Publisher Description

Australia is only a small player in the world’s political and economic landscapes, yet, for many decades, it has been considered to be a global powerhouse in terms of its sporting successes. In conjunction with this notion, the nation has long been portrayed as having a preoccupation with sport. This labelling has been seen as both a blessing and a curse. Those who value a Bourdieuian view of culture bemoan sport’s centrality to the national imagination and the consequent lack of media coverage, funding and prestige accorded to the arts. Other scholars question whether the popular stereotype of the Australian sportsperson is, in fact, a myth and that instead Australians are predominantly passive sport consumers rather than active sport participants. Australian sport, through its successes on the field of play and in advancing sport coaching and management, has undergone a revolution, as both an enabler of global processes and as subject to its influences (economic, political, migratory etc.). This book will examine the shifting place of Australian sports in current global and local environs, from the perspective of spectators, players and administrators. This book was previously published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

Now more than ever before, we are living in a world that’s highly interconnected and interdependent, which means an action in one place has a very real influence elsewhere. In Finding a Better Way, an unlikely duo explores ways in which Western society has become disconnected and how we might strive for a better future – not only for ourselves but for future generations. Finding a Better Way is a meeting of the minds between Michelle, a Generation Y female freelance editor, and David, a Generation X male who is a former technology executive turned business advisor. Writing from their vantage point in Australia, they discuss trends and ideas across four key themes: country, workplace, community and family. Their reflections are based on almost 200 pieces of research, but there are some points of difference between them that will make you stop and think. David and Michelle openly admit they do not have all the answers – and that is the point. They encourage you to reflect on what they have written and think about your own experiences and views. The book discusses everything from politics and short-termism to the rise of the gig economy and digital burnout. It also explores more sensitive topics, like depression and loneliness, as well as ideas of masculinity and femininity, the pursuit of work-life balance, and what it means to be a family in the 21st century. David and Michelle also highlight ways in which we might do things differently, individually and collectively, at times drawing on Scandinavian concepts such as Janteloven, niksen and hygge. As we step into an entirely new world, Finding a Better Way serves as a much-needed reference point of where we have been and, more importantly, where we are going.

Although there is growing interest from governments in participation levels in sport, the extent to which governments actively promote ‘sport for all’ and their motives for doing so vary greatly. This is the first book to examine the sport participation policies of national governments across the world and to offer a comparative analysis of the motives for, and successes and failures of those policies. Organized around a series of sixteen national case studies, including the UK, the US, Australia, China and India, the book enables students and practitioners to compare and contrast the development, implementation and impact of sport participation policies throughout the world. An introductory chapter provides a framework for understanding and interpreting those case studies and each chapter then addresses the following key themes: national structures for sport national sporting cultures participation levels in organized sport the nature and extent of government intervention implementation of governmental policy the impact of government policy. With contributions from many of the world’s leading experts on sport policy and sport development, this book is essential reading for anybody with an interest in the role of governments in relation to supporting and regulating their citizens’ involvement in sport.

Youth sport in Australia explores the history and policy development of youth sport in the Australian context, the role of sport and physical education in private and public schools. The book investigates the conflict between elite and grassroots sport and its repercussions on policymaking and youth involvement in sport.

This multivolume set is much more than a collection of essays on sports and sporting cultures from around the world: it also details how and why sports are played wherever they exist, and examines key charismatic athletes from around the world who have transcended their sports. Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice provides a unique, global overview of sports and sports cultures. Unlike most works of this type, this book provides both essays that examine general topics, such as globalization and sport, international relations and sport, and tourism and sport, as well as essays on sports history, culture, and practice in world regions—for example, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and Oceania—in order to provide a more global perspective. These essays are followed by entries on specific sports, world athletes, stadiums and arenas, famous games and matches, and major controversies. Spanning topics as varied as modern professional cycling to the fictional movie Rocky to the deadly ball game of the ancient Mayans, the first three volumes contain overview essays and entries for specific sports that have been and are currently practiced around the world. The fourth volume provides a compendium of information on the winners of major sporting competitions from around the world. Readers will gain invaluable insights into how sports have been enjoyed throughout all of human culture, and more fully comprehend their cultural contexts. The entries provide suggestions for further reading on each topic—helpful to general readers, students with school projects, university students and academics alike. Additionally, the four-volume Sports Around the World spotlights key charismatic athletes who have changed a sport or become more than just an outstanding player.

Olympic Aspirations: Realised and Unrealised surveys more than a century of the Olympic Movement’s promotion of Olympic ideals internationally. The idea for Olympic Aspirations emerged at the world-renowned annual Beijing Academic Forum just months after the city hosted the impressive 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. One section of the Forum was devoted to the impact of the Olympic Movement on China and on China’s image in the world. The tone at times was too self-congratulatory for some present. The critical discussion that continued into late 2010 inspired this book. Olympic Aspirations is a companion volume to the well-received Olympic Legacies: Intended and Unintended and draws on expertise from academics in all parts of the world. Both volumes have a similar purpose: to record Olympic ideals achieved but more importantly, to stimulate reflection on those as yet unachieved. Both are constructive in approach, positive in tone and optimistic in attitude. Olympic Aspirations offers original and insightful arguments that address the actions the Olympic Movement has taken to improve the Games. It argues that these actions are as yet incomplete. In concert with Olympic Legacies, it presents two sides of the same coin minted to advance the purity of the Olympic 'coinage'. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of the History of Sport.