History of sport Books

Book SynopsisBreathtaking tales of climbers and hunters, runners and racers, winners and losers by the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter.Trade Review"Branch delivers consistently smart, startling observations—and offers something for every reader, whether or not they’d consider themselves 'sports fans.'" -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Spirited tales from a sympathetic observer." -- Kirkus Reviews"Branch's essays depict ordinary people doing extraordinary things at the fringes of the sporting world. This collection can be enjoyed by a wide range of readers and sports fans." -- Library Journal

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Book SynopsisIn this book, author Gabe Oppenheim examines the rise and fall of boxing in Philadelphia, and how it often mirrored the city’s own narrative arc. Throughout, Oppenheim weaves together cultural history, urban studies, and biographical sketches of Philadelphia fighters such as Jimmy Young, Meldrick “The Kid” Taylor, Teon Kennedy, and Mike Jones.Trade ReviewOppenheim sifts through the grit, the black eyes, and the corruption to present a candid, loving look at a sport that has been so historically important in this town that there is a breed known as ‘The Philly Fighter.’ * The Philadelphia Inquirer *After the quality of prose and the depth of admiration the author feels for his subjects, commitment is what resonates most about this book. To write a book like this about lesser-known figures in a lesser city requires much, much more than would a book about Joe Frazier and Bernard Hopkin's favorite Philly cheesesteak spot of Oscar De La Hova's escape from East Los Angeles. . . .Oppenheim's book will be deservedly considered one of the last good books written about [boxing]. * 15 Rounds *Boxing in Philadelphia makes for a good read because it is a voyage of discovery. Many of the boxers scrutinized are relatively unknown fighters who had to scrap and bully and live out a precarious existence in which life was all about struggle and survival (the book’s subtittle). . . .Oppenheim’s book has an earthy, genuine, leather, sweat-and-swat feel to it. This man is passionate about boxing and has the rare gift of seeing himself, and his vision, as it really is. . . .As a fan of boxing, this writer enjoyed studying Oppenheim’s methodology. * Journal of Sport History *Anyone familiar with or interested in the Philly fight game will enjoy a fast-paced read that can be picked up and put down at will. Researchers exploring the history of sport in Philadelphia or comparable urban centers may find some valuable sources or stories on any given page of Boxing in Philadelphia. . . .Oppenheimer’s book might resonate with college-level teachers because it is, ultimately, his own narrative—and it looks a lot like the kind we see on campus every year. His story is about a bright-eyed student away from home who takes some risks, finds new interests, and applies it to the pursuit of his desired career with an admirable passion. Many of us enjoy watching our students grow and mature from their first semester through their walk across the stage at Commencement, and many teachers probably share my particular affinity not just for the smartest or most successful ones but for those that found a real passion—and it does not matter for what—during their short time with us. Boxing in Philadelphia features Oppenheimer prominently and in fact charts his own journey as a researcher and writer, blending his Muckraker impulse with a New Journalism approach while appropriating the stylistic devices from Beats and Gonzo writers. . . .[Throughout the book] there is evidence of growth, learning, and unquestionable passion. * Sport in American History *Boxing in Philadelphia:Tales of Struggle and Survival provides an amusing and thought-provoking look into the history of the inherent masculine and rough boxing culture of Philadelphia. Simultaneously Oppenheim’s book can be read as real life stories of social class and social exclusion in sport. If either of these two prospects entice you, you should absolutely pick up Oppenheim’s boxing book. In doing so, expect an easy and enjoyable read. * Sport in History *I found it enlightening and personal and valuable and smart and fresh. -- Larry Merchant, former HBO Boxing commentator, New York Post columnist, and Philadelphia Daily News editorThe book captured the unique feel of the Philadelphia boxing experience… the mystique that is Philadelphia boxing. It is too good not to be read by boxing enthusiasts. -- Chuck Hasson, boxing historian, author of Philadelphia’s Boxing Heritage: 1876-1976I read this with the gathering sense of nodding my head, and say everywhere to myself in the figurative margins: yes. -- Paul Hendrickson, best-selling author of Hemingway’s Boat, National Book Critics Circle Award WinnerTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Part I: Victims of Their Own Momentum Chapter 1: The Young Chapter 2: The Workers Chapter 3: The Kid Chapter 4: The Dead Part II: New Day Rising Chapter 5: The Worksites Chapter 6: The New Old Scene Chapter 7: The Young Kids Chapter 8: The Alive Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisBoston fans are passionate about sports and are proud of their players and teams, all of which have enjoyed tremendous success through the years. In The 50 Greatest Athletes in Boston Sports History, Martin Gitlin ranks the top 50 superstars in the city's rich sports history with legends like Tom Brady, Bill Russell, Bobby Orr, Ted Williams, and Larry Bird. Reaching beyond Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins heroes, it ranks many stars who emerged from the Boston area such as Rocky Marciano, Pat Bradley, Marvin Hagler, and Rebecca Lobo as well.The 50 Greatest Athletes in Boston Sports History details their contributions to championships, records broken, sheer athletic brilliance, leadership traits, big events in which the athletes rose to the occasion, and overall impact on the Boston sports scene.

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Book SynopsisA TIMES BEST SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR'Superb . . . Deserves to become a classic of sporting literature' DAVID KYNASTON'Absolutely fascinating and completely eye-opening - every page contains a gem' MARINA HYDE'A sparkling history' MATTHEW ENGELThe story of how the British shaped sport, and sport shaped the British. Sport is an enduring element of British life and culture. In all its variety, it touches on so many significant aspects of past and present: national identity, class, gender, the relationship between country and town, the rise of commerce, the evolution of ethical debate. Our sporting arenas have witnessed triumphs and heartbreaks that have become part of the national narrative.For a country so obsessed with the invention, playing and watching of sport, the story of how it has come to reflect us remains untold. David Horspool tracks each game as a driver of social change: horse-racing's obsession with blood and money turned an aristocratic pastime into a national sport; boxing promoted opportunity for ethnic minorities, while simultaneously enforcing a regime of discrimination; golf rehearsed a perennial battle over Britain's landscape; the football fan created an exuberant, often troubled culture at the centre of British life; and the Empire and Commonwealth Games emerged as an unexpected response to the end of the imperial story.The history of Britain in sport is a history of popular heroes and pantomime villains - independence fighters, suffragettes, Jewish bare-knuckle boxers - all sharing and contesting loyalties, passions, winning and losing. More Than a Game captures these seminal stories, revealing how sport cemented its place as the ultimate theatre of Britain's past, and its present.Trade ReviewA superb historical overview of the eternally close and often symbiotic relationship between British sport and British society. Capacious, full of telling detail, unfailingly readable and, perhaps above all, imbued with rock-solid judgment, it deserves to become a classic of sporting literature -- David KynastonAbsolutely fascinating and completely eye-opening - every page contains a gem. I loved it -- Marina Hyde, author of WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!A fascinating insight into how sport is both driven by and a driver of societal change -- Jonathan Wilson, author of INVERTING THE PYRAMIDA sparkling history that makes the reader keep murmuring "I never knew that" -- Matthew Engel, author of ELEVEN MINUTES LATEAn elegant, richly-textured history -- Michael Taylor, author of THE INTERESTHorspool places sport at the heart of Britain's story . . . A joy . . . More Than a Game observes the grand sweep of British sporting history playing out as a set of eye-opening facts -- Sunday TelegraphThoughtful and entertaining -- GuardianMore Than A Game brilliantly and evocatively details the way we shaped this obsession and how it came to shape us and, indeed, our landscape -- The Times, Best Sports Books of the YearHorspool writes briskly and clearly . . . if you like to watch sport while thinking politics, this is the book for you -- Literary ReviewHe has a lovely eye for memorable details . . . The most powerful theme of Horspool's book, though, is his attention to women's sport, so often marginalised in older accounts -- Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday TimesHighly original . . . lively, rich and readable . . . the range of Horspool's knowledge is impressive -- Leo McKinstry, The SpectatorFascinating . . . More Than a Game observes the grand sweep of British sporting history playing out as a set of eye-opening facts -- Daily TelegraphIlluminating . . . [Horspool] has a lovely eye for the informative detail -- Times Literary Supplement

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Book SynopsisThe Reshaping of America's Game describes the major developments and challenges that took place in Major League Baseball during the 25-plus years following the players' strike, including cheating scandals, steroids, analytics, and changing demographics.

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Book SynopsisThe Olympic Games have had two lives - the first lasted for a millennium with celebrations every four years at Olympia to honour the god Zeus. The second has blossomed over the past century, from a simple start in Athens in 1896 to a dazzling return to Greece in 2004. Onward to the Olympics provides both an overview and an array of insights into aspects of the Games' history. Leading North American archaeologists and historians of sport explore the origins of the Games, compare the ancient and the modern, discuss the organization and financing of such massive athletic festivals, and examine the participation ,or the troubling lack of it, by women. Onward to the Olympics bridges the historical divide between the ancient and the modern and concludes with a thought-provoking final essay that attempts to predict the future of the Olympics over the twenty-first century.Trade Review``Schaus and Wenn have managed to put in the hands of any interested reader a collection of articles between two covers that deal with both ancient problems and modern issues. How can anyone interested in the study of ancient athletics resist at least skimming through an article with a title like: `Duke Kahanamoku--Olympic Champion and Uncle Sam's Adopted Son: The Cultural Text of a Hawaiian Conqueror' by Jim Nendel...or `Carl Diem's Inspiration of the Torch Relay? Jan Wils, Amsterdam 1928, and the Origin of the Olympic Flame' by Robert Barney and Anthony Bijkerk.... These, and many others in Part II, are important papers, especially for classicists like me who regularly teach an `Ancient Sport' course especially popular with non-classics majors.'' -- Michael Carter, Brock University -- Bryn Mawr Classical Review, January 2008, 200802``[T]he authors are experts ... and the book is well edited. It will certainly please those fascinated by the Olympics.... Recommended.'' -- D.W. Hill, University of North Texas -- CHOICE, September 2007, 200709Table of ContentsTable of Contents for Onward to the Olympics: Historical Perspectives on the Olympic Games , edited by Gerald P. Schaus List of illustrations Preface Introduction | Gerald P. Schaus List of abbreviations Part I: The Olympics in Antiquity An Overview The Ancient Olympic Games through the Centuries | Nigel B. Crowther Origins Politics and the Bronze Age Origins of Olympic Practices | Senta C. German Pindar, Heracles the Idaean Dactyl, and the Foundation of the Olympic Games | Thomas K. Hubbard The First Olympic Games | Max Nelson The Transformation of Athletics in Sixth-Century Greece | Paul Christesen Ideals and Losers The Ancient Olympics and Their Ideals | Nigel B. Crowther Olympic Losers: Why Athletes Who Did Not Win at Olympia Are Remembered | Victor Matthews Details of the Festival Judges and Judging at the Ancient Olympic Games | David Gilman Romano Heroic and Athletic Sortition at Ancient Olympia | Aileen Ajootian Fabulous Females and Ancient Olympia | Donald G. Kyle The Halma : A Running or Standing Jump? | Hugh M. Lee Another View of Olympia Connections between Olympia and Stymphalus | Gerald P. Schaus Commemorative Cash: The Coins of the Ancient and Modern Olympics | Robert Weir Works Cited in Part I Part II: The Modern Olympics An Overview The Olympic Games in Modern Times | Robert K. Barney The Olympics Before World War II Duke KahanamokuâOlympic Champion and Uncle Samâs Adopted Son: The Cultural Text of a Hawaiian Conqueror | Jim Nendel Carl Diemâs Inspiration for the Torch Relay? Jan Wils, Amsterdam 1928, and the Origin of the Olympic Flame | Robert K. Barney and Anthony Th. Bijkerk The Great Progression: A Content Analysis of the Lake Placid News and the Los Angeles Timesâ Treatment of the 1932 Olympics | Jonathan Paul The Olympics After World War II Womanizing Olympic Athletes: Policy and Practice during the Avery Brundage Era | Kevin B. Wamsley The Bridge to Change: The 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, South African Apartheid Policy, and the Olympic Boycott Paradigm | Courtney W. Mason Splitting Hairs: The Struggle between the Canadian Federal Government and the Organizing Committee of 1976 Torontolympiad Concerning South African Participation | David A. Greig Juan Antonio Samaranchâs Score Sheet: Revenue Generation and the Olympic Movement, 1980-2001 | Stephen R. Wenn and Scott G. Martyn The Future of the Olympic Games Olympic Ideals: Pragmatic Method and the Future of the Games | Tim Elcombe âTo Construct a Better and More Peaceful Worldâ, or âWar Minus the Shootingâ?: The Olympic Movementâs Second Century | Mark Dyreson Works Cited in Part II Glossary of Terms Index

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Book SynopsisOpening with Vince Lombardi's last win as coach of the Packers in Super Bowl II and closing with Joe Namath's Super Bowl III guarantee, James Nicholson delivers an original portrait of a sensational closing decade in American culture. Controversies on the field and in the ring reflected broader political and social turmoil in the late-sixties United States. With one of the most contentious presidential elections in US history, the ongoing civil rights movement, and the Vietnam War all storming in the background, Nicholson charts a course through the oddly unsettled waters of American sports in 1968: the Masters golf tournament decided by the strict enforcement of an arcane rule to the detriment of a foreign player; the winner of the Kentucky Derby disqualified for a drug violation; Muhammad Ali waiting in sports exile while he appealed a criminal conviction for draft evasion; an unorthodox rendition of the national anthem at the World Series nearly overshadowing the game it preceded; and the silent gesture at the Mexico City Olympics made by Tommie Smith and John Carlos that shocked the nation

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Book SynopsisFollowing the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and the success and celebrity of the Dream Team, the NBA became a global sensation. Around the same time, and despite ardent warnings from his parents, Arthur Griffiths purchased an NBA team that would become the expansion Vancouver Grizzlies. Who better to restore the Dream City, he thought, than the NBA? Expansion franchises went to Vancouver and Toronto—the Canadian cities of choice as the NBA grew its international brand. But while Toronto thrived under the rising star of Vince Carter, Vancouver floundered under serial mismanagement. Six seasons wasted, the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, where they clawed their way to victories both on the court and in the hearts of the city’s eager fanbase. More than two decades later, the Memphis Grizzlies continue to win, claiming NBA records for defeating, as an eight-seed club, the one-seed San Antonio Spurs in the 2011 playoffs (only the fourth franchise to have done so) and for defeating, in 2021, the Oklahoma City Thunder 152–73, the largest margin of victory in NBA history. So why did the NBA fail in Vancouver but thrive in Memphis? This is the question Łukasz Muniowski seeks to answer in The Grizzlies Migrate to Memphis: From Vancouver Failure to Southern Success. In his pursuit, he explores how the Vancouver Grizzlies came to be, the team’s evolution and eventual relocation to Memphis, the success the Grizzlies found there, and the differences between the two phases of this NBA franchise. Rooted strongly in media coverage of the Grizzlies franchise in both Vancouver and Memphis, The Grizzlies Migrate to Memphis offers a thoughtful blend of storytelling and analysis that will interest scholars and NBA enthusiasts alike.Trade ReviewLukasz Muniowski documents how an unsuccessful NBA team in Vancouver found success in the unlikely small market of Memphis. The history of the NBA’s expansion Grizzlies and the way the franchise made its way from western Canada to the mid-southern United States is one of importance for all true NBA fans as well as for historians of the game. This is way more than X’s and O’s; it’s a look at the economic, political, and social forces that make the NBA work and, by extension, the forces that make free enterprise itself work."—Rick Telander, senior sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and a member of the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame

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Book SynopsisA wild bull on the field, a fly ball caught by a train conductor, a pitcher taking the mound barefoot—Minor League Baseball has been played across the country in cities large and small for more than a century, and there are thousands of entertaining and improbable stories to tell from it.Join professional baseball broadcaster Tim Hagerty for a journey through the zaniest Minor League stories in Tales from the Dugout. Given its long history, it is no surprise that the game has encountered some bizarre things over the years. This humorous and outlandish collection of stories is sourced from newspaper archives and the Baseball Hall of Fame Library in Cooperstown, New York, and includes a foreword by former MLB All-Star Billy Butler. Whether you're a baseball fanatic or just a fan of sports history, this book captures the spirit of the game.This compendium of minor league shenanigans includes: HOLE IN ONE: In 1942, a Milwaukee Brewers batter hit a low line drive that bounced down the right field line. He rounded the bases while confused Louisville Colonels fielders searched for the ball. They eventually found it inside a gopher hole. MONKEYING AROUND: A chimp's escape turned a Southern Association game into pandemonium on July 17, 1909. "Henry the Chimpanzee," the New Orleans Pelicans' official mascot, busted from his cage and chased players around the field. The chimp then went after fans, who ran from him screaming. The game was delayed a few minutes while Henry was restrained. HEADLESS CRUSHER: A police department in Ohio got a call about a missing head. The Lake Erie Crushers' mascot's head was stolen in 2011, forcing the mascot to miss a few home games. After learning through media reports that police were investigating, the thief returned the head by inconspicuously placing it under the ballpark's tarp. Trade Review'[A] relentlessly entertaining collection of vignettes of strange and sometimes surprising moments in the minors.' * -Milwaukee Journal Sentinel *'A collection of memorable stories . . . the minors are fertile ground for good tales.' * -Boston Globe *'A great, easy to digest read. It's a lot of fun.' * -Matt Vasgersian, MLB Network *'Go get this book!' * -Bill Ripken, 12-year major league player and current MLB Network analyst *'I devoured Tim's book over the course of a couple of days. It's fantastic... I love the illustrations. For anyone out there who has a child in their life who loves baseball, this is a book for all ages.' * -Rob Neyer, former ESPN and Fox Sports baseball writer and the author of the CASEY Award winning book Powerball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game *'I love the format. It's bite-sized stories with lots of cool cartoon drawings. It would make a great gift for a baseball lover or anyone who enjoys humor.' * -Amy Lawrence, CBS Sports Radio host *'I love this book. It's fantastic because of the short length of the stories and how much fun they all are.' * -Matt Pauley, KMOX Radio *'It's like a minor-league Weird and Wild column. Full of amazing and hilarious tidbits. Great stuff from Tim Hagerty!' * -Jayson Stark *'The ideal bedside reading book for any good baseball fan. It is a phenomenally researched compendium of all sorts of amazing anecdotes tumbling out of minor league ball dating from the 1880s to the current day.' * -Bob Ryan, The Boston Globe and ESPN's Around the Horn *'Tim Hagerty's collection of anecdotes is a must-read for fans of Minor League Baseball.' * -Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune *'We received six baseball books in July and the absolute favorite was Tales from the Dugout: 1,001 Humorous, Inspirational and Wild Anecdotes from Minor League Baseball. Hundreds of stories we wish we had on Baseball Almanac. Great work.' * -Baseball Almanac *'Filled with wonderful stories that could only come from the world of Minor League Baseball. It's a joy!' * -Jesse Agler, San Diego Padres broadcaster *

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Book SynopsisPredating the wheel, the ski has played an important role in our history. This is brilliantly brought to life in this engaging book. Roland Huntford's brilliant history begins 20,000 years ago in the last ice age on the icy tundra of an unformed earth. Man is a traveling animal, and on these icy slopes skiing began as a means of survival.That it has developed into the leisure and sporting pursuit of choice by so much of the globe bears testament to its elemental appeal. In polar exploration, it has changed the course of history. Elsewhere, in war and peace, it has done so too. The origins of skiing are bound up with the emergence of modern man and the world we live in today.Trade Review'This is a deeply scholarly work ... Fortunately scholarly in this instance is not synonymous with dull ... Huntford manages to to bind a wealth of material together with a strong narrative thread.' Simon Redfern, The Independent on Sunday"The breadth of his scholarship, which includes an easy familiarity with Scandinavian texts, is extraordinary." Literary Review"What elevates Huntford is his comprehensive approach ... accessible and enjoyable, even to the most armchair bound of 'schussers'." Paul Watkins, The Times"Could the outcome of the Second World War have been decided by the humble ski? That's the bold but surprisingly convincing claim made by Roland Huntford in Two Planks and a Passion." Roger Cox, The ScotsmanReview in The Daily Telegraph."Huntford's book will be a perfect stocking present for piste fantasists like me", Max Hastings, Sunday Times‘Huntford has also undertaken the monumental task of tracing and explaining the development of the sport of skiing outside Scandinavia, particularly in Alpine Europe. As such, he has provided us with a much richer and more complex picture than was previously available from Arnold Lunn's highly partial The Story of Skiing.' -- oxfordjournals.orgFeatured at number 6 in the top 10 bestselling winter sports books in 2011 feature in The Times.'This will be skiing's definitive history for years to come...' Alex Wade, Times Literary Supplement'[A] fine, erudite history of the sport', Hugh Thompson, The Independent"Roland Huntford's book is an amazingly detailed history of skiing's Scandinavian origins." BBC History MagazineTitle mention in The Guardian.Title mention in Skier & Snowboarder Magazine.'Our choice - pick of the paperbacks ... Huntford tells the ski story straightforwardly and simply' - Sunday Times"This is a compelling acount, and definitive history, of an activity that has evolved over time into one of our most thriving leisure industries." Sunday Telegraph"An engaging and insightful work" Sport Magazine"The most in-depth study of skiing currently in the English language and it will no doubt remain the defining record for some time." The GuardianMention in The Daily Mail, 28 November 2008.Mentioned in Skier and Snowboarder Magazine, 01 November 2008."In his early books, Huntford chronicled the race to the South Pole ("The Last Place on Earth") and wrote biographies of Ernest Shackleton and Fridtjof Nansen. "Two Planks" seems a natural progression for him ... Huntford deserves praise for bringing together a lot of rich material." New York Times Book Review.Table of ContentsWorking chronologically from Nordic mythology through to the modern leisure pursuit and Olympic stars of today.

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Book SynopsisNorth of Kirkcaldy, lucky are those - from Levenmouth through the East Neuk to the Tay - who can count East Fife as their Club. It is, by some standards, a very young team, founded some 20 years after Raith Rovers, and a good 30 years after senior football had begun to take off. The first Scotland International was played in 1872, and the first Scottish Cup final took place in 1874, yet East Fife didn’t kick their first football until 1903. The other teams got off to a good start, but East Fife caught up. They played in Methil at Bayview, from where in 1927 the team reached the Scottish Cup Final and, in 1938, won the trophy, all while in the Second Division. After the Second World War came three great League Cup triumphs in 1947/48, 1949/50 and 1953/54, before teams like Celtic and Hearts had even appeared in a final. In 1998, the club moved to a new ground, much closer to the sea, and sometimes called New Bayview. The story of these achievements includes tales of players – famous and less well-known – and of managers, supporters, referees, chairmen, directors and club officials. There are over 100 photographs of players, teams, strips, and crowds. Plus a full Index of names, clubs, grounds, competitions, newspapers, sponsors and spiders. In the words of the author: `Every East Fife supporter would love to see the great days come back. It does not look, at the moment, all that likely, it has to be said, but then who am I to say that?’

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