Table of Contents

Part I. Introduction to the Sociology of Sport and Physical Activity

Chapter 1. What Is Sociology of Sport and Physical Activity?

Sport and Physical Activity as Cultural Context

Origins and Key Movements

Functions of Sociology of Sport and Physical Activity

Goals of the Field

The Short of It

Chapter 2. What Can I Do With Sociology of Sport and Physical Activity?

Advocates for Ethical and Humane Sports and Physical Activity

Allied Professionals in the Sociology of Sport and Physical Activity

Academic Professionals in the Sociology of Sport and Physical Activity

Building New Sociological Knowledge in Sport and Physical Activity

Techniques for Sociological Knowledge Construction

Thinking Beyond Sport

The Short of It

Part II. Building Blocks of Sociology of Sport and Physical Activity

Chapter 3. Sport, Physical Activity, and the Major Spheres of Life

Seeing Social Life as Harmonious or Conflictual

Learning to See the Interdependence of Sport and Major Spheres of Life

The Short of It

Chapter 4. Body Projects in Sport and Physical Activity

The Physical Body as Cultural Artifact

Sociologists See Governing Structures for Embodiment and Body Projects

The Short of It

Chapter 5. Diversity, Difference, and Power in Sport and Physical Activity

Sport, Physical Activity, and Social Stratification

Systems of Power Are Not Individual Identities

Social Conditions Versus Individual Identities

The Short of It

Chapter 6. Sport and Physical Activity in National and International Unity

Linking Sport to the Nation

Sport and Nationalism

Sport and Globalization

Corporate Nationalism

The Short of It

Chapter 7. Sport and Physical Activity in Societal Change

Types of Social Change in Sport and Physical Activity

Sport Development and Sport for Development

The Process of Social Change

Four Stages of Social Movements

Sport and Physical Activity Advance Social Change

The Short of It

Epilogue: The Future of Sociology of Sport and Physical Activity

About the Author

Katherine M. Jamieson, PhD, is a professor in the department of kinesiology and health science at California State University at Sacramento. Dr. Jamieson’s research interests include various issues related to sport, power, and social stratification. Her most current research involves transnational feminist and postcolonial analyses of physical culture. Dr. Jamieson is a regular reviewer for the Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, and Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. Courses regularly taught by Dr. Jamieson are Sport in Society: Race, Class, and Gender; Sport in Society: Global and Ethnic Relations; Qualitative Inquiry in Health and Human Performance; and Sport and Feminisms. Her research has been published in Sociology of Sport Journal; Journal of Sport and Social Issues; Avante; Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal; Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; Reading Sport: Critical Essays on Power and Representation; and Contemporary Issues in the Sociology of Sport.

Maureen M. Smith, PhD, is a professor in the department of kinesiology and health science at California State University at Sacramento. Dr. Smith’s present research interests are examining racial issues in sport and material culture related to sport, specifically sport statues and monuments. She is the coauthor (with Rita Liberti) of (Re) PresentingWilma Rudolph (Syracuse University Press, 2015). Dr. Smith is a regular reviewer for the International Journal of the History of Sport. Courses regularly taught by Dr. Smith are Sociology of Sport, History and Philosophy of Sport and Physical Education, and Sport in Society. Her research has been published in the Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Journal of Sport History, Sport and Society, and International Journal of the History of Sport. Dr. Smith is a past president of the North American Society for Sport History.