Why is soccer the sport of choice in South America, while baseball has soared to popularity in the Caribbean? How did cricket become India's national sport, while China is a stronghold of table tennis? In Global Games, Maarten Van Bottenburg asserts that it is the ''hidden competition'' of social and international relations, rather than the ......
According to Roger Caillois, play is ''an occasion of pure waste: waste of time, energy, ingenuity, skill, and often of money.'' In spite of this--or because of it--play constitutes an essential element of human social and spiritual development.In this classic study, Caillois defines play as a free and voluntary activity that occurs in a pure ......
In this first substantial study of rodeo women, Mary Lou Lecompte surveys the early rodeo cowgirls' achievements as professional athletes, the near demise of women's rodeo events during World War II, and the phenomenal success of the Women's Professional Rodeo Association in regaining lost ground for rodeo cowgirls. Recalling an extraordinary ......
This innovative guide to achieving sporting excellence employs the latest NLP techniques. An immensely practical and progressive book, it introduces new and revolutionary ideas to professionals and serious amateurs, while also being an ideal tool for the occasional player or beginner. Provided is a practical plan for the focused evolution of ......
Professional Baseball and American Culture in the Progressive Era
Now revised and expanded, Touching Base examines the myths as well as the realities, symbols, and rituals of ''America's favorite pastime.'' Steven Riess details the relationships among urban politics, communities, and baseball, exploring how debates over issues such as Sunday games, ballpark construction, and the promotion of the game were shaped ......
The Rise, Decline, and Fall of Big-Time Football at Chicago
For this first case study of college football by a social historian, Lester has brought life to the story of a university football program that had an unusual beginning, a glorious middle, and a unique and inglorious conclusion. The nation's first tenured coach and the most creative and entrepreneurial of all college coaches from the 1890s to the ......
Known as much for the emotional outbursts and violence of its fans as for its own stars, soccer (or football, as it is known outside the United States) is a global game. Its international controlling body, FIFA, boasts more members than the United Nations. Bill Murray traces the growth of what during pre-industrial times was call ''the simplest ......
Recently recognized by Sports Illustrated as still the best-known athlete in the world, Muhammad Ali has played a fascinating role in American culture, with an influence that has reached far beyond sports.In addition to Ali the boxer, there are Ali the Black Muslim, Ali the cultural icon, Ali the anti-war protestor, Ali the telecelebrity, Ali the ......
Examines the economic impact of new sports stadiums and the presence of a sports franchise on the local economy in the US. The book contains case studies of major league sports facilities in Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, San Francisco, and the Twin Cities, and of minor league stadiums and spring training facilities in ......
