Sport Development in the United States: High Performance and Mass Participation

The development of both elite, high performance sport and mass participation, grassroots-level sport are central concerns for governments and sports governing bodies. This important new study is the first to closely examine the challenges and opportunities for sports development in the United States, a global sporting giant with a unique, market-driven sporting landscape.

Presenting an innovative model of integrated sports development, the book explores the inter-relationship between elite and mass sport across history, drawing on comparative international examples from Australia to the former USSR and Eastern bloc countries. At the heart of the book is an in-depth empirical study of three (traditional and emerging) sports in the US – tennis, soccer and rugby – that offer important lessons on the development of elite sport, methods for increasing participation, and the establishment of new sports in new markets.

No other book has attempted to model sports development in the United States in such depth before. Therefore this should be essential reading for all students, researchers, administrators or policy-makers with an interest in sports development, sports management, sports policy, or comparative, international sport studies.

Peter Smolianov, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Sport Management at Salem State University. Educated in Australia, Russia and the USA, he has over 50 publications and conference presentations, including chapters in 2013 books by Routledge - Managing High Performance Sport; and Sport Governance: An International Case Study Perspective.

Dwight Zakus, PhD, is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Regina, Canada (being recently retired from Griffith University, Australia). He has over 65 publications, has co-authored a book on sport ethics, and has completed many industry consultancies and research projects worth over $480,000.

Joseph Gallo, DSc, is a certified athletic trainer, physical therapist, and teaching tennis professional. He is Director and Associate Professor of the Athletic Training Program at Salem State University, and the Men’s Tennis coach. His main area of research is in sport and rehabilitation sciences.

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