D. Stanley Eitzen was professor emeritus of sociology at Colorado State University, where he taught for twenty-one years, most recently as John N. Stern Distinguished Professor. He was the author or coauthor of twenty-four books, including three on sport, as well as numerous scholarly articles and chapters in scholarly books. He was a former president of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport and the recipient of that organization's Distinguished Service Award. Among his other awards, he was selected to be a Sports Ethics Fellow by the Institute for International Sport. Cheryl Cooky is a professor of American Studies and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Purdue University. Her research focuses in three areas: gendered media representations of sport; gender politics of sport and public policies; and how gender shapes sports experiences, cultural meanings, and organizational structures in sports. She is the co-author of Serving Equality: Feminism, Media and Women's Sports (2022, Peter Lang Publishers) and No Slam Dunk: Gender, Sport and the Unevenness of Social Change (2018, Rutgers University Press).
Preface
New to the Seventh Edition
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Michael A. Messner
Chapter 1: Paradoxes of Sport: An Introduction
Theme I: Sport Is Fair; Sport Is Foul
Theme II: Sport as a Microcosm of Society
Common Characteristics of Sport and Society
Variation on the "Sport as a Microcosm of Society" Theme: The Super Bowl
Variation on the "Sport as a Microcosm of Society" Theme: What Football and
Baseball Tell us About our Society
Overview
Paradoxes of Sport
Part I: Sport is Fair, Sport is Foul
Chapter 2: Sport Unites, Sport Divides
The Role of Sport in Unity and Division among Nations
Unity and Division through Sport in the United States
Caveats
Chapter 3: Sport Includes, Sport Excludes
Title IX, Participation, and Opportunity
Barriers to Girls and Women's Sports
Media Coverage of Women's Sports
Impact of Sports on Girls and Women, on Society
Conclusion
Chapter 4: Sport Is Healthy, Sport Is Destructive
Sports and Girls and Women's Health
The Destructive Aspects of Sport
Conclusion
Chapter 5: The Organization of Youth Sport: Issues and Consequences
Two Fundamentally Different Forms of Play for Young Children
The Dark Side of Adult-Centered Play
Conclusion
Part II: Sports as a Microcosm of Society
Chapter 6: Are Sports Played on a Level Playing Field? Issues of Race,
Class, and Gender
Racial Inequities
Class Inequities
Gender Inequities
Conclusion
Chapter 7: Media and Sport: Changing Sports, Changing Media
Shifts in the Media Landscape
Televised Sports as a Window on Reality or a Social Construction?
Commercial Interests
Sport as a Male Preserve
Television as a Game Changer
Conclusion
Chapter 8: Big-Time College Sport: Commercialized Sport Within Academia
The Case that Big-Time Sport Promotes Education
The Case that Big-Time Sport Compromises Educational Goals
College Sport as Big Business
Summary: The Contradictions of Big-Time Sport in Academia
Chapter 9: Professional Sports Franchises: Public Teams, Private Businesses
Professional Sport as a Monopoly
Public Subsidies to Professional Team Franchises
The Rationale for Public Subsidization of Professional Sports Teams
An Alternative Structure
Chapter 10: The Challenge: Changing Sport
Is Change Possible?
Should We Change Sport?
How Do We Go About Making Changes?
Index
About the Authors
