Review by Choice Review
The 12 essays focus on the making, the diffusion and development, and the comparative and developmental studies of modern sports. A sociology of sport written primarily by European scholars, the entries are well written, with ample endnotes and current bibliographies. It is at times, however, difficult to differentiate between the history, philosophy, and sociology of sport. Part 1 traces the history of sport emphasizing how development was affected by the cultural and social conditions of the times. The work of Dunning (Univ. of Leicester, UK), who wrote Quest for Excitement (CH, Feb'87), on sport in the civilizing process is outstanding, as is Hargreave (Roehampton Institute of Higher Education, Southland College, UK) on the development of females in sport during the early years. In Part 2, Guttmann (Amherst College), who wrote A Whole New Ball Game (CH, Oct'88), contends that cultural factors affect sport as they spread to different regions of the world. Arbena (Clemson Univ.) cites the prospects and offers some well-founded proposals for the development of sport in Latin America. Maguire (Loughborough Univ. of Technology) offers an excellent piece on the assimilation of US football into British society. Part 3 compares sport across modern cultures, and includes a contribution by Jarvie (Univ. of Warwick, UK), who examines the South African crisis and the part played by sport. Advanced undergraduate through professional. F. D. Handler; St. Bonaventure University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
