To get a grip on what sports criminology might be, thischapter explores sports law and the sociology ofsport. It argues that sports law and the sociologyof sport overlap but also leave gaps which a sportscriminology can play with, but the overlaps deserveexamination too. An often overlooked but overlappingconcern is masculinity. The study of masculinitieshas started to have a limited practical andtheoretical impact on studies of sport and uponcriminology. This book will frequently reflect onthe fact that it is most often men who commit crime,and it is more common for men than women to playprofessional sport. A critic might look at sport anddismiss it as ‘just men fighting’; and not just withregard to boxing and participants, but to othersports and spectators too. That criticism is taken.Any discussion about men (fighting or not) in thisbook is conducted from a gendered and, frequently,feminist perspective. The book tackles women'sparticipation in both sport and in crime, althoughit could be argued that women's sport has a lowerpublic profile that has so far protected it from thelevels of corruption that might interestcriminologists in any field. But we find that PiepaCleary, a young cricketer in Australia, has receiveda six-month ban for bets totalling Aus $15.50(£7.60) on a Test match between Australia and NewZealand.

This chapter suggests some of the possibilities ofsports criminology and, without being toolegislative, also suggests areas involving sport andcrime that might be regarded as less central tosports criminology, such as crowd violence or crimesby or against sports stars, although all of thesewill necessarily feature. The issue of what might beconsidered sports criminology will be revisitedthroughout and specifically in the concludingchapter. There are other definitional issues too. Inproposing a sports criminology, what does this sayabout or assume for criminology? Before turning tocriminology, sports law, the sociology of sport andfinally sports criminology, we must first ask whatsport is.

Sport

Like ‘art’ or ‘obscenity’, we are meant to recognisesport when we see it.