Track on the field

Ellis Cashmore's text is a clear and eloquent outline of many of the important areas in the broad field of sports sociology. The introduction deals with some basic issues as to why people partake in sports and a brief overview of the evolution of sport, before introducing some theoretical perspectives that underpin much of what follows.

It is in these chapters that some of the most exciting and interesting material is found, as Cashmore analyses issues such as race, gender, drugs, commercialism and violence.

While the book is primarily geared towards students of sports sociology, it will prove equally useful for students doing cultural and leisure studies, sociology in its broader form and even law, as the law takes a higher profile and more overt place in sporting circles.

Written in an accessible and clear way, the book also contains useful "shorts" that seek to provide readers, who may have little background in the area, with a means of orientation. Some established readers might find these unnecessary, although we have found that these are welcomed by our own law students as providing a useful framework and reference point. Overall, the book is an original, interesting and timely intervention in a fast-growing field of academic study.

Steve Greenfield and Guy Osborn are senior lecturers, Centre for the Study of Law, Society and Popular Culture, University of Westminster.