Comparing Sporting Nations : Theory and Method

Matthew Dowling

ISBN 10: 1782552162 / ISBN 13: 9781782552161

Published by Meyer & Meyer Fachverlag Und Buchhandel Gmbh Apr 2021, 2021

About this Item

Neuware - It is the essence of human nature to compare, and nowhere are comparisons more commonplace than in sport. This book focuses specifically on the comparison of sporting nations. Making meaningful comparisons (i.e. comparing the similarities and differences between social phenomena based upon empirical observation) is difficult and resource intensive and faces a host of methodological limitations, trade-offs and practical compromises.Despite these ongoing issues, there remains no introductory texts that outline the philosophical, methodological and practical challenges of comparative analysis as it applies to sport. This book is therefore the first of its kind to provide a comprehensive overview of the theory and method of comparing sporting nations illustrated through specific examples and case studies drawn from the comparative elite sport policy/management domain.In doing so, the book provides an important point of departure and reference for anyone seeking to making comparisons and to generate more focus and attention towards the logic of comparative inquiry and methodology within sport.

Seller Inventory # 9781782552161

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Comparing Sporting Nations : Theory and Method
• Publisher: Meyer & Meyer Fachverlag Und Buchhandel Gmbh Apr 2021
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1782552162
• ISBN 13: 9781782552161
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 237W x 162H x 11D millimeters 237 millimeters width by 162 millimeters height by 11 millimeters depth
• Weight: 310 grams

About this title

Synopsis

It is the essence of human nature to compare, and nowhere are comparisons more commonplace than in sport. This book focuses specifically on the comparison of sporting nations. Making meaningful comparisons (i.e. comparing the similarities and differences between social phenomena based upon empirical observation) is difficult and resource intensive and faces a host of methodological limitations, trade-offs and practical compromises. Despite these ongoing issues, there remains no introductory texts that outline the philosophical, methodological and practical challenges of comparative analysis as it applies to sport. This book is therefore the first of its kind to provide a comprehensive overview of the theory and method of comparing sporting nations illustrated through specific examples and case studies drawn from the comparative elite sport policy/management domain.

About the Author

Dr Mathew Dowling is a senior lecturer at the Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University, UK. He completed his PhD at the University of Alberta, Canada, and is alma mater of Loughborough University, UK. His current research interests focus on the application of organizational and political theory to understand sport organizations and systems. Dr Spencer Harris is an associate professor of Sport Management at the University of Colorado, US. He has more than 30 years of experience within the sport development industry and has worked for the University of Hertfordshire, Sport England and Right to Play.