Books with title Sports and Society

Sports and Society examines the role that sporting traditions have played in human society from primitive cultures to the present day. Did sports begin simply for practical reasons such as training soldiers for war, or do humans have a less practical need to play active, physical games? How have different sports migrated around the world, and what effect have new cultures had on these imports? Exciting and varied case studies are used throughout this book to illustrate issues and concepts.

The excitement displayed during competitions such as the World Cup show that British people take sport very seriously, yet only 21% of 5- to 19-year-olds take part in any organised sport outside of the school day. This book looks at young people’s engagement with sport as well as topics of debate including footballers’ salaries, equality in sport and the ethics of performance-enhancing drugs. The information comes from a wide range of sources and includes government reports and statistics, newspaper articles, features, magazine articles and surveys, literature from lobby groups and charitable organisations.

Sports and Society examines the role that sporting traditions have played in human society from primitive cultures to the present day. Did sports begin simply for practical reasons such as training soldiers for war, or do humans have a less practical need to play active, physical games? How have different sports migrated around the world, and what effect have new cultures had on these imports? Exciting and varied case studies are used throughout this book to illustrate issues and concepts.

A grand difference between plant and animal life lies in the fact that the plant is concerned chiefly with storing energy, and the animal with consuming it. The plant by a very slow process converts lifeless into living matter, expending little energy and living at a profit. The animal is unable to change lifeless into living matter, but has developed organs of locomotion, ingestion, and digestion which enable it to prey upon the plant world and upon other animal forms; and in contrast with plant life it lives at a loss of energy. Expressed in biological formula, the habit of the plant is predominantly anabolic, that of the animal predominantly katabolic.

The excitement displayed during sporting competitions such as the World Cup and the Olympics show that British people take sport very seriously, perhaps young people especially so. Yet only 21% of 5- to 19-year-olds take part in any organised sport outside of the school day. This book looks at young people's engagement with sport and how it can be improved, as well as raising topics of debate including footballers' salaries, whether professional sportspeople are good role models, football violence, equality in sport and the use of performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids.