The concept of “fandom” has been revolutionized over the past 20 years because of various technological, cultural, and communicative advancements. Evolution of the Modern Sports Fan: Communicative Approaches explores the elements of the sports fan that have markedly changed since the turn of the century. Inherent within these investigations is the role of communication in a multitude of forms (mediated, relational, etc.) as the prototypical sports fan has most heavily shifted within this domain. From the advent of social media to the rise of fantasy sport to the increased media platforms in which to consume sport, the sports fan has never had more options for consumption—and for the rendering of his/her opinions. This edited volume offers an opportunity to advance what we now know about American sports fandom as well as the ability to debunk what scholars thought they knew about sports fandom that has now shifted.

Revolution of the Modern Sports Fan explores the elements of the sports fan that have markedly changed in the past few years. Inherent within these investigations is the role of communication in a multitude of forms (mediated, relational, etc.) as the prototypical sports fan has most heavily shifted within this domain. From the advent of social media to the rise of fantasy sport to the increased media platforms in which to consume sport, the sports fan has never had more options for consumption—and for the rendering of one’s opinions. As such, Revolution of the Modern Sports Fan offers an opportunity to advance what we now know about American sports fandom as well as the ability to debunk what scholars thought they knew about sports fandom that has now shifted.

Communication and Sport: Surveying the Field provides students with an understanding of sports media, rhetoric, culture, and organizations through an examination of a wide range of topics. Authors Andrew C. Billings and Michael L. Butterworth address everything from youth to amateur to professional sports through varied lenses, including mythology, community, and identity. A comprehensive focus on communication scholarship gives attention to the ways that sports produce, maintain, or resist cultural attitudes about race, gender, sexuality, class, and politics. The Fourth Edition includes new interviews with prominent figures in the field and new discussions on current events like the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Business of Sports, Second Edition is a comprehensive collection of readings that focus on the multibillion-dollar sports industry and the dilemmas faced by todays sports business leaders. It contains a dynamic set of readings to provide a complete overview of major sports business issues. The Second Edition covers professional, Olympic, and collegiate sports, and highlights the major issues that impact each of these broad categories. The Second Edition continue to provide insight from a variety of stakeholders in the industry and cover the major business disciplines of management, marketing, finance, information technology, accounting, ethics and law. In addition, it features concise introductions, targeted discussion questions, and graphs and tables to convey relevant financial data and other statistics discussed. This book is designed for current and future sports business leaders as well as those interested in the inner-workings of the industry.

Consuming Sport offers a detailed consideration of how sport is experienced and engaged with in the everyday lives, social networks and consumer patterns of its followers. It examines the processes of becoming a sport fan, and the social and moral career that supporters follow as their involvement develops over a life-course. The book argues that while for many people sport matters, for many more, it does not. Though for some sport is significant in shaping their social and cultural identity, it is often consumed and experienced by others in quite mundane and everyday ways, through the media images that surround us, conversations overheard and in the clothing of people we pass by. As well as developing a new theory of sport fandom the book links this discussion to wider debates on audiences, fan cultures and consumer practices. The text argues that for far too long consideration of sport fans has focused on exceptional forms of support ignoring the myriad of ways in which sport can be experienced and consumed in everyday life.

This wonderful new survey follows the evolution of the sports helmet from early military and aviation uses, through early motorcycle and auto racing, and to modern helmets used in a wide variety of sports today. The science of helmet design and manufacture is covered before moving into the art of the helmet. Helmets for six major sports are extensively covered: auto and motorcycle racing, bicycling, equestrian activities, skiing, football, and ice hockey. Some lesser known sports and their helmets are also included to give a fascinating and complete panorama of the field. The design innovations, both for safety and appearance, the colors, and the fascinating history will engage the reader, while nearly 600 color images will please even the most particular sports fan. For designers, players, scientists, and historians this book is a true delight.

Authors Coombs and Harker provide step-by-step guidance on how the strategic communication process—an integration of marketing communication, public relations, and advertising—can be applied to sports communication for individual athletes, teams, and leagues. The book is founded on the premise that the strategic communication process in sport communication is grounded in understanding the fans and sources of revenue. Looking at sports globally, it offers readers the traditional multi-step, linear approach to strategic communication message development along with the transmedia narrative transportation method, a non-linear approach that centers on narratives to engage target audiences and urge them to contribute their own material to messaging. With case studies and practical examples, it also highlights additional issues such as race and gender, social media, ethics, and athlete health. It is an ideal text for undergraduate and graduate courses in public relations or strategic communication and sport communication. An online instructor’s manual accompanies the text, including lecture slides; a sample strategic sports communication plan; a test bank; links to key web sites that discuss sports and sports communication concerns; links to case studies with class discussion prompts; sample assignments; a sample course syllabus; and suggestions for further reading. Please visit www.routledge.com/9780367898724.