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The purpose of this paper is to explore critically the potentially harmful business of professional wrestling in the USA as state-corporate crime.

This paper comprises desk-based research of secondary sources. The lack of official data on the harms experienced by professional wrestlers means that much of the data regarding this is derived from quantitative and qualitative accounts from internet sites dedicated to this issue.

A major finding is that with regard to the work-related harms experienced by professional wrestlers, the business may not be wholly to be blamed, but nor is it entirely blame free. It proposes that one way the work-related harms can be understood is via an examination of the political economic context of neo-liberalism from the 1980s onwards and subsequent state-corporate actions and inactions.

The paper raises questions about the regulation of the professional wrestling industry together with the misclassification of wrestlers’ worker status (also known as wage theft and tax fraud) and the potential role they play in the harms incurred in this industry.

The potential wider social implications of the misclassification of workers are raised.

The originality and value of this paper is the examination of work-related harms within the professional wrestling industry through the lens of state-corporate crime.

To discuss the regulation of professional wrestling in the USA in order to explore how the business of professional wrestling is regulated and deregulated.

Using desk-based research, the regulation and deregulation of professional wrestling will be explored.

The regulation of professional wrestling in the USA is inconsistent. The extent of regulation and deregulation of professional wrestling is dependent on the state in which the event takes place. Whether regulated or deregulated, professional wrestling is a painful, risky and injurious business wherein the economic health and well-being of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) corporation, and the location in which events take place, take precedence over the health and well-being of working sports participants.

The research is limited to sports participants working in the dominant, visible and therefore arguably most accountable professional wrestling corporation in the USA. Implication of the research is that a more in-depth investigation into the utility of regulation is needed. Additionally, it raises concerns regarding the potential hidden work-related premature deaths, harms and injuries in other promotions in the USA and beyond.

This chapter examines the continued presence of sexualized violence against girls and gender nonconforming/lesbian, gay, trans* or inter* students in education. It discusses endeavours to establish ‘true’ safe spaces as preconditions for and effects of efforts to prevent or minimize sexualized violence. It shows thereby that debates on safe or even brave spaces provide further stimuli for the topic of sexualized violence and reveals the significance of the interaction of sexism, heteronormativity and hatred of people who are perceived as ‘different’. Counselling centres, survivor support associations, schools, and child and youth welfare organizations are now developing concepts to protect all target groups. However, there is still a lack of sufficient and well-conceived offers, especially for lesbians, gays and trans*. Strengthening the agency of those affected could be a promising starting point.

This paper examines customers' participation in the production of commercial hospitality. Drawing on a study of queer consumers (i.e. lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals), the paper considers the ways in which frequently circulated understandings, or myths, shaped consumers' actions. The case study is used to highlight previously under examined dimensions of participation.

The paper draws on an ethnographic study of bar culture. The principal method of data collection was participant observation, which involved working at one venue for 27 months, as well as social visits throughout a five‐year period. Participant observation was complemented by semi‐structured interviews with 26 informants, 19 of whom were interviewed repeatedly during the research.

The paper suggests that three myths were evident in consumers' behavior: commonality, mutual safety, and the opportunities for liberated, playful consumption. Focusing on two particular aspects of participation: performative display and frontline labor, the paper discusses the ways in which these myths influenced patrons' actions.

The study suggests that an examination of the cultural dimensions of patronage provides crucial insights into consumer participation. The results will be relevant to social scientists and management academics seeking to understand the relationship between shared interest and identity, consumption, and the production of hospitable spaces.

This study provides a new understanding of both the nature of and motivations for consumer participation. This challenges existing approaches, which have tended to focus narrowly on the managerial aspects of participation in the service sector.