History of sport Books

Book SynopsisIn the 1980s and early 1990s, David Campese thrilled spectators both in Australia and overseas with his footloose, crazy-brave style of free running. This book tells the story of his rise from humble beginnings to the very top of a global sport. As a rugby player, David Campese seemed to operate on cross-grained pure instinct, one that left many a defender clutching at him in vain, stranded in the slipstream of his audacity. Hailed as the ‘Bradman of rugby’ by former Wallaby coach Alan Jones, and the ‘Pele’ of rugby by others, Campese was a match-winner. The refrain ‘I saw Campese play’ now speaks to much more than wistful reminiscences about a player widely regarded as the most entertaining ever to play the game of Rugby Union. It has come to represent a state of chronic disbelief that the Wallaby ascendancy of Campese’s era has been seemingly squandered. Campese occupies a unique intersection in rugby’s history: one of its last amateurs, and one of its first professionals. He had shown, too, that coming from outside the traditional bastions of rugby — the private schools and universities — was no barrier to reaching the top. Indeed, he challenged that establishment and unsettled it, warning in the early 1990s that the code risked ‘dying’ if more was not done to expand its appeal. David Campese revolutionised how the game was played and appreciated. His genius, most visibly manifest in his outrageous goosestep, captured the national and sporting imagination. The rigid, robotic rugby of today appears incapable of accommodating a player of his dash and daring.Trade Review‘Campese … is an intelligent and deeply felt meditation on the rugby player's genius, as well as an erudite analysis of Campese's complex position in the wider context of Australian sport … the book is an immense success. Unlike Campese's on-field opponents, Curran, a historian, sociologist and passionate rugby fan, is able to understand this quixotic sportsman.’ -- Barnaby Smith * Australian Book Review *‘Curran is not so much interested in Campese’s life… but with the aesthetics of his play, analysing it as you might a poem or mythology. The result - astute, imaginative and very accessible - is the kind of superior sports writing that comes along rarely. You don’t have to be a rugby fan to appreciate it.’ -- Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen * The Sydney Morning Herald *‘A smart writer pursues one of Australia’s most elusive and enigmatic champions. The result is shrewd, measured, evocative, and, at times, transporting.’ -- Gideon Haigh, author of On Warne‘David Campese could impact a rugby field like a shooting star in the night sky, and James Curran’s masterful account lifts us into that stratosphere … As a rugby entertainer and show stopper, Campese was simply the best. Finally, here is a book that does this one-off player justice.’ -- Gordon Bray, veteran sports commentator

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Book SynopsisHow was baseball used to promote U.S. values in occupied Japan? The first post–war Japanese professional baseball game was held on November 23, 1945, just 100 days after the end of World War II. During the occupation of Japan, GHQ sought to suppress and regulate budo (Japanese martial arts) as a relic of Japanese pre-war militarism but encouraged the playing and watching of baseball games as an effective teamwork– and sportsmanship–building tool. Baseball in Occupied Japan examines the revival of Japanese baseball in the occupation era, focusing on how the U.S. government carried out its cultural diplomacy policy within the arena of sports. The chapters hone in on various means by which the U.S. via GHQ controlled and fostered sports in Japan as a form of cultural diplomacy, including the propagation of the image of Jackie Robinson as an example of American unification, the San Francisco Seals' tour of Japan, the promotion of sports through CIE films, and the prohibition of martial arts such as kendo.

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Book SynopsisA Rich and Compelling History of Mountaineering ...At Your Fingertips. High Summits is the result of over 30 years of research into the fascinating world of international mountaineering. An essential guide to mountaineering history, this year-by-year account spans all seven continents and dates from 450 B.C. through 2011. In it you'll find everything from the monumental to the hard-to-find-trivia including: * The most significant 370 Peak First Ascents as well as over 600 other types of first ascents on mountain faces and ridges. * 345 detailed listings of major advancements in mountaineering gear, clothing, and climbing equipment. * 171 references to the development of various climbing techniques on snow, rock, and ice. * 58 hand-drawn maps and 57 carefully chosen photographs to accompany over 2,800 climbing events around the world. * Appendices that include 17 unique mountain summit collections and the author's ten most significant events in mountaineering history. Taken from expedition accounts, biographies and autobiographies, climbing journals and diaries, mountaineering museums, magazines and newspapers, films, documentaries, newsletters, and interviews, High Summits is one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind. A must-have reference book for anyone interested in mountaineering, from the aficionado and weekend climber, to anyone who just likes to read about the majesty and allure of climbing the most significant peaks in the world. "Wolfe's meticulous compilation of this much mountaineering history and lore into one volume is simply a stunning achievement that makes for an invaluable reference as well as an entertaining read." Walter R. Borneman. Historian and co-author of 100 Years Up High: Colorado Mountains and Mountaineers Fred Wolfe's exhaustive research teases out the details of mountaineering's entire, worldwide history. High Summits is a reference I will always keep handy." Phil Powers, Executive Director, American Alpine Club

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Book SynopsisTo most modern day tennis fans, it was impossible to believe that until the late 1960s pro tennis players—that is those who played openly for prize money—were banned from competing in the world's major tournaments. Before this time, the great contests such as Wimbledon were exclusive to so-called amateurs. Amateur tennis players were meant to compete only for glory. Though this division arose the "pro tour" in the 1930s, and it endured for forty years. In The Pros, The Forgotten Era of Tennis, author Peter Underwood explains why professional players were forced into what was often called the traveling circus where these sporting outcasts played each other during long and rather tatty tours all over the world. Focusing on the eight champions who dominated the pro era beginning in 1930 with the ultimately tragic figure of "Big" Bill Tilden, this book follows each pro champion through the post-1962 Grand Slam pro career of Rod Laver, who then helped usher in the modern-era of pro tennis with the start of the "Open" Era in 1968.

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Book SynopsisThe Buffalo Sports Curse is showcased by thirty-two historical Buffalo sports events: the close calls, blown calls, injuries, deaths, nefarious back-office dealings, maladies and weird happenings at just the wrong times that all kept the "Curse" alive. No Buffalo sports team has ever won a universally recognized championship in a major league. Fans may be familiar with three events that went against Buffalo: "Wide Right," "No Goal," and "Home Run Throwback." But they serve only as highlights for a century-long, deeply engrained "Sports Curse" affecting every professional team in Buffalo sports history. The significance and expansiveness of The Buffalo Sports Curse is showcased by thirty-two historical Buffalo sports events: the close calls, blown calls, injuries, deaths, nefarious back-office dealings, maladies and weird happenings at just the wrong times that all kept the "Curse" alive.Table of ContentsNo Buffalo sports team has ever won a universally recognized championship in a major league. Fans may be familiar with three events that went against Buffalo: "Wide Right," "No Goal," and "Home Run Throwback." But they serve only as highlights for a century-long, deeply engrained "Sports Curse" affecting every professional team in Buffalo sports history. The significance and expansiveness of The Buffalo Sports Curse is showcased by thirty-two historical Buffalo sports events: the close calls, blown calls, injuries, deaths, nefarious back-office dealings, maladies and weird happenings at just the wrong times that all kept the "Curse" alive.

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