Sport is often described as reflecting society (Box 1) and this is certainly true when we consider sport in preindustrial times. Feudal society was split into two classes: the wealthy, privileged gentry and the poor peasantry. There was no middle class. Similarly, sport was two-tiered and the two groups of people did not compete against each other.
Sports sociologists argue that sport reflects, reproduces and resists society. They emphasise the need to consider issues such as gender, class and ethnicity when studying sport. Sports sociology is often taught in sport-related degrees and you may like to read Sport and Society (Houlihan, 2010), which is an excellent undergraduate introduction suitable for A-level students. Similarly, Beyond a Boundary (James, 1963) brilliantly describes the relationship between cricket and society both in the West Indies and England. Considered one of the finest examples of sports writing, it captures the essence of the sociology of sport with the question: ‘What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?’
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