Jay Coakley – författare

For over 30 years, Sports in Society has been a resource in thecultural, interactional, and structural dimensions of sports. Thelatest release provides a thorough introduction to thesociology of sport by raising critical questions to explore therelationships between sports, culture, and society. This texttakes an issues-oriented approach to the study of sports insociety and encourages the discussion of current sports-related controversies. Students develop critical thinking skillsby considering their own personal experiences, families,schools, communities, and societies.

This new edition continues the legacy of the previous editions while introducing new material and examples that bring theory to life. Current debates in sports, such as how youth participation can be increased or sport funding allocated, have been integrated throughout the text to provide a holistic view of society.

An Online Learning Centre accompanies this book offering a range of lecturer support materials as well as resources and tests for students.

Key aspects of the Handbook include: an inventory of the principal achievements in the field; a guide to the chief conflicts and difficulties in the theory and research process; a rallying point for researchers who are established or new to the field, which sets the agenda for future developments; a resource book for teachers who wish to establish new curricula and develop courses and programmes in the area of sports studies.

With an international and inter-disciplinary team of contributors the Handbook of Sports Studies is comprehensive in scope, relevant in content and far-reaching in its discussion of future prospect.

How do people become involved in sports? What can their experiences teach us?These are two of the many questions asked by this unique collection of personal stories of people involved in sport. Told by researchers who have interviewd participants and observed what happens in the setting where people play sports, the contributions not only show how sport studies contribute to the wider study of society, but also describe the difficulties and challenges faced when doing research of this kind.Inside Sports is divided into four main sections reflecting the social processes and developments over time that make up the experience of sport for most people, however diverse their circumstances may otherwise be:* Early experiences: being introduced to sports* Experience and identity: becoming an athlete* Deep in the experience: doing sports* Transition experiences: facing life beyond the playing field.In its extensive coverage of the sporting experience from within, as well as its discussion of research methods, Inside Sports will be essential reading for all students studying sport in society.