Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

We live in a culture in which sports play an important role. The growth in broadcasting, merchandising, iconography and the commercialization of sports has led to an increasing interest in the emerging field of sports culture.
This book examines individual issues, people, artefacts, events and organizations in their historical, social and cultural contexts. Coverage is wide-ranging with more than 170 entries including:
aggression
Bosman Case
corruption
drugs
eating disorders
Fever Pitch
Field of Dreams
Michael Jordan
Don King
left-handedness
nationalism
paternity
racism
Raging Bull
rivalries
tobacco
The book also includes suggestions for further reading to help with further study, and a comprehensive index.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Editorial team (p. vi)
• Introduction (p. vii)
• Acknowledgments (p. xiii)
• Entries A-Z (p. 1)
• Index (p. 453)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

This encyclopedic dictionary claims to be concerned with the qualities and characteristics of sport and their effects on international society at large--with a heavy emphasis on race, gender, drugs, and violence. Yet the over 170 entries--90 percent written by Cashmore (sociology, Staffordshire Univ.)--are scattershot in organization, depth, and content and largely driven by a leftist agenda. Famous figures such as Hank Aaron and Michael Jordan compete for space with Big Daddy (a British wrestler!) and Bill Werbeniuk (a Canadian snooker player!) but not with Babe Ruth or Pele. A too-selective sampling of sports movies are also included. Additional entries include "Bars and Pubs," "Eroticism," "Globalization," "Imperialism," "Marxism," "Modernity/Postmodernity," Murdochization," "Spousal Abuse," and "Transsexuals." Only for libraries where the publisher's books are popular or those serving readers interested in quirky progressive titles.--John M. Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

This book intends to "examine individual issues, people, events and organizations [relevant to sports] in their social and cultural contexts." The product of a primarily British editorial team, it includes contributions from Australian and US academics. In more than 170 entries, it covers such topics as eating disorders, left-handedness, paternity, blood doping, hooliganism, and lesbianism. Sports in motion pictures is also examined with a close look at subgenres and themes. The volume offers the expected essays on individuals like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, but also has essays on Arthur Wharton (Britain's first black professional soccer player) and "Deep Blue" (the IBM supercomputer that defeated world champion Kasparov). The appearance of colorful terms such as "nobbling" (tampering with a racehorse) and "Fosbury Flop" (high jump technique) makes this volume interesting to read. Brief references at the end of each entry cite materials of related interest. A notable omissi on is any discussion of the rise of women's soccer. Extremely well written, recommended for academic and public libraries. L. Kong California State University, San Bernardino

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Ellis Cashmore has held academic positions at the universities of Hong Kong, Tampa, Washington and Massachusetts. He is currently Professor of Sociology at Staffordshire University, UK.