the University of Southern California, and coeditor, with Melvin L. DeFleur, of Theories of Mass Communication.

"This is a timely and useful book that will make a significant contribution. Sport psychologists are just beginning to assess whether or not sports have something positive to offer young people. Political leaders, educators, physical educators, school administrators, and community planners want useful ideas and evaluation information that tells them whether or not sports are an asset in young people's lives, especially poor and marginalized young people. This book takes an important step in this exploratory direction, and will help us plot a course for future research and advocacy." — Donald F. Sabo, coeditor of Masculinities, Gender Relations, and Sport"It is in both the individual scholarship and the juxtaposition of interdisciplinary perspectives that this book truly shines. The multiple voices focusing on similar issues from varying perspectives—research, theory, practical applications, athlete reflections—allow the reader to mentally walk around the complex issues of sport, youth, violence, sport violence, gender, race, and media." — Kate F. Hays, author of Working it Out: Using Exercise in Psychotherapy

• ForewordWayne WilsonPrefaceIntroduction: Framing Social Issues through SportPART ONE CAN SPORT FOR YOUTH BUILD CHARACTER AND PREVENT VIOLENCE? 1. Using Sports to Control Deviance and Violence among Youths: Let's Be Critical and CautiousJay Coakley2. The Role of Sports in Youth DevelopmentMartha E. Ewing, Lori A. Gano-Overway, Crystal F. Branta, and Vern D. Seefeldt3. Teaching Life Skills through SportSteven J. DanishKids of Value: A Conversation with Marty MartinsonPART TWO READING SOCIAL ISSUES: SPORTS MEDIA, LITERATURE, AND PEDAGOGY 4. Representations of Female Athletes in Young Adult Sports Fiction: Issues and Intersections of Race and GenderMary Jo Kane and Kimberly D. Pearce5. We Got Next: Negotiating Race and Gender in Professional BasketballSarah Banet-Weiser6. Teaching Against the Grain: A Learner-Centered, Media-Based, and Profeminist Approach to Gender and Nonviolence in SportJim McKay7. Blowing Whistles: The Sports Violence ProfileLawrence A. WennerLet's Face It: A Conversation with David Davis on Sports JournalismPART THREE RACIAL INEQUALITY AND INTERGROUP CONTACT 8. Race, Youth, and Role ModelsKenneth L. Shropshire9. Understanding Intercultural Relations on Multiethnic High School Sports TeamsPatricia M. Greenfield, Helen M. Davis, Lalita K. Suzuki, and Ioakim P. Boutakidis10. Athletic Identity, Racial Attitudes, and Aggression in First-Year Black and White Intercollegiate AthletesJames S. Jackson, Shelley Keiper, Kendrick T. Brown, Tony N. Brown, and Warde Manuel11. Uneven Playing Field: The Impact of Structural Barriers on the Initial Eligibility of African American Student AthletesRobert M. Sellers, Tabbye M. Chavous, and Tony N. BrownRace and Sport and Youth in America: A Conversation with Terrence BarnumPART FOUR VIOLENCE ON AND OFF THE PLAYING FIELD: IS THE PROBLEM SPORT CULTURE OR SOCIETY? 12. Contrasting Perspectives on Youthful Sports ViolenceMalcolm W. Klein and Susan B. Sorenson13. From "Sports Violence" to "Sports Crime": Aspects of Violence, Law, and Gender in the Sports ProcessKevin Young14. Scoring without Consent: Confronting Male Athletes' Violence Against WomenMichael A. Messner and Mark A. Stevens15. Sport, Youth, Violence, and the Media: An Activist Athlete's Point of ViewDonald G. McPhersonSport and Youth-Violence Prevention: A Conversation with Billie P. Weiss