This book addresses the unique and mutually influential relationship between sport, culture and advertising. It argues that under the current paradigm of capitalism we are being transformed to think, act and live as consumers rather than as citizens. Consequently, we are engaged in an unsustainable pursuit of happiness through consumption which is not only changing our sense of identity but is impacting on our very existence. Real case studies are used to illustrate how corporations and advertising agencies are now excavating culture to find new, sacred and often shocking themes in order to attract our attention amidst the noise and imagery that clutters our cultural and sporting landscapes.

Author Biography

Steve Jackson is Professor in the socio-cultural analysis of sport at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He has served as a Visiting Professor at Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic), the University of Jyvaskyla (Finland), the University of British Columbia (Canada), the National Taiwan Normal University, and was recently appointed as a Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg (South Africa). He has served as a grant reviewer for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and WADA (World Anti-Doping Association) and currently serves on the editorial boards of the International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Qualitative Research in Sport & Exercise, International Journal of Sport Marketing and Management, and Revista (Journal of the Latin American Association for the Sociocultural Study of Sport), and the Asia Pacific Journal of Sport and Social Science. He is the past-President of the International Sociology of Sport Association (ISSA). David Andrews is Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Maryland, US, where he is Director of the Physical Cultural Studies Program. His research interests include: sports and late capitalism; contemporary cultural theory; globalization and sport; social injustices and inequalities; and the sociology of sport, health, and physical activity. David serves as Assistant Editor of the Journal of Sport and Social Issues, and an editorial board member of the Sociology of Sport Journal, Leisure Studies, Quest, and Sport Management Review. He is an elected fellow in the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education (AAKPE).