Showing titles in Sociology of Sports

The hardening of racial lines during the first half of the 20th century eliminated almost all African Americans from white organized sports, forcing black athletes to form their own teams, organizations, and events. This separate sporting culture, explored in the 12 essays included here, comprised much more than athletic competition; these “separate games” provided examples of black enterprise and black self-help and showed the importance of agency and the quest for racial uplift in a country fraught with racialist thinking and discrimination.

Seen around the world, John Carlos and Tommie Smith’s Black Power salute on the 1968 Olympic podium sparked controversy and career fallout. Yet their show of defiance remains one of the most iconic images of Olympic history and the Black Power movement. Here is the remarkable story of one of the men behind the salute, lifelong activist, John Carlos.

In our increasingly polarised society, having productive discussions about social justice issues has never been more challenging, or more crucial. From the persistent ('not all men,' 'I don't see colour') to the insidious ('to play devil's advocate...', 'climate change is coming'), too often, antagonistic or problematic responses threaten to distract and derail our most urgent conversations. Tackling twenty of the most enduring conversation-stoppers, No Offence, But... equips listeners with the knowledge, tools and context to respond with confidence.

Growing up, R. Renee Hess didn’t care about hockey. In fact, she was barely aware of it. She was born and raised in Southern California, hardly a hotbed for the game, despite the state having three NHL teams. But, as Hess puts it, she is “a fan of being a fan,” and when she found herself stuck in traffic after a Pittsburgh Penguins game, the streets filled with cheers, something sparked within her. Ever since Hess made that discovery, she has been actively trying to bust the myth that “Black folks don’t like hockey.”

Danielle Williams, skydiver and founder of the online community Melanin Base Camp, profiles dozens of adventurers pushing the boundaries of inclusion and equity in the outdoors. These compelling narratives include a mother whose love of hiking led her to found a nonprofit to expose BIPOC children to the wonders of the outdoors and a mountain biker who, despite at first dealing with unwelcome glances and hostility on trails, went on to become a blogger who writes about justice and diversity in natural spaces.

Roderick Sewell was an active kid. Born without tibias in both of his legs Roderick wrestled with his cousins and climbed every surface of his grandmother’s home. When he was two years old his mother, Marian, made the incredibly tough choice to have his legs amputated to save his life. That didn’t stop Roderick, a rambunctious toddler who could hardly sit still while his body healed. But when his mother's modest income couldn’t cover Roderick’s prosthetics, she made another impossible decision: to leave her demanding job working for the US Navy and go on unemployment.

Asks what has happened to English football and how we can launch a revolution amongst English fandom in order not just to take back control of the game, but invent new ways our society and economy can work in the interest of the people again. Football has always been the People's Game and even after three decades of clubs being loaded with debt, ticket prices hiked, and fans blasted with gambling ads, football persists as a source of solidarity, civic engagement and national and international pride.

“The Haves and The Have Nots of Youth Athletics” by Lenzy Hancock uncovers the escalating financial barriers in youth sports, revealing how the divide between affluent and underprivileged athletes reshapes the sporting landscape. Hancock blends statistics, personal stories, and expert insights to explore the transformation of youth sports from community-based activities to costly, exclusive training grounds.

In Sports and Aging a wide-ranging group of physically active people, including many scholar-athletes, fifty years and older, discuss sports in the context of aging and their own athletic experiences. This collection of personal accounts includes a spectrum of contributors across genders, social classes, and racial, ethnic, national, religious, and educational backgrounds to determine whether there are any common characteristics that can promote long, happy, healthy, and meaningful lifespans.

An entertaining, anecdotal exploration of how the skills used in evaluating fantasy sports talent are one and the same with the skills we all use every day of our lives. The world of fantasy sports is no longer the purview of nerds and stat geeks. In fact, versions of the game are currently played by tens of millions of people worldwide. But while fantasy sports may have begun as a light-hearted diversion, to many of its participants winning or losing is no laughing matter.

For football fans who hungrily feed on gossip and rumour, Christmas comes twice a year - once in August and again in January. These are the months when the transfer window dominates thoughts, when the prospect of a new signing or two reinvigorates the hopes and dreams of the hopelessly devoted. Nige Tassell goes behind the scenes to observe the workings of the transfer window and to examine why it continues to hold such fascination for a nation of football lovers.

You Are the First You tells the story of Whitney Holtzman’s journey through the sports and marketing world as a female entrepreneur, and the lessons she learned along the way. Whitney’s career in pro sports has included stops at ESPN and Major League Baseball, in addition to working for entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk at VaynerMedia. Her passion is at the intersection of sports and making the world a better place, which was showcased when she then joined RISE, a racial equality nonprofit with every pro sports league on the board.

Take Your Mark, Lead! is a self-help, go-to guide for people who urgently want to take charge of their lives. Leader, champion, and survivor Kelly Parker Palace delivers 11 entertaining, informative chapters chocked full of inspiring stories and actionable, practical strategies. This transformative book will empower you to triumph in all aspects of your life and to champion yourself, your business, and others.

Nations, peoples and neighbourhoods across the globe imagine and invent themselves through playing and following the game. In The Age of Football, David Goldblatt charts football’s global cultural ascent, its economic transformation and deep politicisation, taking in prison football in Uganda and amputee football in Angola, the role of football fans in the Arab Spring, the footballing presidencies of Bolivia’s Evo Morales and Turkey’s Recep Erdogan, China’s declared intention to both host and win the World Cup by 2050 and the FIFA corruption scandal.

The history of sports is also the history of power, politics and progress. From ancient origins to groundbreaking firsts, sometimes sports are history. It has been with us through every historical period - from the indigenous tribes of premodern America, through colonial societies, to the modern era of today. The study of sports has become an examination of how women, minorities, and ethnic and religious groups have influenced the American experience and how historical factors, such as gender, ethnicity, race, and religion, provide a more complete understanding of our common identity.

When Rodney Mason, an ex-con drug dealer from Newark's rough South Ward, was shot and paralyzed, he vowed to turn his life around. A former high-school pitching ace with a 93-mph fastball, Mason decided to form a Little League team to help boys avoid the street life that had claimed his youth and mobility. Predictably, the players struggle but through the fists and tears, lopsided losses and rare victories, this bunch of misfits becomes a team, and in doing so gives the community something to root for.

From Somerset stalwart to acclaimed writer and broadcaster, Vic Marks has lived a life steeped in cricket. In Late Cuts, he takes us beyond the boundary rope, sharing the parts of the game fans don't get to see, from the food served at tea-time (then: sweaty ham, now: quinoa, cranberry and feta salad) to the politics of the dressing room. With chapters on what it feels like to be dropped, how to be a good 12th man, captaincy, selection and more, this amusing and insightful collection will delight all cricket lovers.

I am involved in youth sports parenting for more than 40 years, having experienced it from both sides of the coin. ParentShift, which you are about to listen to, embraces all that knowledge. The process never ends, because I am still learning; my kids teach me every day. Do you have the feeling of coming up short as a parent? Don't worry; you are not alone. It happens to me all the time, and we can fix it together.

In his blistering new audiobook, Bias in the Booth, sports reporter and commentator Dylan Gwinn takes you inside the sports media spin machine to reveal what they hope you won't notice: The sports media are no different from the news and entertainment media.

Aus der Höhe des Geistes gesehen, hat Fußball etwas erschreckend Direktes, den Geschmack des physischen Kampfs und den Geruch von Körpern und Erde. Kann ein Spiel, das sich so offensichtlich gegen die Zivilisation stellt, einen philosophischen Gehalt haben? Dieser Frage geht der Sportphilosoph Gunter Gebauer nach, indem er das Fußballspiel ins Verhältnis zu anderen kulturellen Errungenschaften setzt. Aus verschiedenen Perspektiven nähert er sich so der Faszination, die das beliebteste aller Spiele über alle Grenzen hinweg auslöst. Ein Hörerlebnis mit vielen Originaltönen aus sechs Jahrzehnten Fußballgeschichte!