The Social Significance of Sport: An Introduction to the Sociology of Sport

Three leading researchers in the sociology of sport have authored a text that will revolutionize the teaching of undergraduate sport sociology. Most sociology of sport texts merely describe sport in our society; >The Social Significance of Sport> goes on to explain why sport functions as it does in our society.This text is not the usual topical approach to sport sociology; it provides a far more comprehensive, penetrating, and insightful analysis of contemporary sport. The text forms three parts, each detailing a major theme.Part Iconsiders how sport reflects the norms, values, and practices of other social institutions, such as the following:--The family-School and youth groups-Politics and law-The economy-The mass mediaPart IIanalyzes how sport fosters inequity or promotes social mobility for cross-sections of the population such as--ethnic minorities,-females,-the financially disadvantaged, and-older adults.Part IIIexamines how sport can encourage resistance and conflict. It also explores sport's potential to--stimulate social change beyond the world of sport and-create subcultures that pursue the interests of disadvantaged groups.>The Social Significance of Sport> is a comprehensive, analytical, and interpretive synthesis of the essential knowledge in sport sociology. This text covers the spectrum of issues in the sociology of sport, incorporating both cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary information to add depth and richness to its scope.You'll find no better introductory sociology of sport text to help students--appreciate the social significance of sport,-understand the social structures, social relations, and social problems of sport, and-learn how the theories and methods of the social sciences allow us to better understand sport and to develop policies and programs to resolve social problems in sport.The trio of internationally renowned sport sociologists have applied their 40 years of collective teaching experience to write this highly practical resource. The text explains complex concepts in understandable and straightforward language, using frequent examples to illustrate key points and captivate student interest.Each chapter features--an insightful overview to introduce the major issues,-highlights that enhance understanding by presentingadditional information on major issues in sport, and-wrap-ups that summarize the content of each chapter.A glossary is featured in the back of the text, and glossary terms are identified in bold in each chapter.You'll also appreciate the supporting >Instructor Manual for The Social Significance of Sport.> It contains suggestions for class assignments, an extensive list of audiovisual support materials, and objective, short-answer, and essay questions for testing.Challenge your students to become critical observers of sport by adopting the most insightful, thought-provoking, theoretically stimulating text yet written for introductory sociology of sport courses.Barry D. McPherson is the author of 'The Social Significance of Sport: An Introduction to the Sociology of Sport' with ISBN 9780873222358 and ISBN 0873222350.