Is there such a thing as "pure sport"? This book examines the links between sport and a range of broader social issues such as race, sexuality, and globalization. David Karen and Robert E. Washington's fascinating collection of scholarly and journalistic articles challenges the prevailing perception of sports, and will stimulate discussion in the classroom and beyond. This is essential reading for all students of sports studies, the sociology of sport, and the sociology of culture.

Introduction: Sport: The Game and the Field 1. The Big Picture: Theorizing Sports from Sociological Perspectives 2. High Brow and Low Brow Contests: Sports with More or Less Class 3. Colouring the Game: Race Matters in Sports 4. Manning the Field: Gender Myths and Privileges in Sports - Constructing Masculinity; Socialization 5. Nice Guys Finish Last: Athletes Out of Bounds and the Problem of Sports and Deviance 6. Certain Kinds of People: Sexuality and Sport 7. Growth of Global Community or Neo-Imperialism? National Cultures and the Internationalization of Sports

David Karen is a Professor of Sociology at Bryn Mawr College. In addition to his interest in sports, he also focuses on social inequality, the sociology of education, and social movements. With Robert Washington, he wrote "Sport and Society," published in the Annual Review of Sociology.

Robert E. Washington is a Professor of Sociology at Bryn Mawr College. His areas of scholarly interest are sports sociology, race relations, social deviance, and the sociology of culture.