Battleground sports

Mega-events like the Olympics, the World Cup of soccer, the World Series of baseball, cycling's Tour de France, and the Super Bowl draw our attention to the deep cultural significance of sport and its role in fostering social bonds. Yet when it comes to sport, there is no shortage of debate: stereotypes regarding sexuality, race, gender, and children have been hotly contested by critics for over 40 years. Even today, sport is one of the very few socially accepted sites of violence, intense competition and controlled forms of social disorder. Battleground: Sports presents the 100 most contentious public and private controversies of the sports world. Highlighted throughout are debates surrounding ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and social identity, sports fan behavior, as well as the role of governments and corporations. Engaging and accessible to a wide variety of readers, this fascinating reference illustrates how sports controversies reflect the historically enduring and changing nature of our broader cultures, and the social battles we engage on a day-to-day basis surrounding the struggles for equality, debates about social violence, the ethics of competition, the politics of civic life, the creation of global communities, and the State's role in protecting citizens. Entries contain an array of thoughtful perspectives on historic and current controversies, and allow readers to formulate their own conclusions. - Publisher.

Entries: -- Academic misconduct among athletes -- Adventure racing -- Animal blood sports -- Anti-doping rules and policies -- Anti-trust violations in professional sports -- Athlete unions -- "At risk" youth in sports -- Biology and athlete performance -- Cheating during competition -- Collective protests and social movements -- Commercializing ethnic athletes -- Cool pose -- Corporate branding -- Corporate stadiums -- Criminal violence during competition -- Disability sports -- Drafting amateur athletes -- Eating disorders -- Environmental impacts of sports -- Equipment manufacturing in the Third World -- Ergogenics -- Erythropoietin (EPO) -- Ethnic coaches, managers, and owners -- Field invasions -- Funding equality legislation -- Gambling -- Gay games -- Gender and educational opportunities -- Gender and game rules -- Gene manipulation -- Governments, laws, and gambling -- Government sponsorship of teams -- Hazing -- Homophobia -- Hooliganism -- Illness -- International Olympic Committee (IOC) -- Labor migration -- LGBT sports leagues -- Marijuana, alcohol, and illicit drugs -- Marketing female athlete sexuality -- Mascots -- Media broadcasting rights -- Media coverage of wome…