Review

The focus of this book and its well-referenced case study technique of using sports-related issues that take on a more global or cross-cultural perspective is a valuable contribution for those interested in the serious pursuit of sociological inquiry into the domain of sport.
–Choice

Eric Dunning suggests that sociologists ought to pay more attention to sports. A student and coauthor of Nobert Elias, Dunning has written extensively on sports and believes indeed, that Sport Matters. In this broad-based and erudite volume, the author covers topics ranging from the sports of medieval Europe to the fan violence at soccer matches to racial and gender stratification in sport.
Eric Dunning has important things to say about sport. I learned a lot from this book. Though it is often marred by his continual attention to his mentor's paradigm, Sport Mattersdemonstrates that if sociologists continue to ignore sport in their work, they will be ignoring a central part of people's lives and an important piece of contemporary culture.
–Contemporary Sociology