Ellis Cashmore's unique, multidisciplinary introduction to sports studies is completely revised, updated, enlarged, and enhanced with new chapters that reflect the changing character of contemporary sport. Already established as a standard text, Cashmore's challenging approach to the study of sport has been improved and augmented with new chapters including: The Mind of an Athlete, a probe into the psychological qualities and processes that separate winners from also-rans; and The Rise and Rise of Celebrities, about celebrity culture and how it has affected the status of athletes.