Showing titles in Sociology of Sports

As the revenues generated by big-time college sports continue to skyrocket, virtually all of the debate involves whether (and how much) student-athletes should be paid for play. Kenneth L. Shropshire and Collin D. Williams Jr., argue that "student" has to come first: the focus should be on prioritizing a meaningful education. They draw on new research to reveal that it has become increasingly difficult for college athletes to balance school and sports, much less a social life, leading to serious economic, professional, and emotional consequences for young people.  

Football teams create playbooks, in which they draw up the plays they will use on the field. Playbooks are how teams work and why they win. This book is about a different kind of playbook: The one coaches, teams, universities, police, communities, the media, and fans seem to follow whenever a college football player is accused of sexual assault. It’s a deep dive into how different institutions - the NCAA, athletic departments, universities, the media - run the same plays over and over again when these stories break.

“Sidelined is the feminist sports book we've all been waiting for.” —Jessica Valenti Shrill meets Brotopia in this personal and researched look at women's rights and issues through the lens of sports, from an award-winning sports journalist and women's advocate In a society that is digging...

In Sport, the term 'good bloke' doesn't mean what it says. Like 'fun run', it in fact often means the exact opposite. Titus O'Reily, the sports historian Australia neither needs nor deserves, examines why our nation's sportspeople can do terrible things yet be so readily forgiven. In this Great...

An entertaining look at the meteoric rise of pickleball and one player’s joyful obsession with the game. Just One More Game is writer Clare Frank’s account of abandoning herself to a sport loved by millions (and hated by plenty of others). As she tries to understand its hold on America and...

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE A NEW YORKER NOTABLE BOOK OF 2025 ∙ A LITHUB FAVORITE BOOK OF 2025 From the beloved master of Australian letters Helen Garner comes a brand new work of nonfiction, exploring boyhood, football, and the quotidian joys of family life. "Inclusive...

Named one of Financial Times’s Best Books of 2025 The inside story of the crisis within the country’s most classic sport—horseracing—and why money is killing thoroughbreds at the top of their game. Every year, hundreds of horses die on the racetrack. Why? In this deeply reported and...

The gripping account of the U.S. men’s national soccer team’s winding saga from obscurity to the global stage as they stand on the brink of a seminal World Cup in 2026 For almost half a century, the U.S. men’s national team existed on the fringes of world soccer—out of sight, out of mind...

“Narrator Landon Woodson’s clear diction, interested tone, and appropriate inflections enliven the biographical portraits of little-known and well-known athletes and others.” —AudioFile From the author of the bestselling Kobe Bryant biography The Rise comes the legend of the most...

An inside look at how women athletes are leading the fight for equality—on and off the field Women’s sports receive a fraction of the airtime allotted for men’s sports, as well as a fraction of the marketing dollars, media coverage, and training resources. For every dollar that the NBA’s...

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.

Ballers of the New School uses American sports culture to challenge and explore notions of race in America. Dr. Lewis pushes back against topics such as anti-intellectualism, jingoism, and exploitation in collegiate athletics, as well as the role of sports culture in cultivating notions of...

For 140 years, women’s soccer has been a powerful global force and a vehicle for sparking change. That power has shone through 140 years of obstacles and setbacks, bans and ridicule, dismissal and devaluation. Today, investors and audiences recognize the value of women’s soccer not because it can raise money for charity or inspire young girls (although it can) but simply because it is good business. This sport and the women who play it have captured the world’s attention and will continue to advance the game—and the culture around it.

From a New York Times bestselling author, sports journalist, and fellow believer comes a riveting exploration of the sports-centered Christian revival sweeping America. After a thirty-year reduction in Americans who identified as Christians, the 2020s have seen the birth of a new Christian...

نشجع الأطفال على ممارسة الرياضة كي نغرس فيهم فضائل مثل العمل الجماعي والمثابرة والانضباط، لكن في كثير من الأحيان تثير الرياضة مشكلات أخلاقية شائكة، وهو ما يتضح لنا من الفضائح المتواصلة التي تنقلها لنا عناوين الأخبار. فهل يهدد الجانب الفاسد من الرياضة قدرتها على غرس الفضائل الأخلاقية في حياتنا؟ وهل هذه الفضائل مؤكَّدة من الأساس؟ يقدم روبرت إل. سايمون في هذا الكتاب استقصاءً شاملاً وعميقاً لموضوعات واسعة النطاق تتراوح من أخلاقيات المنافسة، إلى تعاطي العقاقير واستخدام التقنيات المُعزِّزة للأداء، وصولاً إلى المساواة بين الجنسين. إنه كتاب مهمّ ينفذ إلى عمق أسئلة أخلاقيات الرياضة المعقدة، ويستكشف الصلة المنطقيـة بين الفعل الذي يقوم به الرياضيُّ في اللعبة والقواعد الموضوعة المنظمة لتلك اللعبة، ثم يربط الإجابات بالشواغل اليومية حيال القيم والعدالة واللعب النظيف.

An unflinching, all–access look at the friendship between Mickey Mantle and Billy Martin, two of the most beloved New York Yankees and two flawed heroes who battled the colliding forces of success and self–destruction. Through meticulous research and exclusive interviews with the late Mickey...

Longe da pressão estética e da lógica punitiva que a sociedade costuma impor, esta obra propõe uma nova perspectiva: o esporte como ferramenta de liberdade, saúde e reconexão consigo mesmo. Por meio de uma narrativa sincera, leve e potente, as autoras compartilham experiências que provam como o esporte pode ser uma virada de chave — não só no corpo, mas na mente e na forma de existir no mundo. E se nos movimentarmos longe de cobranças vazias, padrões inalcançáveis ou metas que ignoram o prazer? Talvez você se surpreenda com seus limites e sua força.

This book chronicles the long and tortured history of the NCAA's attempt to maintain the myth of amateurism and the student-athlete, along with the attendant fiction that the players academic achievement is the top priority of Division-I athletic programs. It is an indictment of the current system, making the case that big-time college sports cannot continue its connection to universities without undermining the mission of higher education. It concludes with bold proposals to separate big-time college sports from the university, transforming them into on-campus business operations.

A critique of football (soccer) in the USA, the richest country in the world, and how we became mediocre on the world stage of men's football and how to get from here to become #1 in the world for both the men and the women.

"Why It’s Taking So Long to Fix Youth Sports" speaks for the countless voices disheartened by the current state of youth sports. Once innocent neighborhood games have transformed into a cutthroat business fueled by profit. The joy and camaraderie of yesteryears have been overshadowed by a relentless pursuit of success, wealth, and self interest. Youth sports expert Matt Young takes us through a forensic examination of what’s gone wrong, combined with practical strategies for how to give sports back to the kids.