Rethinking aggression and violence in sport / John H. Kerr.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. The state of play : incidents, definitions and explanations -- 2. Getting started with reversal theory -- 3. New beginnings : a reversal theory view of violence -- 4. The joy of physical contact : sanctioned aggression and violence in sport -- 5. When things turn ugly : unsanctioned aggression and violence -- 6. Taking the hard knocks : children's and youth sport -- 7. Beyond the pale : fan violence and sports riots -- 8. Blood and guts : observing violence in sport -- 9. The final whistle : rounding off.

"Rethinking Aggression and Violence in Sport uses numerous illustrative examples from a variety of sports to critically examine important issues associated with aggression and violence in sport, and includes: a review of current theory in the psychology of aggression and violence; discussion of sanctioned and unsanctioned aggression and violence in sport; an explanation of how players become acclimatised to physical violence; examination of the aggression and violence debate in youth sport; consideration of fan violence and sport riots; and exploration of why people enjoy watching violent sport and its effect on observers." "The book is a must for teachers, students and researchers within sport science/studies psychology and sociology with an interest in human violence and aggressive behaviour."--BOOK JACKET.