Sports Matters

"Most of the contributions strongly project the authors' perceptions of the role of race on their subjects, and essays should elicit lively discussions in the classroom." —CHOICE Frederick Douglass liked to say of West Indian boxer Peter Jackson that "Peter is doing a great deal with his fists to solve the Negro question." His comment reflects the possibilities for social transformation that he saw in the emerging modern sports culture. Indeed, as the twentieth century developed, sports have become an important cultural terrain over which various racial groups have contested, defined, and represented their racial, national, and inter-ethnic identities. Sports Matters brings critical attention to the centrality of race within the politics and pleasures of the massive sports culture that developed in the U.S. during the past century and a half. The contributors collected here address such issues as popular representations of blacks in sports. They consider baseball—from Nisei players in Oregon to Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles. And they look at the use of warrior imagery in representations of Native American athletes and the evolution of black expressive style within basketball. Sports Matters challenges our presumptions about sports, illuminating in the process the complexities of race and gender as they relate to popular culture. Contributors include Amy Bass, John Bloom, Annie Gilbert Coleman, Gena Caponi, Montye Fuse, Randy Hanson, Michiko Hase, George Lipsitz, Keith Miller, Sharon O'Brien, Connie Razza, Sam Regalado, Greg Rodriguez, Julio Rodriguez, Michael Willard, and Henry Yu.

In Sport Matters, Wharton professor Kenneth L. Shropshire examines the need for diversity, inclusion, respect, and equality in sports, focusing on the need for leadership to embrace and deliver these principles in a real and tangible way. He introduces the Sports Power Matrix, a framework for understanding power within the sports industry.

Donald Sterling. Ray Rice. The Washington Redskins. The Miami Dolphins. NCAA Athletes. These names, among countless others, have blanketed the headlines as the media has brought global attention to several recent sports controversies. Now, Kenneth L. Shropshire, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics and Director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative, uses these stories as a prism for exploring the leadership challenges facing team owners, management, players, and fans. In Sport Matters: Leadership, Power, and the Quest for Respect in Sports, Shropshire examines the need for diversity, inclusion, respect, and equality in sports, focusing on the need for leadership to embrace and deliver these principles in a real and tangible way within the sports industry. He also introduces the Sports Power Matrix, a framework for understanding power within the sports industry. Sport Matters addresses what the Donald Sterling drama can teach us about race and the need for inclusion at the ownership level; the lessons learned from the NFL and Ray Rice case; the Washington Redskins name and the economics of change; what the Miami Dolphins matter tells us about respect in the workplace and beyond; and compensation and equality in "amateur" sports. Sport Matters, filled with disturbing revelations and uncomfortable truths, also provides hope, revealing how obstacles to achieving an ideal culture of equality and respect within the sports industry can be removed. Shropshire argues that while change matters, continued emphasis on diversity, inclusion and respect is needed to create true progress.

This book examines the sports industry as a broad business and economic sector with an enormous influence on regional economic development. Covering topics such as sports economics, financing sports organizations, sustainability management in sports, sports tourism and doping among athletes, this book provides a timely collection of research and best practices in the areas of sports management and policy. Sports activity is a rapidly growing and evolving industry, offering numerous business opportunities--from the manufacturing of sporting equipment and activity at gyms and sports centers to revenue from sporting events and sport tourism. In order for the varied businesses across the sport industry, whether public or private, to be successful, proper management strategies and policies must be in place. This includes the knowledge of the industry, strategic planning, sector analysis, quality management and sustainable (economic and environmental) use of resources. Featuring case examples from several countries, including Spain, Turkey, Uruguay, Portugal, and Italy, this volume provides international perspectives on a wide spectrum of managerial issues across this dynamic industry.

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this practical analysis of sports law in Croatia deals with the regulation of sports activity by both public authorities and private sports organizations. The growing internationalization of sports inevitably increases the weight of global regulation, yet each country maintains its own distinct regime of sports law and its own national and local sports organizations. Sports law at a national or organizational level thus gains a growing relevance in comparative law. The book describes and discusses both state-created rules and autonomous self-regulation regarding the variety of economic, social, commercial, cultural, and political aspects of sports activities. Self- regulation manifests itself in the form of by-laws, and encompasses organizational provisions, disciplinary rules, and rules of play. However, the trend towards more professionalism in sports and the growing economic, social and cultural relevance of sports have prompted an increasing reliance on legal rules adopted by public authorities. This form of regulation appears in a variety of legal areas, including criminal law, labour law, commercial law, tax law, competition law, and tort law, and may vary following a particular type or sector of sport. It is in this dual and overlapping context that such much-publicized aspects as doping, sponsoring and media, and responsibility for injuries are legally measured. This monograph fills a gap in the legal literature by giving academics, practitioners, sports organizations, and policy makers access to sports law at this specific level. Lawyers representing parties with interests in Croatia will welcome this very useful guide, and academics and researchers will appreciate its value in the study of comparative sports law.

An examination of the connection between race and sport in America

Combining theory with practical application, this collection of real-life, provocative case studies on social issues in sports provides students with the opportunity to make the call on ethical and professional dilemmas faced by a variety of sport and communication professionals. The case studies examine the successes and failures of communication in the corporate culture of sport intersecting with social issues including race, gender, religion, social media, mass media, public health, and LGBTQ+ issues. Topics include the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, sexual abuse scandals, domestic violence, cultural appropriation, and mental health. Each chapter contextualizes a specific issue, presents relevant theory and practical communication principles, and leads into discussion questions to prompt critical reflection. The book encourages students to view the evidence themselves, consider competing ethical and professional claims, and formulate practical responses. This collection serves as a scholarly text for courses in sport communication, business, intercultural communication, public relations, journalism, media studies, and sport management.

Providing key data, insights, and ways of thinking about women and sports, this book is an excellent resource for high school and undergraduate students as well as for sport organizations serving girls and women. Women are participating in sports in record numbers, and thanks in part to Title IX and a growing interest in women's sports, they're breaking records and achieving remarkable success in sports in every conceivable manner. However, women still struggle for equitable treatment in a variety of sports and face different obstacles than do their male counterparts. How can these issues be solved? Are women in sports being treated fairly? This book provides a comprehensive yet accessible overview of the state of women's participation in sports by referencing both current events and research. Additionally, it offers a breadth of information pertaining to work in sports made available to girls and women. Key aspects include a detailed history of women in sports since 1900 as well as a discussion of current issues surrounding their participation in high school and college athletics, recreational sports, physical activity, and leadership in sports organizations. In particular, the material not only recounts history and analyzes issues but also presents perspectives as to how and why sports continue to be simultaneously a means of empowerment and a conduit for the marginalization of girls and women.