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INTRODUCTION
Sociology of Sport Journal, 1997, 14,315-316
63 1997 Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
Sociology of Sport: Traditions, Transitions,
and Transformations
Depending upon one's viewpoint, one may argue that the sociology of sport
in North America has had a long, a medium, or a short history. For example, from
a sociologicalperspective, one can contend that the subfield dates from the publication of Thorstein Veblen's Theory of the Leisure Class (1899); from a physical
education perspective, one can propose that the specialty dates from the programmatic paper by Kenyon and Loy titled, Toward a Sociology of Sport (1965); and
from a combined sociological/physicaleducation perspective, one can assert that
the subdiscipline dates from the establishment of the North American Society for
the Sociology of Sport (1978).
Whichever foundational date one favors, Loy and Segrave (1974) were likely
right in their early review of research methodology in sport sociology when they
stated that "it would be presumptuous and premature to call for a 'sociology of the
sociology of sport'" (p. 290). However, given the maturation of sport sociology,
both nationally and internationally during the past quarter of a century, a sociology
of the sociology of sport now seems appropriate. Accordingly, for this special issue, we attempted to solicit contributions that provide critical, comparative,
sociohistorical analyses of the problems, patterns, and prospects related to the
growth and development of the sociology of sport in North America during the last
third of the 20th century.
We made our initial call for submissions in the fall of 1995, with a proposed
deadline of May 15,1996. To our surprise, we were not overwhelmed with manuscripts, and we were disappointed that a number of promised papers were not
submitted. Thus, this special issue has no articles specifically focused on feminist
thoughts and issues, or the study of race and ethnicity, in the development of North
American sport sociology. Furthermore, the problematic relationshipsbetween sport
sociology and general sociology are not discussed. Nevertheless, we are very pleased
with the three papers comprising this special issue. Each deals with important
topics in the development of North American sport sociology.
With the notable exceptions just mentioned, we believe that the following
(self-reflexive) essays deal in depth and detail with the major trends and tensions
within the sociology of sport during the past 30 years. The first paper by George
Sage addresses the points of intersection among physical education, sociology,
and the sociology of sport. Worthy of special mention is his account of the social
foundations of phy sical educationthat should be of keen interest to sport pedagogists
and sport sociologists alike. The second paper by David Rowe, Jim McKay, and
Geoffrey Lawrence presents an insightful examination of "the difficulties encountered by an energetic but small, dispersed and underorganized scholarly movement in Australia." Their analysis of core concerns about the evolution of sport
sociology in Australia has relevance for North American sport sociology in that a
number of Australian sport sociologists have had continuing connectionswith North
Loy and Sage
316
American sport sociology, either through graduate study in North American universities or throughjoint research and publication with North American sport sociologists. Their contribution also enhances the understanding of similarities and
differences in the development of sport sociology in Australasia and North America.
The third paper by Peter Donnelly and Alan Ingharn represents a sociology of the
sociology of sport in the North American context. While their magnum opus makes
for demanding reading, it poses provocative propositions about the development
of the sociology of sport to date and raises stimulating intellectual challenges concerning the future growth of the field.
We wish to acknowledge that this special issue originated in the enticements
of Mike Messner and Jim MacKay and in the encouragement of Cynthia Hasbrook
and Peter Donnelly. Kind thanks are accorded to the anonymous reviewers of the
papers published herein.
John W Loy, University of Otago, New Zealand
George H. Sage, University of Northern Colorado
Guest Editors
References
Kenyon, G.S., & Loy, J.W. (1965). Toward a sociology of sport: A plea for the study of
physical activity as a sociological and social psychological phenomenon. Journal of
Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, 38,24-25,68-69.
Loy, J.W., & Segrave, J.O.(1974). Research methodology in the sociology of sport. In J.H.
Wilmore (Ed.), Exercise and sport sciences reviews (Vol. 2, pp. 289-333). New York:
Academic Press.
Veblen, T. ([I8991 193411953).The theory of the leisure class. New York: New American
Library.