Sport and sociology

The sociology of sport is a sub-discipline approaching maturity, but as yet no text has sought to stand back and reflect upon the area's growth, unpacked its developmental trends and taken stock of the current fund of knowledge. "Sport and Sociology" seeks to analyse the key developmental phases in the sociology of sport, and investigate in particular those areas where sport has come to influence sociology per se.

The book also examines how sociology has impacted upon the consciousness of sports fans more generally, and the degree to which there is lay engagement with the ideas of sociologists of sport. "Sport and Sociology" offers a unique and insightful analysis into the relationship between sport and the academic world of sociology.

Rather than discussing different interpretations of phenomena, it explains how these different interpretations came to be, and how they now sit alongside each other.It analyses the active involvement of sociologists of sport in developing the area, and their relations with academics in related areas.

In addition, it observes the way sociologists of sport have sought to popularise their views, and how the sporting public has received this work. Contemporary and clearly written, this book serves as a vital addition to this increasingly popular area, for any student of sport and sociology it is simply essential reading.

This book is a vital reading for this required course in undergraduate sports studies.

It meets the student need for a contemporary, critical introduction to the international development and standing of sport sociology.

If offers a unique and perceptive reflection of the relationship between sport and the academic world of sociology.