Episode 2: Mixed Martial Arts and Men's Mental Health

In this episode of Transforming Sport, Sport and Leisure Cultures research group member Dr Alex Channon interviews Dr Jack Sugden of Edge Hill University about his research on mixed martial arts (MMA) and men’s mental health.  An expert in sport development and management, Dr Sugden started training in MMA as part of a research project exploring the sport’s appeal to its practitioners.  Here he discusses the importance it holds in the lives of those who practice it, focusing specifically on the stories told by men about its value in helping them cope with various troubles of modern life.  Dr Sugden has recently written about this project on the academic blog site, The Conversation, and also has an academic article on the topic forthcoming for publication in the Sociology of Sport Journal.  

Jack Sugden can be found on twitter at @j_sugden, and his other research is accessible via his Edge Hill University staff profile page: https://research.edgehill.ac.uk/en/persons/jack-sugden.