Sports are a key aspect of the U.S. cultural landscape. Many of us have played sports or are fans, sports betting is big business, and major sporting events are the subject of countless hours of attention. Given this, it is not surprising that sports both shape and are shaped by other social factors, including gender. This course will show how heavily tied sport is to gender by sports centrality to sexuality, masculinity/femininity, gender inequality, and preserving traditional gender relations.

Instructor: John Zipp received his Ph.D. in sociology (Duke, 1978) and spent 42 years as a university faculty member and administrator. His research has appeared in national and international journals and has resulted in invited addresses, including at Northwestern University, Oberlin College, the European Union, the Johnson Foundation, and The Brookings Institution. His work has been cited in major media outlets, including The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Finally, he has taught courses in the “Sociology of Sport” and appeared as a guest expert on ESPN.