Body,Society and Sport——Sport in the View of Western Socialist

This paper reviewed the three important stages of the development of sociology of sport in the West.It discussed how the theoretical perspectives to sport had been changed from body to society;and from society to body.The early study of sport in the West mainly focused on the physical body no matter through the physiological or psychological dimensions.On the second stage,some scholars started to realise that sport was a social institution and cultural phenomenon,which should be analysed in connection with the entire social structure and cultural context.On the third stage,the sports study gradually drew back its attention from society to body.However,this body in sport was no longer a physical body,it has been offered a new cultural meaning,which represents social power and political ideology.The social theories have contributed to the development of the study of sport extensively and intensively.