Why do billions of people around the world love sports? The popular media is increasingly dedicated to the heated rivalries of sports teams, academic institutions are held in its thrall, sports metaphors are commonplace in our language, and most individuals participate in athletics or follow a team sport in some variation. This entertaining and informative book attempts to find out why—by examining sports in all its facets. The authors provide an overview of the history of sports, with a constant focus upon the social conditions through which sport arises and by which it continues to thrive.

Triumphant wins, gut-wrenching losses, last-second shots, underdogs, competition, and loyalty—it’s fun to be a fan. But when a football player takes a hit to the head after yet another study has warned of the dangers of CTE, or when a team whose mascot was born in an era of racism and bigotry takes the field, or when a relief pitcher accused of domestic violence saves the game, how is one to cheer? Welcome to the club for sports fans who care too much. In Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back, acclaimed sports writers Jessica Luther and Kavitha A. Davidson tackle the most pressing issues in sports, why they matter, and how we can do better. For the authors, “sticking to sports” is not an option—not when our taxes are paying for the stadiums, and college athletes aren’t getting paid at all. But simply quitting a favorite team won’t change corrupt and deplorable practices, and the root causes of many of these problems are endemic in our wider society. An essential read for modern fans, Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back challenges the status quo and explores how we might begin to reconcile our conscience with our fandom.

Many people are passionate about sport, yet few give thought to its role and importance in their lives - let alone its relationship to Christian faith. This book examines the potential of sports and challenges readers to consider how it relates to their deepest passions, behaviours, and actions, while providing newcomers to the field with a framework to help consider the connection between sports participation and faith-based values. Featuring academic writers from a range of disciplinary fields, including philosophy, theology, sports studies and education, Sport and Christianity: Practices for the Twenty-First Century sheds insight into the meaning of sports for Christians as participants and as practitioners. Divided into practises for the mind, for the heart, and for moral life, the numerous topics include the value of play in sports, sports as a means for dialogue between faith traditions, sports as a place to cultivate virtue and the Christian spiritual life, and prayer and religious experiences in sports The result is a text that promotes new ways of thinking about the sports-Christianity relationship while at the same time developing a deeper understanding of the place of sports in our everyday lives.

This book offers readers a pitch-side view of the ethics of fandom. Its accessible six chapters are aimed both at true sports fans whose conscience may be occasionally piqued by their pastime, and at those who are more certain of the moral hazards involved in following a team or sport. Why It’s OK to Be a Sports Fan wrestles with a range of arguments against fandom and counters with its own arguments on why being a fan is very often a good thing. It looks at the ethical issues fans face, from the violent or racist behavior of those in the stands, to players’ infamous misdeeds, to owners debasing their own clubs. In response to these moral risks, the book argues that by being critical fans, followers of a team or individual can reap the benefits of fandom while avoiding many of the ethical pitfalls. The authors show the value in deeply loving a team but also how a condition of this value is recognizing that the love of a fan comes with real limits and responsibilities. Key Features Provides an accessible introduction to a key area of the philosophy of sport Closely looks at some of the salient ethical concerns around sports fandom Proposes that the value of community in partisan fandom should not be underestimated as a key feature of the good life Examines how the same emotions and environments that can lead to violence are identical to those that lead to virtuous loyalty Argues for a fan’s responsibility in calling out violence or racist behavior from their fellow fans

IN 2010, MEMBERS OF THE HAUDENOSAUNEE NATIONALS (formerly the Iroquois Nationals) lacrosse team, representing the Haudenosaunee Confederacy of six Indigenous Nations in North America, were sitting in a hotel in New York City instead of playing on the field in Manchester, England, competing for a world championship. The Nationals were told they couldn’t use their Haudenosaunee passports to travel to the UK; only Canadian or American passports would be accepted, effectively denying that this Confederacy had sovereignty and reinforcing the authority of the colonial powers. Media coverage of this pivotal event sparked the curiosity of longtime international lacrosse coach and player Travis Taylor. He wanted to learn more about the intersection of the sport and the traditional beliefs of the Indigenous people who originally developed the sport—or as they call it Tewa’á:raton. Originally written as Taylor’s PhD thesis, The Modern Medicine Game: Lacrosse, the Haudenosaunee, and Reconciliation postulates how lacrosse is a “modern medicine game,” and is a crucial element of reconciliation, decolonization, and resilience for the Haudenosaunee peoples. It explores what led the Haudenosaunee Nationals to assert their self-determination in 2010 by reaching back into time to understand the origins of the sport as a gift from the Creator, and its adoption and evolution by English-speaking people, most notably William George Beers.

Sportsmanship is a broad concept: ethics, fairness, honor and self-control. Some people find it difficult to define what makes a "good sport," but state "I know one when I see one." This collection of new essays brings together the work of more than two dozen contributors from around the world who teach sportsmanship in a range of academic disciplines including sociology, psychology, economics, education, kinesiology and applied athletics. Topics include the moral ambiguities of cheating; recreation in prison; ethics and character formation; coaching perspectives; gender; race; and the portrayal of sportsmanship in film. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Provides a look at George Washington University from the viewpoints of the students.

"De-westernising journalism studies in an intelligent way, this book deserves to be read around the world."---Professor James Curran, Goldsmiths, University of London, United Kingdom --

World-renowned urbanist Richard Florida's bestselling classic on the transformation of our cities in the twenty-first century -- now updated with a new preface In his modern classic The Rise of the Creative Class, urbanist Richard Florida identifies the emergence of a new social class reshaping the twenty-first century's economy, geography, and workplace. This Creative Class is made up of engineers and managers, academics and musicians, researchers, designers, entrepreneurs and lawyers, poets and programmer, whose work turns on the creation of new forms. Increasingly, Florida observes, this Creative Class determines how workplaces are organized, which companies prosper or go bankrupt, and which cities thrive, stagnate or decline. Florida offers a detailed occupational, demographic, psychological, and economic profile of the Creative Class, examines its global impact, and explores the factors that shape "quality of place" in our changing cities and suburbs. Now updated with a new preface that considers the latest developments in our changing cities, The Rise of the Creative Class is the definitive edition of this foundational book on our contemporary economy.