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Critical and radical perspectives have been central to the emergence of the sociology of sport as a discipline in its own right. This ground-breaking new book is the first to offer a comprehensive theory and method for a critical sociology of sport. It argues that class, political economy, hegemony and other concepts central to the radical tradition are essential for framing, understanding and changing social and political relations within sport and between sport and society.The book draws upon the disciplines of politics, sociology, history and philosophy to provide a critical analysis of power relations throughout the world of sport, while offering important new case studies from such diverse sporting contexts as the Olympics, world football, boxing, cricket, tennis and windsurfing. In the process, it addresses key topics such as:* nations and nationalism* globalisation* race* gender* political economy.Power Games can be used as a complete introduction to the study of sport and society. And will be essential reading for any serious student of sport. At the same time, it is a provocative book that by argument and example challenges those who research and write about sport to make their work relevant to social and political reform.

Global sporting events involve the creation, management and mediation of cultural meanings for consumption by massive media audiences. The apotheosis of this cultural form is the Olympic Games. This challenging and provocative new book explores the Olympic spectacle, from the multi-media bidding process and the branding and imaging of the Games, to security, surveillance and control of the Olympic product across all of its levels. The book argues that the process of commercialization, directed by the IOC itself, has enabled audiences to interpret its traditional objects in non-reverential ways and to develop oppositional interpretations of Olympism. The Olympics have become multi-voiced and many themed, and the spectacle of the contemporary Games raises important questions about institutionalization, the doctrine of individualism, the advance of market capitalism, performance, consumption and the consolidation of global society. With particular focus on the London Games in 2012, the book casts a critical eye over the bidding process, Olympic finance, promises of legacy and development, and the consequences of hosting the Games for the civil rights and liberties of those living in their shadow. Few studies have offered such close scrutiny of the inner workings of Olympism’s political and economic network, and, therefore, this book is indispensible reading for any student or researcher with an interest in the Olympics, sport's multiple impacts, or sporting mega-events. 1 Lording It: London And The Getting Of The Games - Alan Tomlinson - 2 Pierre De Coubertin And The Modern Olympic Ideals: Myth, Evolution, Or Betrayal? - Lincoln Allison 3 The Promise Of Olympism - Graham Mcfee 4 The Olympics As Sovereign Subject Maker - Thomas F. Carter 5 The Technicolor Olympics? Race, Representation And The 2012 London Games - Daniel Burdsey 6 Youth Sport And London’s 2012 Olympic Legacy - Marc Keech 7 Doping And The Olympics: Rights, Responsibilities And Accountabilities (Watching The Athletes) - Barrie Houlihan 8 The Olympic Documentary And The ‘Spirit Of Olympism’ - Ian Mcdonald 9 Torchlight Temptations: Hosting The Olympics And The Global Gaze - David Rowe And Jim Mckay 10 Taste, Ambiguity And The Cultural Olympiad - Shane Collins And Catherine Palmer 11 Sex Watch: Surveying Women’s Sexed And Gendered Bodies At The Olympics - Jayne Caudwell - 12 Children Of A Lesser God: Paralympics And High-Performance Sport - P. David Howe 13 The Olympic Movement, Action Sports, And The Search For Generation Y - Holly Thorpe And Belinda Wheaton 14 Team Gb, The Bards Of Britishness And A Disunited Kingdom - Mark Perryman 15 The View From The Pressbox: Rose-Tinted Spectacle? - Rob Steen 16 Watched By The Games: Surveillance And Security At The Olympics - John Sugden 17 Afterword. ‘No Other Anything …’: The Olympic Games Yesterday And Today - John Sugden And Alan Tomlinson John Sugden is Professor of the Sociology of Sport at the University of Brighton, UK, and has researched and written widely around topics concerned with the politics and sociology of sport. He is Academic Leader of the Sport and Leisure Cultures subject group and Director of Football for Peace, based in Israel. Alan Tomlinson is Professor of Leisure Studies at the University of Brighton, UK. He is Deputy Chair of the University Research Degrees Committee and Head of Research in the Chelsea School, teaching predominantly in the social history of sport, the sociology of leisure and cultural studies.

Blue Jacket (ca. 1743-ca. 1808), or Waweyapiersenwaw, was the galvanizing force behind an intertribal confederacy of unparalleled scope that fought a long and bloody war against white encroachments into the Shawnees' homeland in the Ohio River Valley. Blue Jacket was an astute strategist and diplomat who, though courted by American and British leaders, remained a staunch defender of the Shawnees' independence and territory. In this arresting and controversial account, John Sugden depicts the most influential Native American leader of his time.

The idea of using sport for social, cultural and community development has been promoted for decades; however, only limited empirical research can be found that analyses the strategic potential of sport projects in contributing to conflict resolution, reconciliation and peace building in deeply divided societies. This study concentrates upon the experiences of a number of Football for Peace (F4P) projects operating in Israel in 2009. It identifies and investigates the inter-community sport management strategies employed in a particular project that featured Jewish, Arab, and Circassian communities in Northern Israel. The article focuses on and assesses the role played by external change agents in facilitating project delivery and development. Following an interpretive mode of enquiry, observations and focus group discussions with key project facilitators and sport coaches were conducted exploring participant experiences and using this information to develop practical recommendations for social development through sport. The following six strategic dimensions were elicited as critical elements for promoting positive inter-community relations, building local capacity and enhancing overall social development: greater emphasis on training for all volunteers; the provision of role model support; the development of local commitment and leadership; improvement of sport programming; the facilitation of wider community involvement; and project augmentation and extension. We argue that these practical suggestions have transferable implications for other grassroots organisations and NGOs that use sport projects in divided and/or disadvantaged communities elsewhere in the world. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

Global sporting events involve the creation, management and mediation of cultural meanings for consumption by massive media audiences. The apotheosis of this cultural form is the Olympic Games. This challenging and provocative new book explores the Olympic spectacle, from the multi-media bidding process and the branding and imaging of the Games, to security, surveillance and control of the Olympic product across all of its levels. The book argues that the process of commercialization, directed by the IOC itself, has enabled audiences to interpret its traditional objects in non-reverential ways and to develop oppositional interpretations of Olympism. The Olympics have become multi-voiced and many themed, and the spectacle of the contemporary Games raises important questions about institutionalization, the doctrine of individualism, the advance of market capitalism, performance, consumption and the consolidation of global society. With particular focus on the London Games in 2012, the book casts a critical eye over the bidding process, Olympic finance, promises of legacy and development, and the consequences of hosting the Games for the civil rights and liberties of those living in their shadow. Few studies have offered such close scrutiny of the inner workings of Olympism's political and economic network, and, therefore, this book is indispensible reading for any student or researcher with an interest in the Olympics, sport's multiple impacts, or sporting mega-events.

Purpose – Good investigative sociology and high-quality investigative journalism are not just the same but they are close relatives. For both professions, getting under the surface soil of social life, digging deeply into and making coherent sense of the social experience of others, and translating those findings and interpretations into a universal language for widespread consumption are hugely challenging tasks. Understanding the difference and similarities regarding how sociologists and investigative journalists go about this task raises fundamental philosophical, epistemological, ethical, methodological, theoretical and practical concerns, the outline considerations of which are all featured in this chapter.Design/methodology/approach – Drawing upon more than three decades of investigative research experience in the field and the original and the innovative personal scholarship that this has yielded, the chapter offers students a map reader's guide of how to navigate a way through the complex, challenging and sometimes hazardous labyrinth of investigative qualitative research.Originality/value – In addition to offering a ‘how to’ primer for thinking about and doing investigative-qualitative sociology, the chapter also offers advice on how to survive the experience and authoritatively tell the tale well to the widest possible audiences.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide a clear outline of how external training and development support helped AZ Essentials, part of AstraZeneca, during a period of major change. This involved bringing nine existing functions together into the single operating unit that was AZ Essentials.Design methodology approach - Oakridge's approach was to better understand current opinions of the proposed new organization and its requirement through one-to-one interviews. Using this approach it was able to understand better the current view of the change and decide which development tools to adopt to bring the business functions together to operate as one cohesive group.Findings - Interviews demonstrated there was inconsistency in understanding of the role and purpose of AZ Essentials. What Oakridge understood from this was the need to move acceptance and development forward quicker and more effectively. The leadership team needed to better understand the rationale for the new organization and its purpose in order to accept the change.Practical implications - A workshop program engaged the leadership team in a highly involved and participative way to achieve the desired outcomes. From here work on the value proposition sought to identify what the different functions had in common and how they could be coordinated and work together. The leadership team worked on the vision for AZ Essentials, which needed to be clear, consistent and one that would drive the organization. Oakridge was totally focused upon the requirement and engaged with each issue ensuring the group remained motivated throughout the development work.Originality value - The paper provides useful information on how external training and development support can help during a period of major change.