Sport Management In The Middle East

The Middle East is one of the fastest growing and significant markets in world sport, as well as a powerful source of investment in sport. Bids for the Olympics in 2020 and the soccer World Cup in 2022, as well as remarkable investments in Formula One motor racing, horse racing and English Premier League soccer clubs, demonstrate the strength of interest, the depth of resource and the technical expertise maintained by sport business interests in the region. Sport Management in the Middle East is the first book to offer a serious and in-depth analysis of the business and management of sport in the region. Written by a team of world leading researchers in Middle Eastern sport, and illustrated in full colour throughout, the book examines the importance of sport in the Middle East and introduces its particular management processes, structures and cultures. As well as providing an overview of the region’s sporting strategy and key stakeholders, the book also offers a number of detailed case-studies of sport in individual Middle Eastern countries. A unique guide to sport management in a region of fundamental importance in world sport, this book is essential reading for any serious student or scholar of sport management, sport business, Middle East studies, or sport and society.

Now available in a fully revised and updated fourth edition, Sport Management: Principles and Applications introduces the sport industry and examines the role of the state, non-profit and professional sectors in sport. It focuses on core management principles and their application in a sporting context, highlighting the unique challenges faced in a career in sport management. Written in an engaging and accessible style, each chapter has a clear structure designed to make key information and concepts simple to find and to utilize. Chapters contain a conceptual overview, references, further reading, links to important websites, study questions and up-to-date case studies from around the world to show how theory works in the real world, and a companion website offers additional activities for students and guidance notes and slides for instructors. The book covers every core functional area of management, including: strategic planning organizational culture organizational structures human resource management leadership governance financial management marketing performance management. This fourth edition also includes expanded coverage of sport media, change management and other contemporary management issues, providing a comprehensive introduction to the practical application of management principles within sport organizations. It is ideal for first and second year students on sport management related courses, as well as those studying business-focused or human movement courses seeking an overview of applied sport management principles.

‘Contemporary Issues in Sport Management presents an extensive array of absorbing contemporary issues relevant to managing sport. Internationally recognised scholars have contributed thought-provoking chapters on current global and local issues that are challenging traditional ways of thinking about and delivering sport. This exciting new book is rich in theory and stimulates readers to really think through the associated implications for sport management practice.’ -Tracy Taylor, Professor and Deputy Dean, University of Technology Sydney Business School Contemporary Issues in Sports Management offers a rich and dynamic introduction to the management of sport. An essential companion for all students embarking on a sports management course or module, it draws on research expertise from around the world and integrates these perspectives into engaging and accessible chapters. This book offers: Contemporary and international case studies followed by ‘Tools for analysis’ so students can put the methodology into practice. A range of pedagogical features including learning objectives, learning outcomes and short ‘Thinking points’ Useful websites and further reading at the end of each chapter A discussion of up-to-date issues including corruption in sport, sport policy, doping, athlete transgressions and much more. This book will lead students on a comprehensive exploration of global, national issues, and organizational issues in sport management. The authors encourage critical thought, investigation and the questioning of current practice in order to improve the leadership and management of sport in today’s society. Ideal for Undergraduate students of sport management, sport business, sport policy, sport marketing and sport development.

Sport in the Middle East has become a major issue in global affairs. The contributors to this timely volume discuss the intersection of political and cultural processes related to sport in the region. Eleven chapters trace the historical institutionalization of sport and the role it has played in negotiating "Western" culture. Sport is found to be a contested terrain where struggles are being fought over the inclusion of women, over competing definitions of national identity, over preserving social memory, and over press freedom. Also discussed are the implications of mega-sporting events for host countries, and how both elite sport policies and sports industries in the region are being shaped. Sport, Politics and Society in the Middle East draws on academic disciplines from the humanities and social sciences to offer in-depth, theoretically grounded, and richly empirical case studies. It employs diverse research methodologies, from ethnography and in-depth interviews to archival research, to make a lasting contribution to this critical subject.

This is the first book to address the link between culture and sport management. The aim is to demonstrate that culture profoundly affects how we research, teach and practice sport management. The book engages with the concept of culture both as an abstract analytical category and specific beliefs and practices. It recognizes that a single best way of managing does not exist; that the applicability of management theories may stop at national boundaries; and that fundamental cultural values act as a strong determinant to managerial ideology and practice. Culture makes the study of sport management interesting because it challenges many taken-for-granted assumptions about management, yet it reinforces our belief in the existence of common management problems. The book offers a comprehensive review of the conceptualisations of culture and its relation with sport management by examining a range of issues: the emergence of multiculturalism as a policy issue; the impact of commonly shared cultural values within the fitness industry on managers and organisations behaviour; building cultural bridges in community sport organisations; cultural meanings attached to the consumption of Olympic merchandise, and culturally-informed interpretation through a reflective analysis of sport management texts. This book was published as a special issue of European Sport Management Quarterly.

Far and away the most popular sport in the world, football has a special place in Middle Eastern societies, and for Middle Eastern states. With Qatar hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, this region has been cast into the global footballing spotlight, raising issues of geopolitical competition, consumer culture and social justice. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this book examines the complex questions raised by the phenomenon of football as a significant cultural force in the Middle East, as well as its linkages to broader political and socioeconomic processes. The establishment of football as a national sport offers significant insight into the region’s historical experiences with colonialism and struggles for independence, as well as the sport’s vital role in local and regional politics today–whether at the forefront of popular mobilisations, or as an instrument of authoritarian control. Football has also served as an arena of contestation in the formation of national identity, the struggle for gender equality, and the development of the media landscape. The twelve contributions to this volume draw on extensive engagement with the existing body of literature, and introduce original research questions that promise to open new directions for the study of football in the Middle East.

This Handbook provides a succinct overview of sport in the Middle East, drawing in scholars from a wide variety of geographical and disciplinary backgrounds (history, politics, sociology, economics and regional studies), with different methodological approaches, to create the ‘go-to’ text on the subject. After the introduction, 33 chapters from leading subject experts cover areas including history, politics, society, economy and nationhood. The authors help shed light on how certain Middle Eastern countries have become increasingly active in international sports, and the efforts made to positioning themselves as the new global ‘sports hubs’. Split into five sections, the book offers a multi-disciplinary analysis of a diverse range of sports across the geographic Middle East, including football, mixed martial arts, rugby, athletics and cycling. The authors highlight and respond to issues such as the naturalisation of athletes, female athleticism, sports media and supporter cultures. The Routledge Handbook of Sport in the Middle East stands apart from previous research through offering first-hand accounts of sport in the area from authors who live and work in the region or have a history of regularly visiting and conducting research in the region. It will be of interest to academics and students alike, in the fields of Middle East politics, sport, sport in the Middle East, international relations, governance and sociology.