Comparing sporting nations: theory and method

Abstract

Comparison is one of the basic skills of people, which allow them to make sense of the surrounding world. However, as the society grows, creating more complex structures, it becomes much more demanding to make the comparisons in a meaningful and insightful way. The authors of Comparing Sporting Nations: Theory and Method decomposed the philosophical underpinnings of various methods of comparing nations through the lens of sport and gave a comprehensive image of what is there to be used, how to use it and what results can or cannot be obtained with particular tools in hand. The book was co-authored by Mathew Dowling, a senior lecturer at the Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University, UK, and Spencer Harris, an associate professor of Sport Management at the University of Colorado, US. Dowling’s research focuses on the organisational theory in sport sector, governance and sport policy. The previous studies by Harris are related to sport governance and policy. Both authors have previously addressed the issue of comparative studies within sport. It is a textbook that brings together the theory and methods of comparative analysis in sport. The authors use case studies to illustrate pros and cons of this methods or as they call it comparative analysis. The authors explain the rationale behind and issues with comparative studies and further with comparative studies in sport. They describe in an easy and comprehensive way, what do we gain but what we can loose while making comparisons in sport. As the authors put it: