Author Profile

Dr. Katie Slattery is an internationally recognized sociologist of sport, critical educator, and former elite athlete whose groundbreaking research dismantles the cultural, political, and economic structures shapes physical culture. For over two decades, her work has interrogated the intersection of institutional power, gender equity, and socioeconomic stratification within both professional sports and school-based physical education. By exposing how playing fields and school gymnasiums often mirror and amplify societal inequalities, Dr. Slattery has transformed the way academic institutions and sporting bodies conceptualize athletic participation and body politics. Dr. Slattery earned her Ph.D. in the Sociology of Sport from the University of Edinburgh, where her award-winning doctoral dissertation on institutionalized barriers in youth sports laid the foundation for her critical analytical framework. She currently serves as a Professor of Sport Studies and Social Policy, leading a multidisciplinary research lab dedicated to mapping global trends in physical literacy and institutional exclusion. Before her career in academia, Dr. Slattery competed at the national level in rugby, an experience that fueled her lifelong commitment to examining the hidden curriculums and systemic biases inherent in athletic environments. As a researcher, Dr. Slattery has published extensively in leading peer-reviewed journals, authored three critically acclaimed monographs, and delivered keynote addresses at global summits, including the International Sociology of Sport Association and UNESCO policy forums. Her expertise is frequently sought out by government bodies, school boards, and international sports federations aiming to design equitable, culturally responsive physical education curricula. Beyond the lecture hall, she remains an active grassroots activist, partnering with urban youth programs to implement community-led sports initiatives that challenge traditional, exclusionary models of fitness. In PLAYING THE FIELD: The Social Forces Behind Sport and Physical Education, Dr. Slattery synthesizes decades of rigorous ethnographic research, historical analysis, and personal insight into a definitive critique of modern physical culture. She challenges readers to look beyond the scoreboard to understand how classrooms, locker rooms, and stadiums function as battlegrounds for social justice. Dr. Slattery lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she continues to write, mentor the next generation of critical sociologists, and advocate for a world where movement is a fundamental human right rather than a privileged commodity.

About The Book

Playing the Field: The Social Forces Behind Sport and Physical Education is a critical examination of how sports and physical culture operate not just as games, but as powerful social institutions. Far from being neutral arenas of meritocracy and fun, sports are deeply intertwined with power dynamics, structural inequalities, and cultural values. This book dissects the complex social forces that shape who plays, how they play, and what those choices mean for society at large. At the heart of the text is a direct challenge to the popular belief that sport is a pure meritocracy. The book explores how systemic inequalitiessuch as social class, race, gender, and economic statusdictate access to athletic opportunities from a young age. High costs of equipment, travel leagues, and private coaching create a class divide, shifting youth sports from community-based play to a privatized commodity.Despite historical progress, the text analyzes the ongoing disparities in funding, media representation, and leadership roles between men's and women's sports. The author examines how racial stereotypes influence player positions, coaching hires, and media narratives, exposing institutional biases within major sporting bodies. The book extends its analysis heavily into the realm of physical education (PE) within schools. It argues that PE curriculum is not just about physical health, but is a site for socializing students into dominant cultural norms.The text critiques how fitness testing and body metrics can inadvertently foster shame, alienation, and a hyper-focus on appearance rather than holistic well-being.Readers will discover how traditional PE environments often reinforce gender binaries and reward specific types of masculinity, occasionally alienating non-conforming or less athletically inclined students.The book advocates for inclusive, progressive PE frameworks that prioritize cooperative movement, health literacy, and lifetime physical activity over hyper-competitiveness. In the modern era, sport cannot be separated from commercialism. The book traces the transformation of local pastimes into multi-billion-dollar global spectacles. It explores how media conglomerates and corporate sponsors shape rule changes, scheduling, and fan consumption habits, turning athletes into brands. The text analyzes how mega-events like the Olympics or the World Cup are used by nations for geopolitical maneuvering, national identity construction, and local urban displacement. Conversely, it highlights how athletes have historically used their massive global platforms to challenge social injustice, turning the field into a space for political resistance. Playing the Field serves as an essential resource for sociologists, educators, coaches, and sports enthusiasts alike. By dismantling the romanticized view of sports, it equips readers with the critical thinking tools necessary to understand the structural realities of physical culture. Ultimately, the book does not dismiss the value of sport; instead, it provides a blueprint for how we can transform sports and physical education into more equitable, inclusive, and genuinely empowering spaces for everyone.

Table of Contents

Preface
. INTRODUCTION
. Sport Sociology within Sport Sciences: Defining the Task
. On being ‘Applied’
. On being Inclusive
. On being Cooperative and Becoming Collaborative
.
. CULTURE, EDUCATION AND SPORTS
. Introduction
. Career in Sports
. Sports Journalist
. Where to Study for Sports
. Culture
. Education
. Sports in Education
. The Importance of the Play Element of Culture and Society
. Play-forms in the Lawsuit
. Sports’s Function in Culture and Society
. Cultural Reproduction
. Conclusion
.
. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
. Introduction
. Old Ground
. So what’s New?
. Future Directions
. Conclusion
.
. METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN RESEARCH
. Introduction
.


. Mental Imagery: Nature and Characteristics
. Philosophical Ideas About Mental Images
. Mental Imagery in Experimental Psychology
. Training and Learning Styles
. Psychiatric Ideas About Mental Images
. Sports and Pedagogy
. Paradigms for Sports Pedagogy Research
. Examples of Positivist Studies
. The Interpretive Paradigm
. Conclusion
.
. 5. GENDER AND SPORTS: FEMININITY, MASCULINITY AND DIFFERENCE
. Introduction
. Historical Background
. Difference: the Construction of ‘Masculinity and Femininity’
. Ideology of Femininity and Leisure/Sports
. Sports and Culture
. Sports as Masculine Culture or the Culture of Masculinity
. Physical Education and the Preservation or Transformation of Hegemonic Masculinity
. The Media, Sports and Hegemonic Struggles
. Female Permeation of Male Sportsing Space
. Conclusion
.
. 6. THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF THE BODY INPHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORTS
. Introduction
. Social Constructionism vs. Social Constructivism
. Social Constructionism and Postmodernism
. The Anatomy of a Social Constructionist Analysis
. Naturalistic and Constructionist Views of the Body
. The Body in Culture/Nature
. Media Representations of the Body
. Schooling Bodies
. Sports as a Site for Constructing Bodies
. Implications for Physical Education and Sports
.


. Providing Alternative Forms of Physical Education
. Conclusion
.
. 7. RACE, ETHNICITY AND SPORTS
. Introduction
. The Social Process as a Theoretical Framework
. Race, Sports and Ethnicity in the United States
. Coaches and Managerial Positions
. Race, Ethnicity and Sports in Britain
. Sports and Asian Culture in Britain
. Conclusion
.
. 8. EQUALITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SCHOOL SPORT
. Introduction
. Equality, Equity and Inclusion
. Activities, Outcomes and Opportunities
. From Equality to Equity: Viewing Difference Differently
. Equality, Equity and Inclusion—Policies and Practices in Physical Education and Sports
. Physical Education: an Entitlement for All Children
. Conclusion
.
. 9. SOCIALISATION AND PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS
. Introduction
. Socialisation Into Sports: Getting Involved
. The Nuclear Family: the First Socialising Influence
. Continued Participation in Sports
. Sportsing Identity and Commitment to Sports
. Influence of Social Factors on Participants’ Involvement in Sports
. Race and Ethnicity
. Conclusion
.
. 10. THE HIDDEN CURRICULUM AND THE CHANGING NATURE OF TEACHERS’ WORK
. Introduction
. Revisiting the Hidden Curriculum
.


. The Process of Schooling and the Transmission of the Hidden Curriculum: Ideologies of Masculinity and Femininity
. The Multi-Dimensional Nature of the Hidden Curriculum
. Understanding the Changing Nature of Physical Education Teachers’ Work
. Shifting Trends in Initial Teacher Training (ITT)
. Conclusion
.
. 11. CRITICAL PEDAGOGY: WHY DOES IT MATTER?
. Introduction
. Central Tenets
. Background
. Alternatives to Critical Pedagogy
. What is Critical Pedagogy?
. Conclusion
.
. 12. POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT IN SPORTS, PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND RECREATION
. Introduction
. Motives for State Involvement in Sports
. From Major to Blair: Continuity and Change
. The Broadening Context of Sports Policy-Making
. Conclusion
.
. 13. GLOBAL SPORTS AND GLOBAL MASS MEDIA
. Introduction
. Social Roles of the Mass Media
. Organisation of the Mass Media
. Business Connections between the Mass Media and Broadcast Sports
. Overlapping Ownership between Media Organisations and Sports Organisations
. Historical and Contemporary Linkages of Sports and the Mass Media
. Modifying Sports to Accommodate Television’s Interests
. Sportscasters: Narrators of Mediated Sports
. The Internet: the Newest Mass Communications Form
.


The Global Economy and the Global Media Sports Complex
Global Media/Sports Production, Distribution, and Consumption
Conclusion


BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX