The Routledge Handbook of Sport Communication is the only book to offer a fully comprehensive and in-depth survey of the contemporary discipline of sport communication. It explores communication within, through, and for sport in all its theoretical, conceptual, cultural, behavioral, practical and managerial aspects, tracing the contours of this expansive, transdisciplinary and international discipline and demonstrating that there are few aspects of contemporary sport that don?t rely on effective communications.Including contributions from leading sport media and communications scholars and professionals from around the world, the book examines emerging (new and social) media, traditional (print, broadcast and screen) media, sociological themes in communication in sport, and management issues, at every level, from the interpersonal to communication within and between sport organisations and global institutions. Taking stock of current research, new ideas and key issues, this book is an essential reference for any advanced student, researcher or practitioner with an interest in sport communication, sport business, sport management, sport marketing, communication theory, journalism, or media studies.

The Routledge Handbook of Sport Communication offers a comprehensive and in-depth survey of the contemporary discipline of sport communication. Now in a fully revised and updated second edition, it explores communication within, through, and for sport in various theoretical, conceptual, cultural, behavioral, practical, and managerial aspects. Including contributions from leading sport communication scholars and professionals from around the world, the book is structured around four key themes: theoretical and conceptual foundations; mediated aspects of sport communication; sociological aspects; and organizational, technological, and managerial aspects. This new edition includes expanded coverage of important and emerging topics within sport communication including cross-cultural communication, rhetoric in sport, storytelling, the business of sports broadcasting, athlete activism, and communication within sports teams. Taking stock of current research, new ideas, and key issues, this book is an essential reference for any advanced student, researcher, or practitioner with an interest in sport communication, sport business, sport management, sport marketing, communication theory, journalism, or media studies.

Like the bestselling Baseball Prospectus annual, this midseason debut provides the latest scoops and analysis to help super-fans follow their favorite teams, and fantasy players win their leagues. July and August is when the smartest teams pull off the big trades or see big contributions from previously obscure rookies. This book pulls out the teams and players with the most crucial updates since the start of the season, with plenty of articles, lists, and leaderboards. The Call-Up also offers some major innovations in sabermetrics, like Mike Fast’s groundbreaking work on measuring the value of a catcher to his pitchers. Baseball Prospectus is America’s leading provider of statistical analysis for baseball, combining entertaining commentary and accurate forecasting via books, blogs, articles, and a website.

The Pro Basketball Prospectus series returns for a fourth season to preview the 2012-13 NBA campaign. Basketball Prospectus has been at the cutting edge of the league's statistical revolution, exploring how teams win and why as well as integrating plenty of old-fashioned tape and first-hand observation to analyze players and teams. Now in its third year, Pro Basketball Prospectus has been called "insistently readable" and "consistently eye-opening" by FreeDarko.

Chasing Perfection goes behind the scenes of the multi-million dollar, high-stakes world of basketball player development, research and analysis, and the often secretive, cutting-edge methods that NBA franchises use to turn less-expensive, supporting players into vital parts of championship teams. NBA superstars push as close to perfection as we're likely to see, but they are few and far between. The farther you get from the league's top echelon of talent, the more it's up to the players—and their teams—to develop and utilize their strengths while diminishing and masking their weaknesses as much as possible. There are no perfect basketball players, but there are plenty of perfected ones, who start with a basis of skill and physical ability and then are refined further and further in order to move closer and closer to their absolute potential. In Chasing Perfection, national sportswriter Andy Glockner reveals that, though the concept of player improvement is as old as basketball itself, the current era of Big Data analytics in the NBA is transforming that process more quickly and aggressively than anything we have seen before. Players are learning more and more about themselves through video and data visualization, seeing how things like diet and sleep can impact their performance, and learning how having healthy joints and role-specific workout plans are lengthening and improving their careers. Teams are internalizing the same lessons, as well as figuring out how to better implement optimal on-court strategies, how to refine their approaches to player acquisition and how to gauge the varying values and success rates of different, crucial team-building strategies. It's an absolutely fascinating time to be a fan, as the marriage of basketball and technology is bringing two of our most popular and competitive worlds together in compelling fashion. Using the 2014–15 NBA season as a prism to explore this mesh of sport and science, Glockner offers detailed perspective from NBA players, coaches, team management, and media, offering a comprehensive insider's view of how analytics are shaping the basketball we watch, and how those who are lagging behind in the technology race already are feeling the competitive hit.

'In the Handbook on the Economics of Women in Sports, Leeds and Leeds put together an impressive list of heavy hitters in the sociology and economics literature on sports to produce a tour de force volume. The entire spectrum of international perspectives is covered, from US, Korean, and Australian sports to world competition at the highest level of the Olympics and international championships. Whether your interest is attendance at women's events, performance and rewards in women's pro sports, gender issues in US college sports, or international performance and how women compete, this handbook is a must read for any serious fan, and for all serious scholars interested in the impacts of being female on sports performance and competitiveness.' Rodney Fort, University of Michigan, US 'Leeds and Leeds have filled a gaping hole in sports economics with this revealing collection of essays. The economics of women in sports has been too long neglected. By covering everything from women as sports spectators, to women as participants in individual and team sports at the collegiate and professional levels, to women's sports internationally, Title IX, and women's differential response to incentives, this volume not only demonstrates that there is much fertile ground to be studied, but also that the subject matter is both interesting and important.' Andrew Zimbalist, Smith College, US Women's sports have received much less attention from economists than from other social scientists. This Handbook fills that gap with a comprehensive economic analysis of women's sports. It also analyzes how the behavior and treatment of female athletes reflect broad economic forces. Contributors to this volume use current theoretical models and econometric tools to examine the legal, social, and economic forces that affect the experiences of female athletes. They address such traditional topics as discrimination against female athletes and coaches and the effect of athletic events on the economies of host countries. They also apply theory and estimation to new settings, such as how women respond to tournaments in skiing and figure skating or how the growing dominance of Korean women on the LPGA tour is a form of immigration. This groundbreaking book is a valuable resource for professors, students, and researchers in sports economics, sports management, and women's studies.

Journey "inside the numbers" for an exceptional set of statistical tools and rules that can help explain the winning, or losing, ways of a basketball team. Basketball on Paper doesn't diagram plays or explain how players get in shape, but instead demonstrates how to interpret player and team performance. Dean Oliver highlights general strategies for teams when they're winning or losing and what aspects should be the focus in either situation. He describes and quantifies the jobs of team leaders and role players, then discusses the interactions between players and how to achieve the best fit. Oliver conceptualizes the meaning of teamwork and how to quantify the value of different types of players working together. He examines historically successful NBA teams and identifies what made them so successful: individual talent, a system of putting players together, or good coaching. Oliver then uses these statistical tools and case studies to evaluate the best players in history, such as Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Charles Barkley and how they contributed to their teams' success. He does the same for some of the NBA's "oddball" players-Manute Bol, Muggsy Bogues, and Dennis Rodman and for the WNBA's top players. Basketball on Paper is unique in its incorporation of business and analytical concepts within the context of basketball to measure the value of players in a cooperative setting. Whether you're looking for strategies or new ideas to throw out while watching the ballgame at a sports bar, Dean Oliver'sBasketball on Paper will give you amazing new insights into teamwork, coaching, and success.