Expanded and updated, with photos throughout, this second edition explains America's love of sport just as it reveals sport's darker side - the influence of big business, corruption, price gouging, political manoeuvering, and media grandstanding. An entire new chapter explores the myth that sport is played on a level playing field, emphasizing racial and gender inequities unrecognized by many fans and journalists. Eitzen portrays famous and lesser-known events from professional, college and school sports, including depictions of well known coaches and players, to give us a deeper understanding of what sports means to us and how it affects our everyday world. Ideal for sparking classroom discussion, the first edition was widely read and enjoyed by students of sociology of sport, American society and other courses.