Includes bibliographical references (p. 231-255) and index.

Sports figures, events and organisations affect our society in vast, varied and sometimes unexpected ways. This title tackles some of the most compelling connections between the sports world and public policy. It begins by examining issues related to professional sports. It also explores amateur sports and public health.

Part I. Structure of professional sports -- Cooperation amidst competition: The nature of sport leagues / Nathaniel Sampson and Gerard C.S. Mildner -- Beyond the major leagues: Lessons from the organization of international sports / Gerard C.S. Mildner -- Why professional athletes make so much money / Zenon X. Zygmont -- Part II. Professional sports, cities, and public finance -- Economic impact of sport stadiums, teams, and events / Charles A. Santo -- Cities, stadiums, and subsidies: Why cities spend so much on sports / Charles A. Santo -- Community ownership of professional sport teams and the role of social entrepreneurship / Dorothy Norris-Tirrell and Susan Tomlinson Schmidt -- Part III. Amateur athletics, participation, and public health -- Influences of urban form on physical activity / Jennifer Dill and Lynn Weigand -- MLB's mixed messages: African American participation in baseball / David C. Ogden -- Contradictions and conflict: Ethical dilemmas inherent in big-time college sports / Richard M. Southall ... [et al.] -- Sport, doping, and public policy / Bryan E. Denham -- Part IV. Sport and globalization -- Political economy of the Olympic games / Greg Andranovich, Matthew J. Burbank, and Charles H. Heying -- American baseball and the global labor market: Resistance and hegemony in the Caribbean / Charles A. Santo -- Expanding global consumer market for American sports: The World Baseball Classic / Mark S. Nagel ... [et al.].