Introducing the Palgrave Handbook of Masculinity and Sport

In this chapter, we introduce the Palgrave Handbook of Masculinity and Sport, outlining their historical relationship. We begin by discussing the early study of masculinity and sport, and how this evolved over the twentieth century. Next, we discuss the emergence of a significant body of research documenting how sport’s relationship between masculinity has changed since the turn of the millennium—largely due to the decline of cultural homophobia across a range of sporting settings. We then outline how readers of the Handbook can utilize its content most effectively, before introducing the biographies of each editor.