Sport has enjoyed steadily increasing prominence and economic importance since the Millennium. But threats to its integrity appear to have grown in parallel, undermining the very sense of innocence and fun which is an important part of its appeal. Threats to the spirit of sport come from internal, external and even state actors, who seek either to manipulate events on the field or to exploit the institutions of sport for their own ends. As the reputation of sport becomes more tarnished as a result, its sustainability as a significant part of the entertainment industry is called into question and loss of reputation may even result in decline in recreational play. In this wide-ranging collection of essays, the international team of contributors explores the structural economic sources of the problems that beset sport and address the question of ‘what is to be done?’ through economic reasoning. Specific topics covered include doping, match-fixing for betting or sporting gain, the role of forensic statistics in detecting nefarious activity, issues related to club ownership, corruption in the awarding of mega-events and within sports governing bodies, and the role of the law and the Court of Arbitration for Sport. In the final chapter, the Editors pull together the various strands and propose that policy to mitigate the threat to fair play should be built around two themes: improving sports governance and designing incentives to help actors in sport choose honest over manipulative behaviour. The book will appeal to practitioners from sport management as well as to academics including students and researchers.

This handbook illustrates the utility of global sport as a lens through which to disentangle the interconnected political, economic, cultural, and social patterns that shape our lives. Drawing on multidisciplinary perspectives, it is organized into three parts. The first part outlines theoretical and conceptual insights from global sport scholarship: from the conceptualization and development of globalization theories, transnationalism and transnational capital, through to mediasport, roving coloniality, and neoliberal doctrine. The second part illustrates the varied flows within global sport and the ways in which these flows are contested, across physical cultures/sport forms, identities, ideologies, media, and economic capital. Diverse topics and cases are covered, such as sport business and the global sport industry, financial fair play, and global mediasport. Finally, the third part explores various aspects of global sport development and governance, incorporating insights from work in the Global South. Across all of these contributions, varied approaches are taken to examine the ‘power of sport’ trope, generating a thought-provoking dialogue for the reader. Featuring an accomplished roster of contributors and wide-ranging coverage of key issues and debates, this handbook will serve as an indispensable resource for scholars and students of contemporary sports studies.

This Palgrave Pivot provides a comprehensive overview of economic aspects to criminal behaviour in sport. It addresses manipulations, dysfunctions, distortions and crimes triggered by economic interests or pure greed in sports, and challenges the governance of this important industry. Topics covered include hazing, sabotage, refereeing bias, technological manipulations, tanking, bad management, financial doping, ticket touting, circumventing the law through sport, discrimination and child labour. The book is divided into three volumes. Volume I covers those economic manipulations that breach sports rules, sporting integrity, violate managerial rules and the law, and infringe human rights in sport. It builds up a typology of sport manipulations which makes sense from an economic standpoint, not only from a sporting or judicial perspective. Volumes II and III (available separately) focus on Corruption and Economic Crime in Sport, respectively. This book will be of interest to students, researchers and journalists in sports science, sports management and sports economics.

Presenting a comprehensive and pragmatic view on challenges around sporting events, this timely Research Handbook examines the hosting of major sporting events and the impacts they can have on stakeholders. Looking beyond the host destination, it provides a wealth of conceptual analysis on the organisation and administration of such events, including the bidding process, planning, management, sponsorship issues, and marketing.

Sports economics is a well-established and dynamic area of study; a key component in the fields of sport management, sport science and sport studies, as well as in other areas of economics, finance and management. Covering amateur to professional sports, individual events and organised tournaments, this Handbook provides an authoritative contribution to the understanding of sport in the economy. The editors of The SAGE Handbook of Sports Economics have brought together a global team of respected scholars to create this benchmark collection of insights into sports economics. Each chapter includes a study of a specific context in which issues arise in sports economics, a critical presentation of its main theoretical contributions, an overview of current research findings, and an outline of enquiry for future research. PART I: The Nature and Value of the Sports System and Economy PART II: Amateur Sports Participation, Supply and Impact PART III: Professional Team Sports PART IV: Professional Sports Leagues PART V: Sports Events and their Impacts PART VI: Individual Sports PART VII: Future Research

In this essential primer on the key themes in sports law, Jack Anderson explains how law has become important to all aspects of sport, including participation, administration and the resolution of disputes. Crossing legal jurisdictions and sporting codes, it covers issues ranging from ambush marketing to broadcasting, corruption and doping.