Edward Elgar Publishing Research Handbook of Employment Relations in Sport (Research Handbooks in Business and Management series)

Employment relations, much discussed in other industries, has often been neglected in professional sports despite its unique characteristics. The book aims to explore in detail the unique nature of the employment relationship in professional sports and the sport industry. In four parts the book examines, firstly the regulation of sporting competition both within and across sporting codes; secondly a range of employment law issues such as how contracting and negotiation are handled, how disputes are resolved, and the role of sporting representatives such as player associations. The third section discusses the economic issues related to employment such as transfers, drafts and efforts to achieve "competitive balance". The final section of the book explores contemporary issues in sports management and governance, including anti-discrimination and anti-doping policy. Through this analysis the book identifies the complex and unique issues surrounding employment relations within professional sports and the sport industry. Review 'This book is a long overdue investigation of an important, but neglected, aspect of sport management. The editors have not only assembled a set of international contributors who are leaders in their respective fields, but they have also identified the employment relations issues of central concern to those studying sport management. This book should be on the shelf of every sport management researcher.' --- Barrie Houlihan, Loughborough University, UK About the Author Edited by Michael Barry, Professor, Department of Employment Relations and Human Resources, Griffith University, Australia, James Skinner, Institute for Sport Business, Loughborough University London, UK and Terry Engelberg, James Cook University, Australia