Reddit mentions: The best sport sociology books

It goes without saying, but then again I am saying it so....like most areas of study in philosophy, different philosophers have approached the intersection of philosophy and sport in different ways. Some have taken the classic route of exploring the ontology of sport, ethical issues pertaining to sport, etc. Others have used the example of sport (or situations that arise in sport) to explore and explain other philosophical problems.

My favorite example of the former approach is the book The Grasshopper: Games, Life, and Utopia by Bernard Suits. In it he discusses the nature and value of sport through Platonic dialogue (seriously how cool is that?!). Many believe Suits gets it wrong, but most scholars that I have encountered are generous enough to admit that it is a wonderful book and is a great starting point.

A recent example of that latter is Knowing the Score by David Papineau. From Amazon: [Papineau] uses sports to illuminate some of modern philosophy's most perplexing questions...The tactics of road bicycle racing shed new light on questions of altruism, while sporting family dynasties reorient the nature v. nurture debate. Why do sports competitors choke? Why do fans think God will favor their team over their rivals? How can it be moral to deceive the umpire by framing a pitch? From all of these questions, and many more, philosophy has a great deal to learn.

If you're looking for a classic anthology, I would highly recommend Philosophic Inquiry in Sport. I believe it is available via ILL and can be found used for around $10.

Other books that can be requested via ILL are Introduction to Philosophy of Sport, The Ethics of Sport: Essential Readings, and Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Sport. I will be honest though, ymmv with these last three, but I thought I would try to give a semi-thorough response.

Think of it as if your kid was playing on the field. Would you boo them off, or keep cheering them on, even if they were having a bad day. Cheering as reward vs cheering as incentive.

Besides that, if you "get slapped around like a little girl on the field" you actually get rewarded for your failure with higher draft picks. In Europe, failure is punished by dismissal from the top leagues and the corresponding loss of money. No Club has the absolute right to play anywhere, unlike the franchise system with its closed leagues and exclusive markets.

At least we agree that there are cultural differences: Centuries of conflict and strife in the old world are represented in the political, religious, and social identities attached to different soccer clubs.

A club like Barcelona represents a centuries-old ideal of Catalan freedom from the oppressive monarchists of Real Madrid. Celtic are Republican Catholics vs the Loyalist Protestant Rangers, and in Eastern Europe you get communist vs anti-communists, vs militarists vs secret police etc. Your club represents and validates your identity and belief system. This is one of the reasons why there is so much passion for the game.

If you want to learn more about it, I suggest you read "How soccer explains the world"

http://www.amazon.com/How-Soccer-Explains-World-Globalization/dp/0061978051

Which is what I should have done before we went into this argument.

Grey if you want to read a non fiction book that you would never pick yourself I can reccomend this one:

How soccer explains the world. An unlikely theory of globalisation.

Don't get fooled by the title. This is a soccer book, but it's not really about soccer. It's a collection of weird and interesting stories connected to the game.

I think the Newsweek review on the back of the book give you the best idea of what I am trying to explain: "A riveting analysis of soccer struggle to come to term with the forces of free trade, multinational brands, and cultural imperialism"

Its available on amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/How-Soccer-Explains-World-Globalization/dp/0061978051

The ultras (they don't tend to be near the Curva Sud, those are more like normal fans which will indeed be perfectly fine) on both sides have very similar political views. I read a book a few years ago called Football, Fascism and Fandom which goes into detail about this:

https://www.amazon.com/Football-Fascism-Fandom-UltraS-Italian/dp/1408123711

That said, the image I posted and those from Lazio fans are several years old, more than 10-15 years I'd wager so both sides are kinda no longer showing swastikas, white power symbols,... in their Curva plus many of them were from matches against Livorno, a well known pro-Communist club whose fans celebrate Stalin so I think some of it can be classed under 'provocation gone too far'.

It would be correct in saying that Lazio are more vocal about it yeah.

A book you night be able to use is "How Soccer Explains The World: An Unlikely theory on Globalization" by Franklin Foer. Its all about the development of clubs and the historical and political impact that they've had on their home countries, as well as how the sport has grown. Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0061978051?pc_redir=1398414187&robot_redir=1. If thats too much into the actual history of clubs try "Soccernomics" by Simon Kuper and Stefan Symanski. Its a more mathmatical look into the sport and how and why certain countries win while others dont. Amazon Link http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1568584253?pc_redir=1398426773&robot_redir=1.
As a fan of soccer im obliged to say that you should give the sport a chance.

I just recently read How Soccer Explains the World. It's less about tactics and more about the global impact of the game, but it's very interesting and contains a lot of very helpful and important info.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Soccer-Explains-World-Globalization/dp/0061978051

Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski has been an interesting read so far, if you're interested in the business side of the game. Another good one was How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization, which was comprised of case studies that looked at all sorts of different trends in the game, not just globalization.

Both of those books are well-written and -researched and offer good insights, and give historical contexts for, trends in the game.

How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization

"Foer, a New Republic editor, scores a game-winning goal with this analysis of the interchange between soccer and the new global economy. The subtitle is a bit misleading, though: he doesn't really use soccer to develop a theory; instead, he focuses on how examining soccer in different countries allows us to understand how international forces affect politics and life around the globe. The book is full of colorful reporting, strong characters and insightful analysis: In one of the most compelling chapters, Foer shows how a soccer thug in Serbia helped to organize troops who committed atrocities in the Balkan War—by the end of the war, the thug's men, with the acquiescence of Serbian leaders, had killed at least 2,000 Croats and Bosnians. Then he bought his own soccer club and, before he was gunned down in 2000, intimidated other teams into losing. Most of the stories aren't as gruesome, but they're equally fascinating. The crude hatred, racism and anti-Semitism on display in many soccer stadiums is simply amazing, and Foer offers context for them, including how current economic conditions are affecting these manifestations. In Scotland, the management of some teams have kept religious hatreds alive in order to sell tickets and team merchandise. But Foer, a diehard soccer enthusiast, is no anti-globalist. In Iran, for example, he depicts how soccer works as a modernizing force: thousands of women forced police to allow them into a men's-only stadium to celebrate the national team's triumph in an international match. One doesn't have to be a soccer fan to truly appreciate this absorbing book."

This is a great read. [Amazon Link] (http://www.amazon.com/How-Soccer-Explains-World-Globalization/dp/0061978051/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370887298&sr=1-1&keywords=how+football+explains+the+world&tag=chromeext-20). I have given it to many people here in the US as it really gives them a great insight into the history and rivalries of football in the rest of the world.

Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics - You need to read this book if you want to understand soccer tactics. It's a great book, but a bit dry in places. Also keep wikipedia handy you will be looking up a lot of names


How Soccer Explains The World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization Might be a bit dated now (read it about 5 years ago) but its a fun book with introduction to many clubs the world over.

The Numbers Game by Alan Schwarz is probably up your alley.

I also liked How Soccer Explains the World and The Blind Side. Neither is about statistics, but it takes a different look at these games.


Although not about sports, Fooled by Randomness is another great read that discusses looking beyond the surface numbers.

Ah. That's not the only incident of anti-semitism directed towards Tottenham supporters. What incidents of drama were you specifically referencing?

As far as mixing politics and football, I might suggest reading (and this goes for everyone) this book. It's a great book that shows that football is all about the political structure of the world.

Two ones I liked:
How Soccer Explains The World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization A few short essays of how football is a useful lens for understanding some contemporary issues. It's light social science, with more emphasis on football than merely using it as a loose metaphor to start from.

A season With Verona
I am not really a fan of Italy or Serie A, and only sometimes like travel literature. This one was pretty good though. The writer is a long time Hellas Verona supporter and foreign correspondent in Italy. As a sort of travel book/football journalist he endeavours to not only see every home fixture, but also to travel across Italy for each away fixture and cup tie. This one is again fairly football heavy, rather than just using football as a mere way into another topic.

Here are a couple great Non-Arsenal specific books. All come highly recommended:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Miracle-Castel-Sangro-Passion/dp/0767905997

http://www.amazon.com/Among-Thugs-Bill-Buford/dp/0679745351/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422638459&sr=1-1&keywords=among+the+thugs&pebp=1422638445664&peasin=679745351

http://www.amazon.com/How-Soccer-Explains-World-Globalization/dp/0061978051/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422638489&sr=1-1&keywords=how+soccer+explains+the+world&pebp=1422638475663&peasin=61978051

Soccer Against the Enemy is my favorite football book of all. Fascinating look at the politics and ideas behind football's different fans/factions.

This is the book I'm reading right now and its pretty interesting.
http://www.amazon.com/How-Soccer-Explains-World-Globalization/dp/B004F9OUY4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318354049&sr=8-1

Franklin Foer's "How Soccer Explains the World" is a great read for those who want to understand why things are how they are on football: http://www.amazon.com/How-Soccer-Explains-World-Globalization-ebook/dp/B0013M31GE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462741126&sr=8-1&keywords=franklin+foer+how+football

Great book about it.

https://www.amazon.ca/How-Soccer-Explains-World-Globalization/dp/0061978051

This is a great book about politics and football.

With all the interest in this topic, you guys should read "How Soccer Explains the World". It is a really good read if this kind of thing "floats your boat". Link for the lazy: http://www.amazon.com/How-Soccer-Explains-World-Globalization/dp/0066212340

Here are a couple good books that offer some details on your topic:

DEEP The Story of Skiing and The Future of Snow

In Search of Powder: A Story of America's Disappearing Ski Bum

I'm familiar with the Soccernomics.

If your interested in soccer/football literature, this is fun book that isn't quite as intellectually intensive, but explores the cultural drive behind the game.

Have you read How Soccer Explains the World? It does a great job talking about hooligans, ultras, and basically how politics and soccer are so intermingled in some countries. Anyway, are you a season ticket holder? And what was the biggest hooligan brawl you've been in?

Check [this] (http://www.amazon.com/Cricket-National-Identity-Postcolonial-Age/dp/0415363489).
Contents and sample chapter here

I have not read this book, so can't comment on how good it is but looks informative.

Recommended reading: How Soccer Explains the World, Franklin Foer

> I’m just saying I think it’s unnessessary to bring politics into football.

Then you don’t know football, friend. Today we remember the 96 people who died at Hillsborough. There are many reasons why we remember them. One reason is the politicized reaction to the events on that day, and how Liverpool fans and the city itself was pilloried by the establishment as part of a broader political narrative that had spanned decades before and after. (And some would argue that the public proponents of Brexit are the direct descendent of right-leaning politicians who generated and perpetuated the lies and injustices around Hillsborough. There’s a reason the (at the time) right-leaning newspaper we don’t discuss here is not discussed here.)

Speaking more broadly, however, I’d urge you to read How Soccer Explains the World by Franklin Foer (apologies for the US Amazon link if you’re in the UK!). That book does a great job charting the many ways in which football has been used by politics across the world, and fundamentally altered events in the world, far beyond the football pitch.

https://www.amazon.com/Sports-Society-Controversies-Jay-Coakley/dp/0078022525/ref=sr_1_1?crid=31DICSL3QXTCW&keywords=sports+in+society+issues+and+controversies+11th+edition&qid=1565929841&s=gateway&sprefix=sports+in+socie%2Caps%2C746&sr=8-1

(((How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization)))

Soccer has always been a political rally. https://www.amazon.com/How-Soccer-Explains-World-Globalization/dp/0061978051

Then I totally won't recommend this book:

https://www.amazon.com/How-Soccer-Explains-World-Globalization/dp/0061978051

A good book on the financial disaster that is hosting the Olympics: [No Boston Olympics](https://www.amazon.com/No-Boston-Olympics-Cities-Passing/dp/151260058X]No Boston Olympics).

The book How soccer explains the world touches on that a lot, I know what you're saying. Religion, class, power, and money all play into football club support and for a lower class game it makes sense why the support would be more significant. But my point isn't just that it's a game. For some people it means a lot and that's ok. Crying at the end of a football match isn't over the top. Feeling gutten and having your day ruined by a bad result isn't obsessive. Pouring money and time into a club and having a very narrow view of the world is. If that's all you do or all you're involved in I think that's a problem. Rich or poor you can have other hobbies, other things in your life that matter. If all you do is talk football, watch football, analyze football, complain about football, and spend money on football, then it becomes a problem