Synopses & Reviews
This text offers a distinctive introduction to sport in contemporary society, drawing on recent developments in sociological theory and research, particularly in relation to debates about culture and consumption. The book argues that sport can be seen as central to the "economies of signs and space" of late modernity in which a concern with the body as an object of contemplation and improvement, and not just an instrument for getting things done, increasingly informs images in the mass media, politics and everyday life.
Synopsis
This book offers a distinctive introduction to understanding the position of sport in consumer society. Drawing on recent developments in sociological theory and research, particularly in relation to debates about culture and consumption, the book examines how sport - as both recreational practice and commercial spectacle - has become more central to the capitalist 'economies of signs and space'. Containing up-to-date research findings and identifying key issues in the study and politics of sport in consumer culture, this is essential reading for all students seeking to broaden their understanding of sport in society.
About the Author
John Horne teaches in the Moray House Institute of Education, University of Edinburgh.
Table of Contents
Introduction * Interpreting Sport in Consumer Culture * Sport and Consumer Culture: Institutions and Structures * Sport, Commercialization and the Media * Globalization, Identity and Sport * Lifestyles and Body Styles in Consumer Sport * Social Inequalities in Sport * The State and the Governance of Sport in Consumer Culture * Conclusion