This book is a concept we use to explain the invasive and pervasive role of sport in global society and in each country around the world. From the origins of modern sports to today, sports have become more and more commercial, global, and universally understood as important parts of economies, cultures, and political debates. The 2018 thawing of relations on the Korean Peninsula, and between North Korea and the USA, can be attributed in part to the inclusive practices of the Winter Olympics; yet the Russian doping scandal and the ramifications from that suggest that a new Cold War in sport has emerged which is played out in social media as well as in diplomatic circles. Beyond the elite levels, however, sport is key to social identification and cultural capital building, and for social integration. Regardless of how we view sport, it is clear that it is a powerful social technology with the ability to transform society and influence political and economic debates. The chapters in this book were originally published in special issues in Sport in Society.

This book explores sport marketing analytics, an essential and crucially important aspect of contemporary sport business. Successful sport marketing begins and ends with the consumer, so understanding the consumer experience is critical. Marketing Analysis in Sport Business demonstrates how rigorous analytical procedures are the key to developing effective, evidence-based marketing practices that reflect real consumer needs. Presenting cutting-edge case studies of sport marketing analytics in action, the book explores topics such as digital communications, social media, digital ticketing, event marketing, the economic impact of COVID-19, developing sport brands, and conducting research with athletes and event participants. Written by a team of authors from 15 countries, including Australia, China, France, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Serbia, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Venezuela, the book offers insight from a variety of cultural contexts and new perspectives on the global sport industry. Marketing Analysis in Sport Business is illuminating reading for any advanced student, researcher or professional working in sport business and management, sport development, marketing, strategic management, or international business.

Globalization and Sport argues that although sport is a source of pleasure, it is also part of the government of everyday life. The creation of a sporting calendar, movements of rational recreation and the development of public sector physical education, are read as ways of disciplining and shaping urban-industrial populations.

The sports industry had impressive global growth over the years, with factors from the introduction of e-sports and new streaming and viewing methods to sponsorships and digital media contributing to its rise. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought upon a rapid change in this sector. Sports' seasons ended abruptly, people’s escape from reality suddenly vanished, their spending attitudes changed, live games and commercial flights were suspended, hotels were impossible to book, and consumers practically turned into prisoners within their own homes. No live sports matches were to follow on any media either, so specialized sports channels were forced to play old recordings rather than broadcasting new events. Even athletes themselves struggle to stay relevant and thus, try to utilize creative methods to enhance their brand value in these difficult times. With most of the sports leagues shut down during the pandemic, with a few exceptions which performed in empty venues, the restrictions diminished the sports experience compared to the pre-COVID-19 era and the impacts were widespread. Impacts and Implications for the Sports Industry in the Post-COVID-19 Era explores the changes that have been and will continue to be created by the unexpected disruptions that occurred as a result of the pandemic within the sports industry, fans consumption, and recreational habits. The chapters explore the status of sports after the pandemic, paths to recovery, and the future of sports, along with the many impacts and issues that have arisen due to changes in the industry necessitated by COVID-19. Covering important topics such as mental health, impacts on athletes and coaches, the market value for professional sports, consumer behavior during COVID-19, and the changes in marketing, tourism, and business, this book is ideally intended for sports managers, marketers, broadcasting agencies, media specialists, brand managers, fitness professionals, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in the impacts on the sports industry and the outlook for sports in the post-COVID-19 era.

Cross-cultural management is an important facet of the globalized sport industry. Sport managers must be skilled at working with individuals from diverse cultures and aware of the key issues affecting sport on a global level. This book brings together cutting-edge research from leading sport scholars from around the world, to illuminate some of those important issues and to demonstrate what cross-cultural management looks like in a sporting context. Presenting case studies from countries as diverse as the US, Brazil, Poland and Venezuela, and across a range of sports from football to basketball, the book presents new empirical material derived from a range of inquiry protocols, including both qualitative and quantitative methods. It offers critical analyses of cross-cultural and managerial issues in key areas such as group cohesiveness, group communications, and misperception and misinterpretation. Making an important contribution to our understanding of both theory and practice in sport management, this book is fascinating reading for any student, researcher or practitioner with an interest in global and international sport.

For nearly 40 years Torkildsen’s Sport and Leisure Management has been the most comprehensive and engaging introduction to sport and leisure management available to students at all levels. Now in its seventh edition, it is still the only textbook that covers all the key topics taught within contemporary sport and leisure management courses. This new edition includes expanded coverage of the practical managerial skills that students must develop if aiming for a career in the sport and leisure industry, from planning and managing people to marketing, entrepreneurship, and the law. It includes four completely new chapters on the global sport and leisure economy, historical development, cross-sector collaboration, and management consultancy, reflecting important developments in contemporary sport and leisure. This edition retains the hallmark strengths of previous editions, including in-depth discussion of the social and cultural context of sport and leisure; full analysis of the public, private, and voluntary sectors; and a review of key products and services. Richly illustrated throughout with up-to-date evidence, data, case-studies, and international examples, each chapter also contains a range of useful pedagogical features, such as discussion questions, practical tasks, and structured guides to further reading and resources. This is an important resource for students working in fields such as sport management, sport business, sport development, leisure management, and events management. Dedicated online resources offer additional teaching and learning material for students and lecturers.

Sport, Outdoor Life and the Nordic World explores the Nordic model of sport and outdoor life with respect to such issues as sport facilities, mountain guiding, women and ethnic minorities, urban planning, anti-doping, health, elite sport coaching and leadership, and the globalization of sport. The aims of the volume are twofold. First, it advances knowledge of Nordic sport and outdoor life, as important fields of social activity in their own rights. Second, it enhances the understanding of the ‘Nordic model’ of society, and the ways in which this is constructed, explored and challenged within and through sport and outdoor life activities. In doing so, the contributors explore a range of key themes, notably: how modern Nordic sport and outdoor life activities emerged and are organized through specific social policies; how they may challenge or harbour forms of social exclusion, particularly in regard to gender or minority populations; how they are affected by, and respond to, deviant practices such as doping; how they may contribute to alleviating social problems; and how they confront major structural challenges and changes, such as the impacts of globalization and the continuing dominance of neoliberal economic policies. Interdisciplinary in approach, Sport, Outdoor Life and the Nordic World is essential reading for those studying Nordic sports and societies, and will also appeal to students, academics and wider readers with interests in sport studies, sociology, social policy, cultural studies, anthropology and public health. The chapters were originally published as a special issue of Sport in Society.