Capitalizing on the rapid growth of sports studies majors & minors in undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as the rapid international growth of the sports & entertainment industries, this four volume set provides peer-reviewed, cross-disciplinary insights for students and researchers investigating the cultural and economic impact of sports in the twenty-first century. Thematic chapters serve as a resource for social science, humanities, and business-related coursework on a variety of topics, since many instructors are turning to sports-related issues or incidents to provide case studies that appeal to young people. Coverage includes both sports dominant in the USA (Basketball, American Football, Hockey, Baseball, Golf) and those that are internationally significant (Soccer, Racing, Tennis, Cricket, Polo, and Rugby). The set is unique in providing in depth analysis of both U.S.-based and international perspectives (e.g., the Chapter Cross-Cultural Dimensions of Sports includes coverage of the globalization of modern sports, sports and American society, sports, diaspora, and the Gaelic games, and sports in post-colonial societies). Special emphasis is given to themes with entwined economic, political, and cultural reverberations, such as sports and inequality, gender, diplomacy, social mobility, race relations, and environmental sustainability. The academic board is led by editor in chief Joseph Maguire, Emeritus Professor of Sociology of Sport (Loughborough University, UK). He is a two-term former President of the International Sociology of Sport Association. He is currently an executive board member of the International Council for Sports Science and Physical Education.