A Wider Social Role for Sport

A Wider Social Role for Sport PDF Author: Fred Coalter
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134227116
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
Sport is perceived to have the potential to alleviate a variety of social problems and generally to ‘improve’ both individuals and the communities in which they live. Sport is promoted as a relatively cost effective antidote to a range of social problems – often those stemming from social exclusion - including poor health, high crime levels, drug abuse and persistent youth offending, educational under-achievement, lack of social cohesion and community identity and economic decline. To this end, there is increasing governmental interest in what has become known as ‘sport for good’. A Wider Social Role for Sport presents the political and historical context for this increased government interest in sport’s potential contribution to a range of social problems. The book explores the particular social problems that governments seek to address through sport, and examines the nature and extent of the evidence for sport’s positive role. It illustrates that, in an era of evidence-based policy-making, the cumulative evidence base for many of these claims is relatively weak, in part because such research is faced with substantial methodological problems in isolating the precise contribution of sport in many contexts. Drawing on worldwide research, A Wider Social Role for Sport explores the current state of knowledge and understanding of the presumed impacts of sport and suggests that we need to adopt a different approach to research and evaluation if sports researchers are to develop their understanding and make a substantial contribution to sports policy..

A Wider Social Role for Sport

A Wider Social Role for Sport PDF Author: Fred Coalter
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134227116
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Get Book Here

Book Description
Sport is perceived to have the potential to alleviate a variety of social problems and generally to ‘improve’ both individuals and the communities in which they live. Sport is promoted as a relatively cost effective antidote to a range of social problems – often those stemming from social exclusion - including poor health, high crime levels, drug abuse and persistent youth offending, educational under-achievement, lack of social cohesion and community identity and economic decline. To this end, there is increasing governmental interest in what has become known as ‘sport for good’. A Wider Social Role for Sport presents the political and historical context for this increased government interest in sport’s potential contribution to a range of social problems. The book explores the particular social problems that governments seek to address through sport, and examines the nature and extent of the evidence for sport’s positive role. It illustrates that, in an era of evidence-based policy-making, the cumulative evidence base for many of these claims is relatively weak, in part because such research is faced with substantial methodological problems in isolating the precise contribution of sport in many contexts. Drawing on worldwide research, A Wider Social Role for Sport explores the current state of knowledge and understanding of the presumed impacts of sport and suggests that we need to adopt a different approach to research and evaluation if sports researchers are to develop their understanding and make a substantial contribution to sports policy..

A Wider Social Role for Sport

A Wider Social Role for Sport PDF Author: Fred Coalter
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134227124
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
Sport is perceived to have the potential to alleviate a variety of social problems and generally to ‘improve’ both individuals and the communities in which they live. Sport is promoted as a relatively cost effective antidote to a range of social problems – often those stemming from social exclusion - including poor health, high crime levels, drug abuse and persistent youth offending, educational under-achievement, lack of social cohesion and community identity and economic decline. To this end, there is increasing governmental interest in what has become known as ‘sport for good’. A Wider Social Role for Sport presents the political and historical context for this increased government interest in sport’s potential contribution to a range of social problems. The book explores the particular social problems that governments seek to address through sport, and examines the nature and extent of the evidence for sport’s positive role. It illustrates that, in an era of evidence-based policy-making, the cumulative evidence base for many of these claims is relatively weak, in part because such research is faced with substantial methodological problems in isolating the precise contribution of sport in many contexts. Drawing on worldwide research, A Wider Social Role for Sport explores the current state of knowledge and understanding of the presumed impacts of sport and suggests that we need to adopt a different approach to research and evaluation if sports researchers are to develop their understanding and make a substantial contribution to sports policy..

The Social Signifiance of Sport

The Social Signifiance of Sport PDF Author: Barry D. Mac Pherson
Publisher: Champaign, Ill. : Human Kinetics Books
ISBN: 9780873222358
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 334

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Book Description
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.

Race, Sport and Politics

Race, Sport and Politics PDF Author: Ben Carrington
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1849204292
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 214

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Book Description
Written by one of the leading international authorities on the sociology of race and sport, this is the first book to address sport′s role in ′the making of race′, the place of sport within black diasporic struggles for freedom and equality, and the contested location of sport in relation to the politics of recognition within contemporary multicultural societies. Race, Sport and Politics shows how, during the first decades of the twentieth century, the idea of ′the natural black athlete′ was invented in order to make sense of and curtail the political impact and cultural achievements of black sportswomen and men. More recently, ′the black athlete′ as sign has become a highly commodified object within contemporary hyper-commercialized sports-media culture thus limiting the transformative potential of critically conscious black athleticism to re-imagine what it means to be both black and human in the twenty-first century. Race, Sport and Politics will be of interest to students and scholars in sociology of culture and sport, the sociology of race and diaspora studies, postcolonial theory, cultural theory and cultural studies.

Sport and the Communities

Sport and the Communities PDF Author: Allan Edwards
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317678419
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 157

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Book Description
Over the past three decades there has been widespread commitment to an understanding that sport can play a key role in community development. The role of sport within communities has been promoted with a wide range of goals such as environmental considerations, encouragement of civic pride, enhancement of confidence and self-esteem and development of social cohesion as well as the fostering of a fit and healthy workforce. To address these issues, a number of programmes have been funded and supported to develop the role of sport in communities worldwide and to increase participation and access to sport and physical activities in rural areas. In addition we are witnessing the development of new sports communities through social media such as Facebook and My Space. The concern is that we need to revisit the concept of ‘community and sport’ and to investigate the current understanding of these terms in view of the evolving role of sport in a range of national settings. This book will present the platform upon which this process can be undertaken and offers a fundamental re-evaluation of the relationship that currently exists between sport and communities throughout selected parts of the world. This book was previously published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

Sport, Exercise and Social Theory

Sport, Exercise and Social Theory PDF Author: Gyozo Molnar
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136476407
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
Why are sport and exercise important? What can the study of sport and exercise tell us about wider society? Who holds the power in creating contemporary sport and exercise discourses? It is impossible to properly understand the role that sport and exercise play in contemporary society without knowing a little social theory. It is social theory that provides the vocabulary for our study of society, that helps us ask the right critical questions and that encourages us to look for the (real) story behind sport and exercise. Sport, Exercise and Social Theory is a concise and engaging introduction to the key theories that underpin the study of sport, exercise and society, including feminism, post-modernism, (Neo-)Marxism and the sociological imagination. Using vivid examples and descriptions of sport-related events and exercise practices, the book explains why social theories are important as well as how to use them, giving students the tools to navigate with confidence through any course in the sociology of sport and exercise. This book shows how theory can be used to debunk many of our traditional assumptions about sport and exercise and how they can be a useful window through which to observe wider society. Designed to be used by students who have never studied sociology before, and including a whole chapter on the practical application of social theory to their own study, it provides training in critical thinking and helps students to develop intellectual skills which will serve them throughout their professional and personal lives.

A Companion to Sport

A Companion to Sport PDF Author: David L. Andrews
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118325281
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 634

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Book Description
A Companion to Sport brings together writing by leading sports theorists and social and cultural thinkers, to explore sport as a central element of contemporary culture. Positions sport as a crucial subject for critical analysis, as one of the most significant forms of popular culture Includes both well-known social and cultural theorists whose work lends itself to an interrogation of sport, and leading theorists of sport itself Offers a comprehensive examination of sport as a social and cultural practice and institution Explores sport in relation to modernity, postcolonial theory, gender, violence, race, disability and politics

Forty Years of Sport and Social Change, 1968-2008

Forty Years of Sport and Social Change, 1968-2008 PDF Author: Russell Field
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317989791
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 190

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Book Description
1968 was a year of protest in civil society (Prague, Paris, Chicago) and a year of protest in sport. After a world-wide campaign, the anti-apartheid movement succeeded in barring South Africa from the Olympic Games, while US athletes from the Olympic Project for Human Rights used the medals podium to decry the racism of North America. Meanwhile, students in Mexico demonstrated against social priorities in Mexico, the host of the 1968 Games. These events contributed significantly to the rejection of the idea that sports are apolitical, and stimulated the scholarly study of sport across the social sciences. Leading up to the Beijing Olympic Games, similar dynamics were played out across the globe, while a campaign was underway to boycott the ‘Genocide Olympics’. The volume, To Remember is to Resist, came out of a three-day conference on sports, human rights and social change hosted by the University of Toronto forty years after Mexico and eighty days before the Beijing Opening Ceremony. The contributions to this volume capture the memories of activists who were "on the ground" using sport as a site for the struggle for human rights and provide scholarly examinations of past and current human rights movements in sport. This book was previously published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

The Social Impact of Sport

The Social Impact of Sport PDF Author: Ramón Spaaij
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317986547
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
This book critically examines the ways in which sports contribute to, or inhibit, social well-being, the directions these changes take and the conditions necessary for sport to have beneficial outcomes. The themes addressed in the book demonstrate the diversity and versatility of the social impacts sport can potentially achieve as well as the variable benefits of sport in different social contexts. The contributions are focused around four major themes: - Sport development and social change: intended and unanticipated consequences - Empowerment and personal change through sport - Sport participation, social inclusion and social change - The impact of sport in society: historical and comparative perspectives The volume constitutes the first scholarly attempt to locate, compare and conceptualize the social impact of sport in different local, national and international contexts. Through international comparison and empirically grounded case studies the book provides an important new departure in the study of the social meanings of sport in society, linking themes and areas that have previously been studied merely separately from one another. This book was previously published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

Sports Global Influence: A Survey of Society and Culture in the Context of Sport

Sports Global Influence: A Survey of Society and Culture in the Context of Sport PDF Author: Skye G. Arthur-Banning
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 1848883870
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 110

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Book Description