Page 18 - Sport Culture and the Media

PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (SECOND EDITION) || xvii

At Open University Press, Stuart Allan was, as ever, a delightfully construc-
tive series editor, while Justin Vaughan was a very supportive publisher before
his departure to new pastures. Cathy Thompson, and then Chris Cudmore
recruited at the death, adeptly cyber-soothed the author during the darker
moments when it all seemed too much. I am also grateful to the people who
reviewed the first edition, commented on it in print, or contacted me directly to
discuss aspects of it. This feedback has been invaluable to the writing of the
second edition and has given me a precious sense of unfolding critical analytical
debate that is an essential motivation to take to the field of inquiry once more.
Finally, nobody can be an academic and author in the contemporary world
without exacting an unfair toll on those around them. I thank my family in
south-western England for their forbearance over all those times that I haven’t
‘been there’. To my children, Maddy and Dan, I hope that I’ve taught some
valuable lessons in how to lead rewarding adult lives by not repeating the
keyboard-tethered sins of the father.
David Rowe