摘要:In this paper, an examination of the traditional commons is followed by an explanation of the ways that people have resisted their enclosure – with particular reference to struggles to retain space for the purposes of recreation. I then consider recent research on the commons, and the growing identification of new commons. The final part of the paper explores the implications of considering sport as a cultural commons, and the paper concludes by arguing that the commons provide an exemplary theme for a public sociology of sport.