Globalizing Sport Studies – serie

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com.Football has undergone a period of transformation over the last thirty years. Despite these global processes, different national leagues have adapted in different ways. After an initial period of success directly after Italia ’90, Italian football has gone through a period of sustained crisis. It has been blighted by financial mismanagement, corruption scandals and fan violence. This has impacted Italy's ability to compete on a global stage. Football Italia accounts for the development of Italian football in relation to the wider global transformations impacting football and addresses the reasons for Serie A's initial success and current malaise. Theoretically, this book locates Italian football within the wider power network of the state and how this has impacted political engagement. After an historical overview of the Italian political economy, Football Italia highlights how football is part of the wider political network. Football clubs are owned by powerful businessmen (and they are all men) who are also politicians. This centralisation of power within a small hegemonic group inhibits change. Within this broader structure, wider corruption scandals continue; from regular match-fixing scandals to doping. Meanwhile, stadiums are crumbling and police over-aggressive. It is within this context that we must place the fans. Both the ultras and supporters who attend official supporters’ clubs are disaffected and without the power to change the status quo. Consequently, Italian football has been in decline throughout the 21st century.

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com.How has globalization impacted on sports media? What are the economic ramifications? And what is the future of sports media?In order to answer these questions, this book investigates the constituents, dimensions and implications of the flows of media sport from the Global West to the Global East, and in the reverse direction. At an historical moment when the relative stability of the Western media sport order is under challenge, it analyses a range of key structures, practices and issues whose ramifications extend far beyond the fields of play and national contexts in which sport events take place. The book will appraise and analyse the state of sports television, rise of new sports media, emergence of hybrid sport cultural forms, eruption of sport-related political controversies, scandals and power struggles, mutations of forms of global sport fandom, and projections of the future of global media sport. In bringing together the latest research from across a number of disciplines, this book offers an exciting contribution to the emerging field of global sports media.

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com.In 'Japanese Women and Sport', Robin Kietlinski sets out to problematize the hegemonic image of the delicate Japanese woman, highlighting an overlooked area in the history of modern Japan. Previous studies of gender in the Japanese context do not explore the history of female participation in sport, and recent academic studies of women and sport tend to focus on Western countries. Kietlinski locates the discussion of Japanese women in sport within a larger East Asian context and considers the socio-economic position and history of modern Japan. Reaching from the early 20th century to the present day, Kietlinski traces the progression of Japanese women's participation in sport from the first female school for physical education and the foundations of competitive sport through to their growing presence in the Olympics and international sport.

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com.The role of sport in development initiatives has grown dramatically over the last five years, now finding a place in the UN's millennium development goals. In Sport and Development for Peace, Simon Darnell outlines the most recent sociological research on the role of sport in development initiatives. The book analyses the relationship between sport and international development and looks at what this reveals about socio-political economy. It addresses a gap in the literature by focusing on issues of politics, power and culture, particularly looking at volunteer experience, mega-sporting events and sporting celebrity in the context of development. Darnell questions the belief that sport can offer a 'solution' to enduring development issues. Drawing on the latest empirical research, the book is a thorough and timely analysis of the social and political implications of tying sport to development.

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com.Globalizing Cricket examines the global role of the sport - how it developed and spread around the world. The book explores the origins of cricket in the eighteenth century, its establishment as England's national game in the nineteenth, the successful (Caribbean) and unsuccessful (American) diffusion of cricket as part of the development of the British Empire and its role in structuring contemporary identities amongst and between the English, the British and postcolonial communities.Whilst empirically focused on the sport itself, the book addresses broader issues such as social development, imperialism, race, diaspora and national identities. Tracing the beginnings of cricket as a 'folk game' through to the present, it draws together these different strands to examine the meaning and social significance of the modern game. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the role of sport in both colonial and post-colonial periods; the history and peculiarities of English national identity; or simply intrigued by the game and its history.

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com.From neighborhood coalitions organizing against the building of a sport facility for professional sports teams subsidized by public funds, to global campaigns for equity for women in sport, to worldwide bans of apartheid regimes, sites and levels of protest, resistance and activism have been present throughout the history of sport. Contentious forms of collective actions are now ever more present in various forms at the local, the national and the global levels.Sport and Social Movements: From the Local to the Global is the first book-length treatment of the way social movements have intersected and continue to intersect with sport. It traces the history of various social movements associated with labour, women, peace, the environment and rights (civil, racial, disability and sexual), and their relationship to sport and sports mega-events such as the Olympic Games. Based on research conducted by a multinational team of authors that draws on theories of social movements and new social movements, the book includes a valuable chronology of social movements, illustrations of key episodes in the development of the relationships between sport and different social movements and an agenda for future research and scholarship. Written in a clear and comprehensive style it is suitable for all levels of higher education, researchers and the general reader who want to know more about the role that sport has played in the development of social movements and campaigns for social justice.

The spectacle of major cultural and sporting events can preoccupy modern societies. This book is concerned with contemporary mega-events, like the Olympics and Expos. Using a sociological perspective Roche argues that mega-events reflect the major social changes which now influence our societies, particularly in the West, and that these amount to a new ‘second phase’ of the modernization process. Changes are particularly visible in the media, urban and global locational aspects of mega-events. Thus he suggests that contemporary mega-events, both in their achievements and their vulnerabilities, reflect, in the media sphere, the rise of the internet; in the urban sphere, de-industrialisation and the growing ecological crisis; and in the global sphere, the relative decline of the West and the rise of China and other ‘emerging’ countries.

The global success of football icons like Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba and Mohamed Salah has fuelled the migratory projects of countless young men across the African continent who dream of following – literally and figuratively – in their footsteps. Drawing on over a decade of ethnographic research, African football migration captures and chronicles the aspirations, experiences and trajectories of those pursuing this highly prized form of transnational migration. In doing so, the book uncovers and traces the myriad actors, networks and institutions that affect the ability of young people across the continent to realise social mobility through football’s global production network.The book sheds critical light on the barriers to social mobility erected by neoliberal capitalism, and how these are negotiated by aspiring African footballers. It also generates original interdisciplinary perspectives on the complex interplay between structural forces and human agency, as young players navigate an industry rife with commercial speculation. While a select few reach the elite levels of the game and build a successful career overseas, the book vividly illustrates how for the vast majority, ‘trying their luck’ through football results in involuntary immobility in post-colonial Africa. These findings are complemented by rare empirical insights from transnational African migrants at the margins of the global football industry and those navigating precarious retirement from careers as players.African football migration offers essential coverage of why and how African youth and young men have become actors in the global football industry, revealing the complex implications of transnational mobility, both imagined and enacted.

The spectacle of major cultural and sporting events can preoccupy modern societies. This book is concerned with contemporary mega-events, like the Olympics and Expos. Using a sociological perspective Roche argues that mega-events reflect the major social changes which now influence our societies, particularly in the West, and that these amount to a new ‘second phase’ of the modernization process. Changes are particularly visible in the media, urban and global locational aspects of mega-events. Thus he suggests that contemporary mega-events, both in their achievements and their vulnerabilities, reflect, in the media sphere, the rise of the internet; in the urban sphere, de-industrialisation and the growing ecological crisis; and in the global sphere, the relative decline of the West and the rise of China and other ‘emerging’ countries.

Golf is a major global industry. The sport is played by more than 60 million people worldwide and there are more than 32,000 courses in 140 countries across the globe. This book looks at the power relationships in and around golf, examining whether the industry has demonstrated sufficient leadership on environmental matters to be trusted to make weighty decisions with implications for public and environmental health. The first comprehensive study of the varying responses to golf-related environmental issues, it is based on extensive empirical work, including research into historical materials and interviews with stakeholders in golf such as course superintendents, protesters and health professionals. The authors examine golf as a sport and as a global industry, drawing on and contributing to literatures pertaining to environmental sociology, global social movements, institutional change, corporate environmentalism and the sociology of sport.An electronic edition of this book is freely available under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

The global success of football icons like Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba and Mohamed Salah has fuelled the migratory projects of countless young men across the African continent who dream of following in their footsteps. Drawing on over a decade of ethnographic research, the book chronicles the experiences and trajectories of those pursuing this highly prized form of transnational migration. This book uncovers and traces the myriad actors, networks and institutions that affect the ability of young people across the continent to realise social mobility through football’s global production network.The book sheds critical light on the barriers to social mobility erected by neoliberal capitalism, and how these are negotiated. It also generates original interdisciplinary perspectives on the complex interplay between structural forces and human agency, as young players navigate an industry rife with commercial speculation.

Head in the game brings together international scholars from multiple humanities, social science, and scientific disciplines to critically examine one of the most vexing issues in global sport: concussion. It argues that science and medicine alone cannot solve the concussion crisis: sociocultural factors must also be considered. This edited collection draws attention to the ways that social, cultural, historical, political, literary, philosophical, and legal factors have shaped the concussion crisis in sport. Head in the game is essential reading for those who want to understand how the concussion crisis came to be, and provides guidance for developing ethical and evidence-based solutions in the future.

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com.From neighborhood coalitions organizing against the building of a sport facility for professional sports teams subsidized by public funds, to global campaigns for equity for women in sport, to worldwide bans of apartheid regimes, sites and levels of protest, resistance and activism have been present throughout the history of sport. Contentious forms of collective actions are now ever more present in various forms at the local, the national and the global levels.Sport and Social Movements: From the Local to the Global is the first book-length treatment of the way social movements have intersected and continue to intersect with sport. It traces the history of various social movements associated with labour, women, peace, the environment and rights (civil, racial, disability and sexual), and their relationship to sport and sports mega-events such as the Olympic Games. Based on research conducted by a multinational team of authors that draws on theories of social movements and new social movements, the book includes a valuable chronology of social movements, illustrations of key episodes in the development of the relationships between sport and different social movements and an agenda for future research and scholarship. Written in a clear and comprehensive style it is suitable for all levels of higher education, researchers and the general reader who want to know more about the role that sport has played in the development of social movements and campaigns for social justice.

Golf is a major global industry. The sport is played by more than 60 million people worldwide and there are more than 32,000 courses in 140 countries across the globe. This book looks at the power relationships in and around golf, examining whether the industry has demonstrated sufficient leadership on environmental matters to be trusted to make weighty decisions with implications for public and environmental health. The first comprehensive study of the varying responses to golf-related environmental issues, it is based on extensive empirical work, including research into historical materials and interviews with stakeholders in golf such as course superintendents, protesters and health professionals. The authors examine golf as a sport and as a global industry, drawing on and contributing to literatures pertaining to environmental sociology, global social movements, institutional change, corporate environmentalism and the sociology of sport.An electronic edition of this book is freely available under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

This jointly authored book extends understanding of the use of sport to address global development agendas by offering an important departure from prevailing theoretical and methodological approaches in the field. Drawing on nearly a decade of wide-ranging multidisciplinary research undertaken with young people and adults living and working in urban communities in Zambia, the book presents a localised account that locates sport for development in historical, political, economic and social context. A key feature of the book is its detailed examination of the lives, experiences and responses of young people involved in sport for development activities, drawn from their own accounts. The book's unique approach and content will be highly relevant to academic researchers and post-graduate students studying sport and development in across many different contexts.An electronic edition of this book is freely available under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

This book outlines the ways sport helps to create transnational social fields that interconnect migrants dispersed across a region known as the Black Atlantic: England, North America and the Caribbean. Many Caribbean men's stories about their experiences migrating to Canada, settling in Toronto, finding jobs and travelling involved some contact with a cricket and social club. It offers a unique contribution to black diaspora studies through showing sport in Canada as a means of contending with ageing in the diaspora, creating transnational relationships, and marking ethnic boundaries on a local scale. The book also brings black diaspora analysis to sport research, and through a close look at what goes on before, during and after cricket matches provides insights into the dis-unities, contradictions and complexities of Afro-diasporic identity in multicultural Canada. It will be of interest to students and scholars in sociology, sport studies and black diaspora studies.An electronic edition of this book is freely available under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC) licence.

How do new technologies come to be used in sport? This book moves beyond the idea of functionality to explore the many other important factors that athletes and sporting bodies consider throughout the process of adoption. Few would question the difficulty of producing an elite athletic performance. The high level of training, combined with intense competition and pressure from media and sponsors, can be challenging for athletes and sporting bodies to negotiate. This book explores how these factors affect the use of technology in sport, while simultaneously demonstrating the influence of new technologies on sporting practice. Using actor-network theory ­- an approach common in studies of science and management but seldom applied in this field - it offers readers an inside view into elite sport and the part that technology plays in training, competition and broadcasting. Sport and technology offers theoretical insights relevant to students and scholars of sport and sociology. It will also be fascinating reading for anyone interested in elite sporting practice in the twenty-first century.An electronic edition of this book is freely available under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC) licence.

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com.How has globalization impacted on sports media? What are the economic ramifications? And what is the future of sports media?In order to answer these questions, this book investigates the constituents, dimensions and implications of the flows of media sport from the Global West to the Global East, and in the reverse direction. At an historical moment when the relative stability of the Western media sport order is under challenge, it analyses a range of key structures, practices and issues whose ramifications extend far beyond the fields of play and national contexts in which sport events take place. The book will appraise and analyse the state of sports television, rise of new sports media, emergence of hybrid sport cultural forms, eruption of sport-related political controversies, scandals and power struggles, mutations of forms of global sport fandom, and projections of the future of global media sport. In bringing together the latest research from across a number of disciplines, this book offers an exciting contribution to the emerging field of global sports media.

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com.In 'Japanese Women and Sport', Robin Kietlinski sets out to problematize the hegemonic image of the delicate Japanese woman, highlighting an overlooked area in the history of modern Japan. Previous studies of gender in the Japanese context do not explore the history of female participation in sport, and recent academic studies of women and sport tend to focus on Western countries. Kietlinski locates the discussion of Japanese women in sport within a larger East Asian context and considers the socio-economic position and history of modern Japan. Reaching from the early 20th century to the present day, Kietlinski traces the progression of Japanese women's participation in sport from the first female school for physical education and the foundations of competitive sport through to their growing presence in the Olympics and international sport.

This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com.Globalizing Cricket examines the global role of the sport - how it developed and spread around the world. The book explores the origins of cricket in the eighteenth century, its establishment as England's national game in the nineteenth, the successful (Caribbean) and unsuccessful (American) diffusion of cricket as part of the development of the British Empire and its role in structuring contemporary identities amongst and between the English, the British and postcolonial communities.Whilst empirically focused on the sport itself, the book addresses broader issues such as social development, imperialism, race, diaspora and national identities. Tracing the beginnings of cricket as a 'folk game' through to the present, it draws together these different strands to examine the meaning and social significance of the modern game. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the role of sport in both colonial and post-colonial periods; the history and peculiarities of English national identity; or simply intrigued by the game and its history.