This new edition aims to establish a new foundation for sport management students, emphasizing the reasons why managing sport plays a crucial role in society. It also provides insights from key thinkers in the field about the value of sport and the importance of managing it in a conversational yet challenging manner. As the legitimacy of sport management as an academic pursuit continues to be a challenge, this textbook equips students with the concepts and language to express the unique role of sport in our economic, social, cultural, and political existence.