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The Anatomy of Competition in Sports by
Thousands of children across the United States dream of becoming professional athletes, yet less than one in a thousand high school seniors will go on to play in a major pro league. Of those select few, many will find that after a childhood of full-time commitment to their sport, their professional careers will likely be brief and injury-ridden. Within each of the top professional leagues in the U.S., the competition is fierce to not only get into the league, but to stay there the average career in the National Basketball Association lasts less than five years, and in the National Football League only three and a half. The Anatomy of Competition in Sports: The Struggle for Success in Major US Professional Leagues examines the role competition plays in each of the major sports leagues in the United States: Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Women s National Basketball Association (WNBA), the National Hockey League (NHL), and Major League Soccer (MLS). In order to provide a comprehensive review of competition within each sport, Christopher B. Doob scrutinizes the challenges faced at the youth level, opposition encountered by individuals competing to join a pro league, the obstacles pros must overcome throughout their careers, and the history of each league. Furthermore, Doob dissects competition across the sports by looking at such common influences as family, school, colleges, the draft process, coaches, and the playing conditions within the professional leagues. An additional chapter examines so-called atypical pros such as disabled athletes, gay and lesbian players, and two-sport pros who must face competitive challenges beyond the average athlete. A final chapter discusses life after the pros, including the legacy of debilitating injuries many former players face and the prospects of post-retirement jobs, such as coaching, managing, and broadcasting. Highlighting the struggles many athletes must face, The Anatomy of Competition in Sports features vignettes about current and past professionals, including Mariano Rivera, Earl Campbell, Candace Parker, and Sidney Crosby. Drawing on diverse sources such as histories of each league, research studies, newspaper accounts, and personal narratives, this book is simultaneously thought-provoking and accessible for all sports fans."
Breaking the Line by
1967. Two rival football teams. Two legendary coaches. Two talented quarterbacks. Together they broke the color line, revolutionized college sports, and transformed the NFL. Freedman’s dramatic account, highly praised as a contributing part of the movement and a riveting sports story, is now available in paperback. In September 1967, after three years of landmark civil rights laws and three months of devastating urban riots, the football season began at Louisiana’s Grambling College and Florida A&M. The teams were led by two extraordinary coaches, Eddie Robinson and Jake Gaither, and they featured the best quarterbacks ever at each school, James Harris and Ken Riley. Breaking the Line brings to life the historic saga of the battle for the 1967 black college championship, culminating in a riveting, excruciatingly close contest. Samuel G. Freedman traces the rise of these four leaders and their teammates as they storm through the season. Together they helped compel the segre#65533;gated colleges of the South to integrate their teams and redefined who could play quarterback in the NFL, who could be a head coach, and who could run a franchise as general manager. In Breaking the Line, Freedman brilliantly tells this suspenseful story of character and talent as he takes us from locker room to state capitol, from embattled campus to packed stadium. He captures a pivotal time in American sport and society, filling a missing and crucial chapter in the movement for civil rights.
Cheated by
In 2010 allegations of an utterly corrupt academic system for student-athletes emerged from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus, home of the legendary Tar Heels. As the alma mater of Michael Jordan, Larry Brown, Marion Jones, Lawrence Taylor, Rashad McCants, and many others; winner of forty national championships in six different sports; and a partner in one of the best rivalries in sports, UNC–Chapel Hill is a world-famous colossus of college athletics. In the wake of the Wainstein report, however, the fallout from this scandal—and the continuing spotlight on the failings of college athletics—has made the school ground zero in the debate about how the $16 billion college sports industry operates. Written by UNC professor of history Jay Smith and UNC athletics department whistleblower Mary Willingham, Cheated exposes the fraudulent inner workings of this famous university. For decades these internal systems have allowed woefully underprepared basketball and football players to take fake courses and earn devalued degrees from one of the nation’s top universities while faculty and administrators looked the other way. In unbiased and carefully sourced detail, Cheated recounts the academic fraud in UNC’s athletics department, even as university leaders focused on minimizing the damage in order to keep the billion-dollar college sports revenue machine functioning. Smith and Willingham make an impassioned argument that the “student-athletes” in these programs are being cheated out of what, after all, is promised them in the first place: a college education.
The Ethics of Coaching Sports by
The Ethics of Coaching Sports features invited contributions written by prominent scholars examining a broad range of normative or evaluative issues that arise from the role of the coach in competitive sports. The collection is accessible and comprehensive, including discussion of concrete issues in coaching, such as the distribution of playing time, bullying, the implications of recent events surrounding the Pennsylvania State scandal, and Title IX and gender equity. The contributing authors also explore the larger ethical considerations of the role of the coach as educator, leader, and moral role model; special considerations when coaching children; and an examination of the failures of coaches to meet appropriate standards when they do not respect their players and their programs. Each contributor presents the main arguments and positions relevant to their chosen topic and, with the ground set, the authors then seek to advance the reader’s theoretical and philosophical understanding of coaching. Robert L. Simon’s introductions to each of the book’s four parts help to summarize the main theses of the contributors’ chapters and examine differences between how each author approaches their chosen subject.Study questions are also provided for each chapter, makingThe Ethics of Coaching Sports the perfect companion for classes on sports ethics and coaching.
Fanaticus by
In 2011, the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Oakland Raiders in a preseason matchup that would become a seminal moment for fan violence. During the game, seventy fans were ejected from the stadium, one person was beaten unconscious in the men s room, and two men were shot in the parking lot after the game. This is hardly an isolated incident. At any given game, fans get kicked out and arrested for acting out. In the spring of 2014 alone, soccer headlines screamed of a fan killed in Brazil, a supporter who punched a police horse in England, and three fans shot in Italy. But why do fans resort to such violence? What drives them to abandon societal norms and act out in unimaginable ways? Fanaticus: Mischief and Madness in the Modern Sports Fan explores the roots of extreme fanaticism, from organized thuggery to digital hate speech. Justine Gubar divulges outrageous and often shocking incidents, including first-hand accounts from both the transgressors and victims. Gubar reaches back into ancient times, providing a history of fan violence throughout the ages before delving into events of misbehavior, violence, and hatred in the United States and around the world. She revisits several notorious riots and tragedies throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America in order to understand mayhem on a global scale. In addition, Gubar investigates the sports leagues and the security and beverage industries so as to explain the roots of fan misbehavior and to dispel common myths that are often invoked to understand the madness. Featuring original interviews with European football hooligans, rioting college students, stadium security experts, and many others, Fanaticus provides a rare window into what drives human behavior. Together, these voices create the fullest picture of modern fan violence ever written."
Key Concepts in Sport Management by
"An accessible and different guide for students and practitioners alike... I'm sure that it will become a standard reference text for sports management" - Peter Taylor, Sport Industry Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University "A must have introductory reference guide for graduate and undergraduate sport management students" - Paul M. Pedersen, Indiana University "Provides students, practitioners and researchers in the field of sport management with a valuable compilation of sensitizing concepts, definitions and interesting references" - Michel van Slobbe, European Sport Management Quarterly Sharp, clear and relevant this book meets the needs of those studying and researching within the growing discipline of sport management. The intelligently cross-referenced entries provide a concise overview of the key concepts in the field guiding you through the important debates, sources and research methods in the management and delivery of sport. The book introduces readers to the concepts at the centre of their studies; it suggests relevant further reading and thoughts for future research and applies academic theory to business and organizational problems in a real-world context. Written for students, academics and practitioners the entries are designed to meet study needs and include: Clear definitions Comprehensive examples Practical applications Effective research methods.
Managing Sport Facilities by
Managing Sport Facilities, Second Edition,continues the tradition set by its predecessor of providing future and current sport facility managers with the knowledge they will need in order to make the proper decisions in all areas of facility management. Like the groundbreaking first edition, the second edition provides a comprehensive understanding of crafting a career in running a sport facility. The second edition of Managing Sport Facilities continues to engage students with a clear writing style, extensive real-world examples, and information on managing a wide range of facilities, from professional sport stadiums to smaller and more common health clubs, colleges, and recreational environments. As managers require expanded knowledge to meet the needs of large, high-tech sport and recreation facilities, this edition has been updated to include these features: -An expanded section on risk management -New information on security issues -A full array of ancillaries, including an online instructor guide, test package, and presentation package In addition, the text offers updated content in the Facility Focus and Behind the Scenes sections, which bring the theories and concepts to life by citing specific examples of strategies used to make a facility—and the facility manager—more successful. Through the newly added facility manager profiles included in each chapter, students receive a close-up look at the challenges and rewards that practicing facility managers experience in their daily work. Readers also learn about the managers' educational and experiential backgrounds that helped them land their current jobs. This text provides students with a complete look at what it takes to develop and run a sport facility with an approach that combines various topics and disciplines. Students will learn the history of the sport facility industry and the primary goals and objectives of facility managers; how to build and finance a facility; facility operation; administration of marketing, finance, and other critical areas; and event administration and management. Managing Sport Facilities, Second Edition,contains extensive textbook learning aids, including real-world checklists and forms that allow students a glimpse of some of the tools and guidelines that professionals use in their work. Each chapter begins with objectives and a brief overview and concludes with a summary and discussion questions and activities. The instructor ancillaries will help instructors prepare for and teach their class, and the text itself is written in a clear and engaging style that makes the reading understandable, cogent, and easy to remember. Starting from its already solid foundation, the new material, updates, ancillaries, and practical learning aids make this new edition the most complete and up-to-date text on the subject. Students using this text will learn what it takes to blend leadership, operations management, and creativity in promotions as they begin their journey to being top-notch sport facility managers.
Practical Ethics in Sport Management by
Leaders and managers throughout the sporting world face many ethical challenges on a daily basis. Should an athletic director chastise an unruly but influential supporter? What factors should affect an athlete's eligibility? Is competitiveness acceptable in youth sports? This text shows aspiring sports management professionals how to identify the moral issues in sports and develop principle-centered leadership practices to lead with justice, honesty, and beneficence. Among the issues addressed are the conflict between sportsmanship and gamesmanship, violence in sports, racial and gender equity, performance-enhancing drugs, academics, and commercialization. Throughout, specific examples from real-world sports situations and reflective questions encourage students to think critically. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
Religion and Sports by
Like religion, playing and watching sports is a deeply meaningful, celebratory ritual enjoyed by millions across the world. The first scholarly work designed for use in both religion and sports courses, this collection develops and then applies a theoretically grounded approach to studying sports engagement globally and its relationship to modern-day issues of violence, difference, social protest, and belonging. Case studies explore the place of sports in mainstream faiths, such as Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Christianity, and lesser-known religious groups, particularly in Africa. It covers football, baseball, and basketball but also archery, soccer, bullfighting, judo, and track. Essays reflect all skill levels, from amateur to professional, and find surprising affinities among practices and cultures in locations as disparate as Germany and Japan, Spain and Saudi Arabia. Thoroughly examining a range of phenomena, this collection fully captures the unique overlap of two universal institutions and their interplay with human society, politics, and culture.
Rules of the Game by
Sports law is an ever-growing field that requires constant updates, analyses, and research. Rules of the Game: Sports Law provides the most up-to-date information on hot-button issues such as crime in sports including sexual harassment and assault both on college campuses and in private homes sports litigation especially pertaining to concussions and publicity, privacy, and defamation rights of the athlete in today s social media-crazed world where reputations can be destroyed in an instant. Rules of the Game is an engaging and informative book written by one of the leading authorities in the field. Michael E. Jones offers readers the basics such as how contracts are formed, the rights of athletes, labor laws, the NCAA, and copyright and trademark laws but also covers much more. Jones discusses such essential topics as gender equity in sports, performance enhancing drugs and testing, international competition, and sports liability. The growth of multi-million and even billion dollar sports franchises requires enhanced professionalism in the area of negotiating sports and endorsement contracts, and the major players in the sports agency field are covered in full. Rules of the Game contains appendixes that offer valuable resources, including a sample drug testing consent form, a standard player contract from the NFL, and a National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) representation contract. With key words and discussion questions at the end of each chapter, this book is a comprehensive yet highly readable text for both undergraduate and graduate students."
Sport and Sociology by
How has our understanding of sport been shaped by sociological ideas? How can the study of sport help sociologists to understand wider society? The sociology of sport is a sub-discipline approaching maturity. This is the first book to stand back and reflect upon the subject's growth, to trace its developmental phases and to take stock of the current fund of knowledge. It offers a 'state of the art' review of the sociology of sport and investigates those areas where sport has come to influence the sociological mainstream. The book also examines how the sociology of sport has attempted to engage with a popular readership, and what the consequences of such engagement have been. Focusing on touchstone issues and concepts within sociological discoursenbsp;such as race, gender, celebrity, the body and social theory, the book assesses the successes and failures of the sociology of sport in influencing the parent discipline, related sub-disciplines and the wider public. It also asks to what extent the sociology of sport can be said to be autonomous, distinctive and distinguished, and challenges students of sport to extend their work out of the narrow confines of the subdiscipline and across disciplinary divides. As the first book to provide a history of the sociology of sport and to clearly locate the contemporary discipline in the wider currents of sociological discourse, this is important reading for all students and scholars interested in the relationship between sport and society, whether they are working in sport studies or in the sociological mainstream.
Sports Fans 2.0 by
As of 2012, Twitter has over 100 million active users worldwide, generating close to 230 million Tweets per day. Encouraged by sports shows that incorporate social media as a major component of their programming strategies, sports fans and athletes have proven to be some of the most prolific and adept users of Twitter and other social media platforms. Social media has made it possible for fans to cross the virtual barrier that separates them from the teams they love and the athletes they follow, changing the way fans and athletes interact in the world of sports. In Sports Fans 2.0: How Fans Are Using Social Media to Get Closer to the Game, David M. Sutera explores the increasingly participatory nature of contemporary sports fandom and spectatorship. He examines the ways in which digital media has created and facilitated new channels for sports fan engagement, and how technology has enhanced the fan s perception of participating in America s sports culture. In addition, Sutera shows how high-profile athletes are using social media to increase their fan base and promote their own celebrity status, creating the sense that they are more accessible to their fans. Social media has forever altered the way sports fans and athletes engage with each other. Covering a wide range of sports and social media outlets, Sports Fans 2.0 is an accessible examination of how technology has changed and will continue to change the world of sports. Written for general readers and scholars alike, this book will appeal to anyone interested in the effects of social media on popular culture."
To Stir a Movement by
Jeremy Affeldt understands passion. With passion, his dream of being a major league baseball player became a reality in 1997. With passion, he battled injuries that plagued the early years of his career. With passion, he struck out the side of the Detroit Tigers line-up in the 8th inning of the final game of the 2012 World Series.Affeldt's passion doesn't end when he walks off the field. As an outspoken advocate against human trafficking and a committed servant against injustice, Affeldt has made a significant mark in this world.To Stir a Movement details Affleldt's journey from a military brat and self-centered, hot-tempered, high school athlete to a two-time world series champ and Christ follower.Through this firsthand account, discover a side of Affeldt that goes beyond the field. Whether helping the trafficked find freedom, the thirsty receive water, or the hungry obtain food, Affeldt is using his voice to demolish the barriers that stand between everyday people and the injustice around them.Reviews:'Jeremy Affeldt may be a two-time World Series champion and one of the greatest left-handed relievers in major league baseball, but that is just the tip of the iceberg as to the man that he is. As you will read in this book, Jeremy is not defined by baseball. He is defined and validated as a child and follower of the most high God. My hope is that this book will help define and validate you.'-Mike Sweeney5-Time American League All-Star16 seasons MLB'A compelling story of what happens when grace takes root. Jeremy's life off the field matters so much more than what we will ever see on the field.' -Scot McKnightProfessor of New TestamentNorthern Seminary
White Sports/Black Sports by
The racial makeup of sports in the United States serves as a classic example of racism in the 21st century. This book examines the racial disparities in sports and the continuing significance of race in 21st-century America, debunking the myth of a "postracial society." * Examines how race and sports are powerful social constructions * Presents examples of how sports can serve as both a liberating and an oppressive force * Explains how sports influence and are influenced by society and the ways in which institutional barriers and personal practices perpetuate racism in sports and in the society at large * Documents how historic racial stereotypes, such as the "brute" and "sapphire" caricatures, are alive and well in the world of sports
