Review of Chapter 6 of Sport and Crime

 Chapter 6 Cultural Criminology, Sport and Transgression

The chapter opens with Ferrell et al’s (2008) discussion in cultural criminology of informal fighting which opens that invitation to cultural criminology. But Millward et al note that the connection directly to sport is not made. This chapter rides the contradictory ambiguous line between sport and violence. This is fully in line with my work.

Millward et al examine the history of cultural criminology. My own journey involves studying sociology and popular culture as an Open University student on courses imbued with the work of Stuart Hall and feel all of my criminology has taken account of cultures.

This culminated in my PhD on joyriding set in the context of the wider ‘car culture’. I did not use the term ‘edgework’ but did cite Lyng and Mitchell (1995). Millward et al focus on work on BASE jumpers and I make something of parkour and its move from outlaw status to ‘sport’ considered for the Olympics.

Millward et al go onto consider Mixed Martial Arts and even Bare-Knuckle Boxing. Clearly these tread that ambiguous line between legitimate and illegitimate violence (see also Dale Spencer and Karen Corteen’s chapters in Power Played on MMA and wrestling respectively.