'Barrie Houlihan's astonishingly ambitious and skilfully assembled collection, "Sport and Society", examines the relations between sport, social policy and the social context that underlies the two. Organized around such themes as exclusion, commercialism and international comparisons, the book allows the reader to understand not only the centrality of sport to contemporary society, but the often perplexing policies that contrive to encourage or deny participation, promote or deter public sector involvement and support or undermine physical education. Importantly, Houlihan never prioritises the general over the particular, always striving to find detail amid the bigger picture' - Ellis Cashmore, Professor of Culture, Media and Sport, Staffordshire University and author of "Sports Culture: An A-Z Guide".'The most comprehensive study of contemporary issues in sport by leading international scholars. Houlihan's book is the answer to sports students' prayers, full of information, statistics, tables and figures, extensive guides to further reading and, most important of all, challenging ideas. A weighty vademecum for the early 21st century.' - Jim Riordan, Honorary Professor of Sports Studies, University of Stirling; Professor Emeritus at University of Surrey; President of the European Sports History Association; FRSA. This is the book that students and lecturers in sports studies have been waiting for. It is the most comprehensive student introduction to the field.The book is organized around four themes central to the study of sport: perspectives, inclusion, commercialization and international context and comparison. Key features include: a strong inter-disciplinary perspective; a clear focus on power and inequality and their relation to participation and success in sport; a keen emphasis on the increasing importance of commercialization and regulation in sport; and, an exemplary introduction into the importance of comparative analysis for understanding problems clearly and producing sound solutions. This is an ideal teaching text, enabling lecturers to teach a conventional 12 or 13 week semester by selecting issues from the 19 topic-based chapters. Accessible, engaging and full of up to date ideas and information the book will be devoured by lecturers seeking an authoritative introduction to sport and society and relished by students who want a relevant, enriching texts for the learning and research needs.