History of sport Books

Book SynopsisIn this fourth edition, Benjamin G. Rader updates the text with a portrait of baseball''s new order. He charts an on-the-field game transformed by analytics, an influx of Latino and Asian players, and a generation of players groomed for brute power both on the mound and at the plate. He also analyzes the behind-the-scenes revolution that brought in billions of dollars from a synergy of marketing and branding prowess, visionary media development, and fan-friendly ballparks abuzz with nonstop entertainment. The result is an entertaining and comprehensive tour of a game that, whatever its changes, always reflects American society and culture.Trade ReviewPraise for earlier editions: "The best single-volume history of the sport. . . . Tackles the business and organizational evolution of the professional game, while not losing sight of how it was played on the field."--Washington Post Book World"Baseball reflects Rader's firm grasp of the best and latest scholarship and his insightful understanding of American sport history."--Sporting News

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Book SynopsisOnce a showcase for amateur athletics, the Olympic Games have become a global entertainment colossus powered by corporate sponsorship and professional participation. Stephen R. Wenn and Robert K. Barney offer the inside story of this transformation by examining the far-sighted leadership and decision-making acumen of four International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidents: Avery Brundage, Lord Killanin, Juan Antonio Samaranch, and Jacques Rogge. Blending biography with historical storytelling, the authors explore the evolution of Olympic commercialism from Brundage''s uneasy acceptance of television rights fees through the revenue generation strategies that followed the Salt Lake City bid scandal to the present day. Throughout, Wenn and Barney draw on their decades of studying Olympic history to dissect the personalities, conflicts, and controversies behind the Games'' embrace of the business of spectacle. Entertaining and expert, The Gold in the Rings maps the Olympics'' coursTrade Review"Stephen R. Wenn and Robert K. Barney's latest book The Gold in the Rings: The People and Events That Transformed the Olympic Games makes its timely entrance. . . . A well-refined book that traverses the border of well-known historical terrain and fresh intellectual ground. . . . The authors point to the continued need to interrogate the money matters that lay at the IOC's heart." --Journal of Sport History​"A meticulous and absorbing account of one of the most intriguing and interesting dimensions of the modern Olympic Games, namely their transformation into a commercial mega-bonanza. . . . Engrossing, brilliantly constructed and told, and profoundly informative and edifying, a most worthwhile read." --Sport Literature Association"Wenn and Barney convincingly portrays the progression and development within the IOC and they manage to do so without the nostalgic perspective of how the Olympic Games used to and ought to be." --idrottsforum.org ​"Wenn and Barney have produced another foundational text in Olympic history, this one exploring the deepening ties between the International Olympic Committee and the generation of commercial revenue. Utilizing exclusive access to previously undisclosed IOC documents, along with interviews with many high-ranking Olympic officials, the authors not only shed new light on IOC presidents such as Brundage, Killanin, Samaranch and Rogge, but also a diverse and colorful supporting cast whose importance is only now revealed. This book instantly becomes essential reading for anyone interested in the modern Olympic movement."--Kevin Witherspoon, author of Before the Eyes of the World: Mexico and the 1968 Olympic Games ​​"The Gold in the Rings traces the fascinating rise of the modern Olympic Games into today's commercial empire. Wenn and Barney remain two of our foremost historians of international sport."—Thomas M. Hunt, author of Drug Games: The International Olympic Committee and the Politics of Doping, 1960–2008

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Creapeau's book examines the NFL as a business and a cultural phenomenon. It succeeds on both accounts. Anyone looking for a short overview of the NFL's meteoric rise to America's national pastime should begin with Crepeau's book." --Journal of Sport History"The updates to this new edition of NFL Football have made Richard C. Crepeau's already crucial book even more vital to those of us interested in the history of America’s most popular and problematic sports organization." --Travis Vogan, author of ESPN: The Making of a Sports Media Empire Praise for the previous edition of NFL Football: “[Crepeau] has brought together from a great many sources the information necessary to anyone who wants to understand the origins and the workings of the powerful and profitable entertainment vehicle the NFL has become.” --Bill Littlefield, NPR’s Only a GameTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction I The Formative Years 1 The First Pros 2 Depression and War 3 The NFL Comes of Age II The Rozelle Era 4 Moving to Center Stage 5 A Troubled Decade 6 The Perfect TV Game 7 The Cartel 8 Unraveling 9 Labor Conflict III The New NFL 10 A New Era 11 New Challenges 12 The Money Tree 13 Super Sunday Postscript Appendix A: NFL Franchises Appendix B: The NFL 100 All-Time Team Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Degrees of Difficulty is an important read and makes the case for necessary changes to a sport that millions love to watch but whose institutional history few understand." --Journal of Sport History"Georgia Cervin's Degrees of Difficulty is an enthralling analysis of elite women's gymnastics, from a scholar's and insider's view. Through carefully applied lenses of gender, race, power, and politics, Cervin exposes the historical underbelly of cheating, bribery, abuse, and political manipulation in one of the world's most popular Olympic Sports."--Kevin B. Wamsley, coauthor of Sport in Canada: A History, fourth edition

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Speed Capital is a fabulous history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Ingrassia peels back layers of asphalt, meaning, and memory to reveal the significance of the city and its brick track to American technology, transportation, sport, and spectacle. A must-read for anyone curious about speed’s attraction or its consequences for individuals, American cities, and our politics.”--Annie Gilbert Coleman, author of Ski Style: Sport and Culture in the RockiesTable of ContentsIntroduction. Brick Description: Speedway as Cultural Text Crossroads of America: Inventing Indianapolis America’s Brooklands: Annihilating Space at the Speedway Speed Carnivals: Conducting the Midway of a Motor Empire Automotive Metropolis: Reinventing Indianapolis Finest Flying Field in America: The Speedway Goes to War Sports of Titans: A Golden Age of Racing and Development Selling the Speedway: A Place at the Center of American Culture Just Call It the “500”: Forging Traditions in the Depression Era Tradition Never Stops: The Cultural Logic of Sports Capitalism Abbreviations Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisExamines the myths and the realities, symbols, and rituals of "America's favorite pastime." This book 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 by Progressive Era sensibilities.Trade Review"Riess asks and answers fundamentally important questions about urban America as well as baseball in the early twentieth century. . . . Touching Base, the most ambitious and exhaustive case study of urban professional baseball yet written, clearly demonstrates not only the vast potential for understanding American history through baseball, but also the value of utilizing sociological theory and municipal archives in researching baseball history."--Larry Gerlach, Journal of Sports History"Well-received in many quarters in its original version, Touching Base provides a massive fund of information extremely valuable to any baseball scholar. The bibliography and the opening essay on the state of baseball history alone justify this revised version."--Richard C. Crepeau, author of Baseball: America's Diamond Mine, 1919-1941"Touching Base not only tells the story of baseball in its formative period; it explains how the game fit into a much larger pattern of social and cultural development. The original edition of Touching Base was an important work of sport history, and the new revised edition adds even more to our knowledge of how and why baseball became our national pastime. This is fine history."—Elliott J. Gorn, author of The Manly Art: Bare-Knuckle Prize Fighting in America

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Book SynopsisExamines how sports map the social, political, and cultural landscapes of the modern South. This title explores the symbols that have shaped southern regional identities since the Civil War. It includes essays that tackle gender and race relations in intercollegiate athletics and address the popularity of NASCAR in the southern states.Trade Review"Illuminates the South's role in shaping the South. . . . Miller's collection of essays . . . consider the past role of sport in Southern distinctiveness and push historians to consider more heavily the role that sport continues to play."--J.R. Duke, Southern Register"Miller and his colleagues have made a valuable contribution to the study of southern sports. Students of southern history will find much of interest in this useful collection."--North Carolina Historical Review

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Book SynopsisPolitics has always been an integral part of the Olympics. This title discusses the intended and actual meaning of the modern Olympic Games, from 1896 to 2000. It demonstrates that the modern games were revived to propagate a political message and continue to serve political purposes.Trade Review"Guttmann is an excellent scholar, and his bibliographical essay remains an excellent source material for research." -- Choice "In a thoroughly revised and updated study, [Guttmann] traces the history of the modern Olympics from 1896 to 2000, contrasting the ideal of the game with the often politicized reality." -- Books and More for Growing Minds REVIEWS from the 1st edition: "Here is a book that is as readable as it is profound, casting a majestic sweep over the Games from 1896." -- G. E. Murray, Sporting Traditions "A wonderfully insightful, judicious, and interpretative essay." -- Steve Gietschier, Sporting News "Guttmann, one of the finest historians of sport in the United States and Europe, and a recognized authority on the Olympics, has produced a sound, readable narrative that will appeal to scholars as well as to general readers." -- Randy Roberts, co-author of Winning Is the Only Thing: Sports in America since 1945

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Book Synopsis Chronicling the uneven rise and slow decline of segregation in American college athletics, Charles H. Martin shows how southern colleges imposed their policies of racial exclusion on surprisingly compliant northern teams and explains the social forces that eventually forced these southern schools to accept integrated competition. Martin emphasizes not just the racism prevalent in football and basketball in the South, but the effects of this discrimination for colleges and universities all over the country. Southern teams such as the University of Alabama, University of Mississippi, and the University of North Carolina were obsessed with national recognition, but their Jim Crow policies prevented them for many years from playing against racially mixed teams from other parts of the country. Devoting special attention to the Southeastern Conference, the Atlantic Coast Conference, and teams in Texas, Martin explores the changing social attitudes and culture oTrade ReviewA Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2012. "An impressive achievement, one of the most useful titles recently published on the history of race and sport."--The Journal of American History "[Martin] provides moving descriptions of individual athletes who braved open hostility and threats of violence and of the coaches who insisted that the teams be integrated. And he is masterful in weaving all this material into the broader social history of the South. The result is an impressive, profound piece of scholarship. Essential."--Choice "Should be a standard text in sport history classes for many years."--Southwestern Historical Quarterly "Martin has written this valuable history -- the first of its kind -- documenting the process of integrating the playing fields of Southern universities and colleges. It's an important book."--El Paso Times "A well written historical analysis of the development of sport institutions at all-white colleges and universities in the South. . . . Thought provoking, and accessible."--The Journal of African American History "Given the perennial pertinence of racial issues in the United States, the attachment to intercollegiate athletics in the South, and the presence of African-American athletes, this subject begs for attention. Charles H. Martin is well-versed in college sports and academic archives, and the scope and depth of his research is astounding."--William J. Baker, author of Jesse Owens: An American Life"Historians, sports scholars, and students will refer to Benching Jim Crow for many years to come as the standard source on the integration of intercollegiate sport."--Mark S. Dyreson, author of Making the American Team: Sport, Culture, and the Olympic Experience and Crafting Patriotism: America at the Olympic Games"Benching Jim Crow is a powerful indictment of a racist system, much of which has been dismantled by law, social pressure, and the belated recognition by southern coaches and athletic directors that recruiting white athletes exclusively would doom their universities to teams that might aspire to mediocrity on their most optimistic days."--Bill Littlefield, Only a Game"A definitive piece of scholarship."--Register of the Kentucky Historical Society"Martin packs his narrative with startling examples that show racism and exclusion as all-American characteristics that just so happened to have deep roots in the South."--The Journal of Southern History"Benching Jim Crow is a major contribution to the history of collegiate athletics and the history of sport."--Louisiana HistoryTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction: The Strange Athletic Career of Jim Crow xiii 1. White Supremacy and American College Sports: The Rise of the Gentleman's Agreement, 1890-1929 1 2. "Fair Play" versus White Supremacy: The Gentleman's Agreement under Attack, 1929-45 27 3. "Massive Resistance" and the Fall of the Color Line, 1945-65 55 4. Cracks in the Solid South: Texas Western College Abandons Jim Crow 90 5. Hold That (Mason-Dixon) Line: The Atlantic Coast Conference and Football 120 6. "Two at Home and Three on the Road": The Atlantic Coast Conference and Basketball 150 7. The Eyes of Texas Are (Not) upon You: The Southwest Conference and Football 180 8. From Exclusion to Prominence: The Southeastern Conference and Basketball 215 9. The "Final Citadel of Segregation": The Southeastern Conference and Football 255 Conclusion: The Accomplishments and Limitations of Athletic Integration 293 Notes 305 Sources 355 Index 359Illustrations follow page 54

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Book SynopsisA rigorous investigation of reform in college sportsTrade Review"In this provocative book ... [Smith] details the efforts to purify intercollegiate sports since the first teams faced off in the 1850s. He makes a solid case for why reforms are needed."--Diverse: Issues in Higher Education"Smith's extensively researched and well-documented text shows that throughout the history of college athletics there have been only a handful of true champions of reform and they have universally lost to the pressures of professionalization."--EH.NET"Sweeping in its coverage of big-time college athletic reform and rich detail. . . . A significant contribution to the place and meaning of college sports in the modern United States."--American Historical Review"Illuminating and thought provoking. Music and Cultural Rights will challenge musicians, music scholars, and music educators to reexamine their preconceived notions of culture, music's purpose within culture, and the social responsibilities that come when using this music."--Music Educators Journal"Ronald A Smith meticulously documents the history of reform attempts of intercollegiate athletics, an enterprise so full of contradiction, hypocrisy, and downright chicanery that it has long begged for major change. . . . His definitive study depresses any reader hopeful for the systemic reform of college sports."--The Journal of American History"A lively, fluid account of college sports controversies and reform efforts spanning more than 150 years. . . . Well written and thoroughly researched."--Journal of Higher Education"A major contribution to the history of college sports. This astounding book does not leave a stone unturned, and it represents a lifetime of researching and writing on the subject from a top expert in the field."--John Sayle Watterson, author of The Games Presidents Play: Sports and the Presidency"Ronald A. Smith pulls no punches in this thoughtful and thorough history of intercollegiate athletic reform. He deals directly with the role presidents play in reforming athletics, he calls hypocrisy by the right name when he finds it (all too often), and he recognizes the limits to what can be done to improve intercollegiate athletics in this country. Smith's candor and honesty are refreshing and impressive."--William G. Bowen, coauthor of Reclaiming the Game: College Sports and Educational Values

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Book SynopsisA revealing look at the history of women's exclusion from America's national pastimeTrade ReviewA Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2010. "Sharp, thoroughly researched examination of gender discrimination in [baseball].--Los Angeles Times"Throwing 'like a girl' is an age-old taunt, and Jennifer Ring has had enough of it."--Washington Post“An extraordinary account of the rejection of female players from baseball. . . . [Ring] searches for ways to reclaim baseball’s nickname, 'the people’s game,' and encourage females who want to play a game they are passionate about. Highly recommended.”--Choice"The story Ring tells is outrageous. Her title is accurate: baseball has been stolen from girls."--Women's Review of Books“An important work. . . . Ring traces over a 100 years of issues arising from individuals, cultural biases, legal arguments, and the like to develop a full picture.”--Cave 17.com"By examining the systematic exclusion of women from baseball, this compelling book goes into depth about a topic that most historians do not even question. With a gripping storyline and strong, clear prose, Stolen Bases contains some of the best sportswriting I have seen."--Susan K. Cahn, coeditor of Women and Sports in the United States: A Documentary Reader"This book blends history, political economy, sociology, and biography to form an engaging narrative about the place of women in baseball. Jennifer Ring offers fresh insights, focusing on the game's maternity and the development of efforts to preclude women from playing baseball or acknowledging their place in the game's past."--Adrian Burgos Jr., author of Playing America's Game: Baseball, Latinos, and the Color LineTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Prologue: Entitlement and Its Absence 1 1. Introduction: A Quick and Dirty History of Baseball 15 2. The Girls' Game 31 3. A. G. Spalding and America's Needs 47 4. Enter Softball 59 5. How Baseball Became Manly and White 73 6. American Womanhood and Athletics 91 7. Cricket 102 8. Stolen Bases 116 9. Collegiate Women's Baseball 134 10. The Invisibility of Bias 151 Epilogue: What Does Equality Look Like? 169 Notes 183 Index 197

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Book SynopsisReveals that from colonial times to the present, sports have been central to American culture. This title includes discussion of performance-enhancing drugs; player salaries, unions, and the business of internationalizing sport; Title IX and gender in American sports; and, race.Trade Review"If history were baseball, Gorn and Goldstein would get credit for a triple play: they have skillfully and imaginatively integrated sports into the framework of American culture and society, produced a pioneering work which should have enduring influence, and given us a scholarly history which is delightful to read. It's a terrific book in every way."--Lawrence W. Levine, University of California at Berkeley"With A Brief History of American Sports, Elliott J. Gorn and Warren Goldstein remind us that the very serious world of play provides a precise mirror of American life and aspiration, a deep, at times painful, but always abiding portrait of who we are."--Ken Burns, documentary film director, and coauthor of Baseball: An Illustrated History"The additional chapter in this revised edition examines with intelligent conciseness all the major issues of the moment--steroids, gender and sexual orientation, sports and "the big money," race and racialization in sports, and the ever-intensifying globalization of sports. A Brief History of American Sports is still a timely, succinct, yet comprehensive work."--Gerald Early, Merle King Professor of Modern Letters, Washington University, and author of A Level Playing Field: African Americans and the Republic of Sports

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Book SynopsisOnce a shoestring operation built on plywood sets and Australian rules football, ESPN has evolved into a media colossus. A genius for cross-promotion and its near-mystical rapport with its viewers empower the network to set agendas and create superstars, to curate sports history even as it mainstreams the latest cultural trends. Travis Vogan teams archival research and interviews with an all-star cast to pen the definitive account of how ESPN turned X's and O's into billions of $$$. Vogan's institutional and cultural history focuses on the network since 1998, the year it launched a high-motor effort to craft its brand and grow audiences across media platforms. As he shows, innovative properties like SportsCentury, ESPN The Magazine, and 30 for 30 built the network's cultural caché. This credibility, in turn, propelled ESPN's transformation into an entity that lapped its run-of-the-mill competitors and helped fulfill its self-proclaimed status as the Worldwide Leader in Sports. AmbitiouTrade Review"Vogan's research provides him with ample fodder to engross readers with stories and insights into the world behind their notable shows. . . . Sports fans will enjoy this well-researched and fascinating look at how ESPN has impacted both television and the viewing habits of millions of watchers."--Library Journal"Represents a genuinely original and overdue assessment of perhaps the most significant entity in sports media since the penny press. An exceptional trove of interviews, archival information, and industrial and aesthetic analysis." --Victoria E. Johnson, author of Heartland TV: Prime Time Television and the Struggle for U.S. Identity"This smart, lively examination of ESPN's place in American culture and how it continues to consciously work its way in is a trove of research, insight, and fascinating stories."--Robert Lipsyte, New York Times columnist and author of An Accidental Sportswriter"This is to date the most thoroughly researched and well-argued analysis of ESPN."--Aaron Baker, author of Contesting Identities: Sports in American Film"This well-researched book is a gold mine of information about the origin and philosophy of ESPN. Highly recommended."--Choice"In this fascinating history, journalism professor Vogan imbues the network's nascent struggles with a sense of adventure. . . . Sports fans, especially those of the couch-potato variety, will find this account of the life of a TV network as enjoyable as most star biographies."--Booklist

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Book SynopsisIn 2007, the Mitchell Report shocked traditionalists who were appalled that drugs had corrupted the pure game of baseball. Nathan Corzine rescues the story of baseball''s relationship with drugs from the sepia-toned tyranny of such myths. In Team Chemistry , he reveals a game splashed with spilled whiskey and tobacco stains from the day the first pitch was thrown. Indeed, throughout the game''s history, stars and scrubs alike partook of a pharmacopeia that helped them stay on the field and cope off of it: In 1889, Pud Galvin tried a testosterone-derived elixir to help him pile up some of his 646 complete games. Sandy Koufax needed Codeine and an anti-inflammatory used on horses to pitch through his late-career elbow woes. Players returning from World War II mainstreamed the use of the amphetamines they had used as servicemen. Vida Blue invited teammates to cocaine parties, Tim Raines used it to stay awake on the bench, and Will McEnaney snorted it bTrade Review"Stimulating. Clearly the most comprehensive 'baseball and drugs' book that I've read or am aware of. There are other books that cover specific scandals, such as BALCO, but none that dig as deeply into the history of the relationship between baseball and drugs."--Mitchell Nathanson, author of A People's History of Baseball"Nathan Michael Corzine goes past the mythology and digs deep to reveal a game splashed with spilled whiskey and tobacco stains from its origins, where substances of various stripes were valued for the supposed ability to help athletes play better."--Alternet"Corzine presents a more nuanced meaning of professional baseball's post steroid era. . . . Books like this one can help guide both scholars and fans toward appreciation, understanding, and perhaps even reconciliation with the game's past."--Journal of Sport History "A succinct, thoughtful, readable review of alcohol and drug abuse in baseball from 1870 to the present. Recommended." --Choice"Corzine's well-crafted chronology of the history of drug and alcohol use in Major League Baseball is a good read for fans and scholars alike. Team Chemistry offers new insights and analytic modes to address both of baseball's substance problems--its problem with both legal and illegal drugs and its problem of relying on the romanticized memory of the sport, rather than the reality of its clubs and players."--Sport in American History"Team Chemistry is a fascinating and compelling story of drugs in Major League baseball. Utilizing a vast array of sources and with great insight, Corzine traces the use of both legal and illicit drugs in a sport always thought of as our National Pastime. In the process, we gain a more nuanced and far deeper understanding of the mythology surrounding baseball and American culture."--David K. Wiggins, author of The Unlevel Playing Field: A Documentary History of the African American Experience in Sport

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The authors do a marvelous job highlighting the rise of amateurism from its stoic British roots, through Baron Pierre de Coubertin and other IOC Presidents to its de facto champion in Avery Brundage. The real benefit of the book, however, is that they also manage to show just how complicated and convoluted this journey was and indeed continues to be. Highly recommended."--Sport in American History "Llewellyn and Gleaves have penned an excellent scholarly book in The Rise and Fall of Olympic Amateurism that should grace the libraries of Olympic and sport historians, and accompany any course on the history of the modern Olympic games."--Aethlon"Llewellyn and Gleaves, both sports historians based at California State University, Fullerton, have added something original to the growing academic historiography of the Olympic Games. Through a detailed narrative, the authors show how Olympic amateurism was never, despite its external appearance, homogeneous. At a time when the Olympics are facing crises, both in their never-ending battle with institutional doping, and in the sharp decline in the number of cities that want to host the Games, books such as this give us a perspective on how Olympic history, not just its present, is deeply problematic." --Journal of Contemporary History"The authors have done a useful service to scholars of the Olympics, the intersection of politics and sport, and the internationalist movements of the late nineteenth century. They have produced a thoughtful book, perfectly sized for classroom use, sure to ignite discussion and debate."--Journal of Sport History"Llewellyn and Gleaves have admirably filled an existing void in Olympic historiography, namely a full-blown, archival research-supported, historical assessment of the somewhat tortured history of the amateur ideal within the Olympic world. You'll enjoy reading it just as much as I sense they did in researching and writing this history."--Stephen Wenn, coauthor of Tarnished Rings: The International Olympic Committee and the Salt Lake City Bid Scandal

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Book SynopsisThroughout the Cold War, the Soviet Union deplored the treatment of African Americans by the U.S. government as proof of hypocrisy in the American promises of freedom and equality. This probing history examines government attempts to manipulate international perceptions of U.S. race relations during the Cold War by sending African American athletes abroad on goodwill tours and in international competitions as cultural ambassadors and visible symbols of American values. Damion L. Thomas follows the State Department''s efforts from 1945 to 1968 to showcase prosperous African American athletes including Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, and the Harlem Globetrotters as the preeminent citizens of the African Diaspora rather than as victims of racial oppression. With athletes in baseball, track and field, and basketball, the government relied on figures whose fame carried the desired message to countries where English was little understood. However, eventually African American athletes begaTrade Review"This accessible, interesting history will broaden sport historians' understanding of sport and the civil rights movement, injecting an internationalist framework that was critical to the viewpoint of the era's African American athletes."--Aram Goudsouzian, author of King of the Court: Bill Russell and the Basketball Revolution"Provides an extensive chronology of how racial identity unfolded during the Cold War years, using sport as a ploy that all was well in the U.S. Recommended." -- Choice "Globetrotting reveals surprising evidence of the importance the U.S. government placed on sports in waging the Cold War, and makes compelling arguments regarding the changing tenor of African American athletes' involvement in foreign policy initiatives amid the changing climate of the civil rights movement."--American Historical Review “Thomas effectively highlights the essential role of propaganda in addressing Cold War diplomatic concerns, and he situates both race and black athletes at the heart of the United States government's effort to win the hearts and minds of formerly colonized peoples around the world.”--Journal of American Studies "This story demonstrates the complex position of African American athletes within the Cold War and how developments in sport reflected intellectual shifts within the broader civil rights movement, as athletes worked through liberal and then radical approaches to reform."--Sport in History

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Book SynopsisOnce a showcase for amateur athletics, the Olympic Games have become a global entertainment colossus powered by corporate sponsorship and professional participation. Stephen R. Wenn and Robert K. Barney offer the inside story of this transformation by examining the far-sighted leadership and decision-making acumen of four International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidents: Avery Brundage, Lord Killanin, Juan Antonio Samaranch, and Jacques Rogge. Blending biography with historical storytelling, the authors explore the evolution of Olympic commercialism from Brundage''s uneasy acceptance of television rights fees through the revenue generation strategies that followed the Salt Lake City bid scandal to the present day. Throughout, Wenn and Barney draw on their decades of studying Olympic history to dissect the personalities, conflicts, and controversies behind the Games'' embrace of the business of spectacle. Entertaining and expert, The Gold in the Rings maps the Olympics'' coursTrade Review"Stephen R. Wenn and Robert K. Barney's latest book The Gold in the Rings: The People and Events That Transformed the Olympic Games makes its timely entrance. . . . A well-refined book that traverses the border of well-known historical terrain and fresh intellectual ground. . . . The authors point to the continued need to interrogate the money matters that lay at the IOC's heart." --Journal of Sport History​"A meticulous and absorbing account of one of the most intriguing and interesting dimensions of the modern Olympic Games, namely their transformation into a commercial mega-bonanza. . . . Engrossing, brilliantly constructed and told, and profoundly informative and edifying, a most worthwhile read." --Sport Literature Association"Wenn and Barney convincingly portrays the progression and development within the IOC and they manage to do so without the nostalgic perspective of how the Olympic Games used to and ought to be." --idrottsforum.org ​"Wenn and Barney have produced another foundational text in Olympic history, this one exploring the deepening ties between the International Olympic Committee and the generation of commercial revenue. Utilizing exclusive access to previously undisclosed IOC documents, along with interviews with many high-ranking Olympic officials, the authors not only shed new light on IOC presidents such as Brundage, Killanin, Samaranch and Rogge, but also a diverse and colorful supporting cast whose importance is only now revealed. This book instantly becomes essential reading for anyone interested in the modern Olympic movement."--Kevin Witherspoon, author of Before the Eyes of the World: Mexico and the 1968 Olympic Games ​​"The Gold in the Rings traces the fascinating rise of the modern Olympic Games into today's commercial empire. Wenn and Barney remain two of our foremost historians of international sport."—Thomas M. Hunt, author of Drug Games: The International Olympic Committee and the Politics of Doping, 1960–2008

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Book SynopsisAnalyzing how tennis turned pro The arrival of the Open era in 1968 was a watershed in the history of tennis--the year that marked its advent as a professionalized sport. Merging wide-angle history with individual stories of players and off-the-court figures, Greg Ruth charts tennis's evolution into the game we watch today. His vivid account moves from the cloistered world of nineteenth-century lawn tennis through the longtime amateur-professional divide and the battles over commercialization that raged from the 1920s until 1968. From there, Ruth details the post-1968 expansion of the game as it was transformed by bankable superstars, a popular women's tour, rival governing bodies, and sponsorship money. What emerges is a fascinating history of the economics and politics that made tennis a decisive, if unlikely, force in the creation of modern-day sports entertainment. Comprehensive and engaging, Tennis tells the interlocking stories of the figures and factors that birthed the professiTrade Review"Ruth's work is an excellent source for a history of sexism in tennis, while highlighting some of the biggest names on and off the court, who ushered tennis into a profitable sport in the postmodern era." --Journal of American History "This well-researched volume will be a valuable addition to any sports history collection." --Choice "This book is for tennis pros, serious amateurs, hackers, lovers of the game, and anyone interested in sport history. Greg Ruth shows us how tennis evolved from England’s royal court to L.A.'s public courts to the U.S. Open's billionaire courts. Featuring big personalities and terrific storytelling, Tennis shows us how and why the game evolved over the years. This is excellent sport history."--Elliott J. Gorn, coauthor of A Brief History of American Sports, Second EditionTable of ContentsCoverTitle PageCopyrightContentsAcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroduction: Tennis Amateurs and Tennis Professionals1. Amateur Associations along the American Atlantic Coast2. The West Coast Game3. The Cause Célèbre of the Pioneering Professional4. Depression-Era Developments in Amateur and Professional TennisPhoto Section 15. Wartime Southern California Professionals6. The Cultural Contexts of Mid-Century Women’s Tennis7. The “Kramer Karavan”8. The World Champion from “The Wrong Side of the Tracks"9. Tennis OpensPhoto Section 210. The Rise and Demise of World Championship Tennis11. The Impact of Sports Agents and Agencies on Professional Tennis12. Women’s Professional Tennis in the Early Open EraConclusion: Professional Tennis as Global EntertainmentNotesSelected BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Author Jeff Karzen has captured the spirit — the drama and the fun — of the River City during one of its great roundball runs. Now the legacies come to life through this incredibly well-sourced book that leaps past the scores and stats. It plunges into the inside tracks of some of the back stories intertwined in the high school roots that led to some historic hoops from the late 1980s to well into the 21st century." --Community Word“You can’t tell the story of basketball in Illinois without telling the story of Peoria basketball. Jeff Karzen’s history is full of colorful characters, with deep backstories of their own, and the book does a terrific job of both uncovering these stories and telling them in an entertaining fashion. Heading into this book, I knew a little about Peoria basketball. Now I feel connected to it.”--Will Leitch, author of How Lucky: A Novel“It's hard to explain how dominant Peoria basketball came to be during that period in the 1990s and 2000s. With a population around 200,000, Peoria produced one of the most overpowering high school basketball teams in U.S. history--and Manual High was not the city's only elite team. Once you read about the manic competition that surrounded former star player Tom Wilson's transfer from one school to another, you'll be hooked through to the final chapter about the often heartbreaking but ultimately triumphant story of NBA champion Shaun Livingston. The idea for this book was wonderful, but the execution beats it by double-digits.”--Mike DeCourcy, senior writer, The Sporting NewsTable of ContentsPreface AcknowledgmentsChapter 1. Anatomy of a Basketball TownChapter 2. Prince of PeoriaChapter 3. Mayor of the South SideChapter 4. Legends, Titles, and University of Illinois PipelineChapter 5. How the Seeds of Struggle Were PlantedChapter 6. Tragedy of MudChapter 7. Finding Oscar MackChapter 8. First Family of Peoria CentralChapter 9. Shaun Livingston and the Burden of ExpectationsInterviewsIndex

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Book SynopsisIn 1926, Harvard athletic director Bill Bingham chose former Crimson All-American Arnold Horween as coach of the university’s moribund football team. The pair instilled a fresh culture, one based on merit rather than social status, and in the virtues of honor and courage over mere winning. Yet their success challenged entrenched ideas about who belonged at Harvard and, by extension, who deserved to lay claim to the American dream. Zev Eleff tells the story of two immigrants’ sons shaped by a vision of an America that rewarded any person of virtue. As a player, the Chicago-born Horween had led Harvard to its 1920 Rose Bowl victory. As a coach, he faced intractable opposition from powerful East Coast alumni because of his values and Midwestern, Jewish background. Eleff traces Bingham and Horween’s careers as student-athletes and their campaign to wrest control of the football program from alumni. He also looks at how Horween undermined stereotypes of Jewish masculiniTrade Review"Eleff's well-researched examination of the changes that Horween and Bingham brought to Harvard in the 1920s is an uplifting story that is needed as Americans grapple with the latest wave of anti-Semitism." --Sport in American History“It sounds like fiction, but it’s true: A century ago, a Jewish running back and a track star with a working-class background altered the very nature of sports at Harvard. Kudos to Zev Eleff for putting Arnold Horween and Bill Bingham at the center of a poignant story about acceptance.”--John Eisenberg, author of The League: How Five Rivals Created the NFL and Launched a Sports EmpireTable of ContentsIntroduction Chapter I: The (Cinder) Path to a Better LifeChapter II: Winning isn’t Everything, but it is SomethingChapter III: Americanization, the Jewish Take on SuccessChapter IV: Winning for Winning’s SakeChapter V: Football, the Ultimate Wargame of LifeChapter VI: Horween versus McMahon and Rise of the National Football LeagueChapter VII: A Member of the Hebrew Race to Become Head Coach of Harvard?Chapter VIII: An Honorable Failure and Satisfactory Game in Every WayChapter IX: The Crusade to Keep Football a GameConclusionAcknowledgments

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Highly entertaining with useful appendices." --Spitball Magazine"Provides a wealth of detail about the origins of the Illinois game and the teams who played it from Chicago down south to Cairo and nearly every town in between." --St. Louis Post-Dispatch"A delightful collection of history and baseball anecdotes for both casual and serious baseball fans." --Illinois Times"Ballists, Dead Beats, and Muffins makes clear that there was a simplicity, innocence, and freshness to baseball in Illinois in these years, even as Sampson details the movement—probably inevitable—toward a more competitive and more professional level of play." --Third Coast Review"Effectively blends history and nostalgia, sparking an appreciation of the National pastime. . . . This 250-page gem by Robert D. Sampson is an exhaustive focus on baseball's early style and sweep when gentlemanly players, civic leaders, and hosts of spectators stressed the bliss more than the score." --Community Word“Detailed studies of baseball during these crucial years are rare, with ones that focus on a single state even more so. Bob Sampson’s Ballists, Dead Beats, and Muffins is thus both timely and valuable, confirming some long-accepted assumptions and forcing reexamination of others. Highly recommended!”--Peter Morris, author of Baseball Fever: Early Baseball in MichiganTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Prologue A Dying Ember First Inning Baseball Fever and Pioneers Second Inning Organizing Clubs, Funding, Travel, and the Game’s Rituals Third Inning Playing Fields, Gambling, and Injuries Fourth Inning The Game and Its Players Fifth Inning Sharing the Fun Sixth Inning Barriers of Race and Gender Seventh Inning Trouble in Baseball’s Eden Eighth Inning Representative Teams Ninth Inning The Thrill Departs Epilogue Ghosts Appendix A Illinois Baseball Teams, 1865-70 Appendix B Bloomington’s Fifth Ward School-Grounds Neighborhood Appendix C Illinois Baseball Players, 1865-70 Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Speed Capital is a fabulous history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Ingrassia peels back layers of asphalt, meaning, and memory to reveal the significance of the city and its brick track to American technology, transportation, sport, and spectacle. A must-read for anyone curious about speed’s attraction or its consequences for individuals, American cities, and our politics.”--Annie Gilbert Coleman, author of Ski Style: Sport and Culture in the RockiesTable of ContentsIntroduction. Brick Description: Speedway as Cultural Text Crossroads of America: Inventing Indianapolis America’s Brooklands: Annihilating Space at the Speedway Speed Carnivals: Conducting the Midway of a Motor Empire Automotive Metropolis: Reinventing Indianapolis Finest Flying Field in America: The Speedway Goes to War Sports of Titans: A Golden Age of Racing and Development Selling the Speedway: A Place at the Center of American Culture Just Call It the “500”: Forging Traditions in the Depression Era Tradition Never Stops: The Cultural Logic of Sports Capitalism Abbreviations Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction to the Second EditionForeword by Dean SmithAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Hall of Fame2. Non-Skids3. Salesman4. The Invisible Pass5. Special Service6. Air-Tecs7. World Tourney8. "Me"9. GloryAppendix: The History of the Converse Rubber Shoe CompanyNotes on ResearchNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The history of college football is as essential to the future of the sport as ever. Michigan Motivations stands out as Cyle and Del have compiled the stand-out moments in Wolverine history that will motivate not only those who follow the Maize and Blue but any college sports fanatic."—Jacob Smith, Sports Editor, Daily Times"Cyle Young and Del Duduit have captured the heart of what it means to be a Michigan Wolverine and then applied that truth to everyday life. In Michigan Motivations, you'll be challenged to live like a champion at home, at work, and at play. These 52 moments in Michigan football history will not only inspire your mind, they will challenge your heart."—Gary Rose, Former Michigan Football Player, Class of 2001"A great motivational journey with the Maize and Blue. Cyle and Del capture the ups and downs of the country's greatest football institution in a way we can transfer to lessons to our personal lives. Go Blue!"—Brodie Killian, 2nd Generation Michigan Football Player, Class of 2001"What a pleasure to be taken aback by some of the most historic moments in Michigan football history. Cyle, you've done it my friend...the analogizes are uncanny and the examples of resolve are on point. A real Wolverine archives this piece of work!"—James Whitley, Former Michigan Football Player"In Michigan Motivations, Del Duduit and Cyle Young take you back to some of the greatest gridiron moments involving the Maize and Blue. You'll delight in their vivid descriptions of these spectacular on-the-field exploits of one of the iconic programs in college football. Armed with a litany of specific follow-up action steps, you'll be inspired to run through a brick wall and win your own personal Heisman."—Dr. John Huang, Nolan Group Media"Michigan Motivations will have you reliving all the memorable University of Michigan football triumphs that you cherished growing up. Del and Cyle relate these unforgettable moments to practical life lessons that the reader can apply personally and professionally. You will find yourself coming back to this book week after week for inspiration and encouragement. Go Blue!"—Jordan Swavel, season ticket holderTable of ContentsIntroductionSpring TrainingWeek 1: Be ExtraordinaryWeek 2: Anything Is PossibleWeek 3: Carry the LoadWeek 4: Little BrotherWeek 5: Give the Roses While You CanWeek 6: Turning PointWeek 7: Leave a LegacyWeek 8: Point-a-MinuteWeek 9: Talk the Talk, Walk the WalkWeek 10: Throw the Ball to MeWeek 11: Come Off the Bench and Make an ImpactWeek 12: The PoseSummer WorkoutsWeek 13: Don't Take Life for GrantedWeek 14: Cigar in HandWeek 15: What's in Your Jug?Week 16: Climbing EverestWeek 17: Make a Great First ImpressionWeek 18: Ten Year WarWeek 19: Be Spectacular TodayWeek 20: Upset AlertWeek 21: Find a Silver LiningWeek 22: Snow BowlWeek 23: Be Versatile for Your TeamWeek 24: Spring GameWeek 25: A Good Defense Wins GamesFall SeasonWeek 26: InterimWeek 27: What Does Your Nickname Say About You?Week 28: The GameWeek 29: Be AccountableWeek 30: The ControversyWeek 31: Deliver in a Big WayWeek 32: The CatchWeek 33: Be Accountable to Your TeamWeek 34: Night GameWeek 35: Don't Be a Glory HogWeek 36: Badger BattleWeek 37: Defend Your HouseWeek 38: Orange BowlWeek 39: Be UnstoppableWinter PreparationWeek 40: Little Brown JugWeek 41: Let Your Reputation Speak for ItselfWeek 42: Kick CancerWeek 43: Be Willing to Change PositionsWeek 44: MeechiganWeek 45: Defy the Odds and WinWeek 46: Hail, Yes!Week 47: Believe in Your TeamWeek 48: The PerformanceWeek 49: Be Versatile in Everything You DoWeek 50: First GameWeek 51: Use Your Unique AbilityWeek 52: The PerformanceConclusion

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The history of college football is as essential to the future of the sport as ever. Michigan Motivations stands out as Cyle and Del have compiled the stand-out moments in Wolverine history that will motivate not only those who follow the Maize and Blue but any college sports fanatic."—Jacob Smith, Sports Editor, Daily Times"Cyle Young and Del Duduit have captured the heart of what it means to be a Michigan Wolverine and then applied that truth to everyday life. In Michigan Motivations, you'll be challenged to live like a champion at home, at work, and at play. These 52 moments in Michigan football history will not only inspire your mind, they will challenge your heart."—Gary Rose, Former Michigan Football Player, Class of 2001"A great motivational journey with the Maize and Blue. Cyle and Del capture the ups and downs of the country's greatest football institution in a way we can transfer to lessons to our personal lives. Go Blue!"—Brodie Killian, 2nd Generation Michigan Football Player, Class of 2001"What a pleasure to be taken aback by some of the most historic moments in Michigan football history. Cyle, you've done it my friend...the analogizes are uncanny and the examples of resolve are on point. A real Wolverine archives this piece of work!"—James Whitley, Former Michigan Football Player"In Michigan Motivations, Del Duduit and Cyle Young take you back to some of the greatest gridiron moments involving the Maize and Blue. You'll delight in their vivid descriptions of these spectacular on-the-field exploits of one of the iconic programs in college football. Armed with a litany of specific follow-up action steps, you'll be inspired to run through a brick wall and win your own personal Heisman."—Dr. John Huang, Nolan Group Media"Michigan Motivations will have you reliving all the memorable University of Michigan football triumphs that you cherished growing up. Del and Cyle relate these unforgettable moments to practical life lessons that the reader can apply personally and professionally. You will find yourself coming back to this book week after week for inspiration and encouragement. Go Blue!"—Jordan Swavel, season ticket holderTable of ContentsIntroductionSpring TrainingWeek 1: Be ExtraordinaryWeek 2: Anything Is PossibleWeek 3: Carry the LoadWeek 4: Little BrotherWeek 5: Give the Roses While You CanWeek 6: Turning PointWeek 7: Leave a LegacyWeek 8: Point-a-MinuteWeek 9: Talk the Talk, Walk the WalkWeek 10: Throw the Ball to MeWeek 11: Come Off the Bench and Make an ImpactWeek 12: The PoseSummer WorkoutsWeek 13: Don't Take Life for GrantedWeek 14: Cigar in HandWeek 15: What's in Your Jug?Week 16: Climbing EverestWeek 17: Make a Great First ImpressionWeek 18: Ten Year WarWeek 19: Be Spectacular TodayWeek 20: Upset AlertWeek 21: Find a Silver LiningWeek 22: Snow BowlWeek 23: Be Versatile for Your TeamWeek 24: Spring GameWeek 25: A Good Defense Wins GamesFall SeasonWeek 26: InterimWeek 27: What Does Your Nickname Say About You?Week 28: The GameWeek 29: Be AccountableWeek 30: The ControversyWeek 31: Deliver in a Big WayWeek 32: The CatchWeek 33: Be Accountable to Your TeamWeek 34: Night GameWeek 35: Don't Be a Glory HogWeek 36: Badger BattleWeek 37: Defend Your HouseWeek 38: Orange BowlWeek 39: Be UnstoppableWinter PreparationWeek 40: Little Brown JugWeek 41: Let Your Reputation Speak for ItselfWeek 42: Kick CancerWeek 43: Be Willing to Change PositionsWeek 44: MeechiganWeek 45: Defy the Odds and WinWeek 46: Hail, Yes!Week 47: Believe in Your TeamWeek 48: The PerformanceWeek 49: Be Versatile in Everything You DoWeek 50: First GameWeek 51: Use Your Unique AbilityWeek 52: The PerformanceConclusion

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Book SynopsisIn Heart of a Hoosier: A Year of Inspiration from IU Men's Basketball, authors Del Duduit and Michelle Medlock Adams show readers how the famous moments and personalities of the Indiana Hoosiers can inspire them to reach for success, overcome adversity, be a great team member, and more.Trade Review"Indiana University basketball is religion to those who bleed Cream 'n Crimson, but as Michelle Medlock Adams and Del Duduit showcase in Heart of a Hoosier, it goes much deeper than that. It inspires with the faith and passion true believers need. The message is clear: speak your heart; seize the moment; overcome adversity; write a lasting legacy; and always, always move forward."—Pete DiPrimio, Indiana Sports Writers and Sportscasters Hall of Famer"Heart of a Hoosier has its finger on the pulse of what makes Indiana basketball so special. Both this book and Hoosier hoops are about the passionate connection teams, families, and fans have to the game we love."—Kirk Haston, author of Days of Knight: How the General Changed My Life"Many of my most precious memories from my time at Indiana University involved Bobby Knight and IU basketball. This book, Heart of a Hoosier brings those memories back to life. It is an absolute must read for not only IU basketball fans but for anyone who loves the game of basketball."—Jeff Ramey: Author and former baseball player at IU"Award-winning authors Michelle Medlock Adams and Del Duduit really capture the essence of IU Basketball in their book, Heart of a Hoosier. This book offers 52 encouraging inspirations, highlighting great Indiana Basketball moments and the hallowed traditions that make IU Basketball so special. Even if you're a diehard fan, or even a former player, you're sure to learn a few fun facts about the candy-striped warmups, the IU Fight Song, and many of the players you've cheered for over the years."—Kent Benson, former NBA player, and member of the undefeated 1975-1976 IU teams and 1976 NCAA championsTable of ContentsIntroductionIU Traditions1. Week 1: What's Your Motivation?2. Week 2: Give Honor Where Honor Is Due3. Week 3: Candy-Striped Legacy4. Week 4: The Simple Thing in Life5. Week 5: Bleeding Cream & Crimson6. Week 6: Hail to Old IU!Monumental Moments7. Week 7: Foul Out Your Foes8. Week 8: Pursue Greatness9. Week 9: Just in Time10. Week 10: Live Like a Winner11. Week 11: Don't Let Up12. Week 12: Are You Determined to Be Better?13. Week 13: Stay Focused14. Week 14: It's the Heart That Matters15. Week 15: The Sweet 1616. Week 16: Silence the Critics17. Week 17: Mama Knows Best18. Week 18: Your One Shining Moment19. Week 19: Find a Silver Lining20. Week 20: When a Game Is More Than a Game21. Week 21: Taking Down a Giant22. Week 22: Teamwork Always Wins23. Week 23: A Light at the End of the Tunnel24. Week 24: Get the Monkey off Your Back25. Week 25: Healthy RivalriesIU Players26. Week 26: Follow Your Heart27. Week 27: Mountaintops & Valleys28. Week 28: Be the First29. Week 29: Get the Shot You Need30. Week 30: Grace under Pressure31. Week 31: Continue through the Struggles32. Week 32: Go the Extra Mile33. Week 33: The Sixth Man34. Week 34: Stepping into Greatness35. Week 35: Break the Barrier36. Week 36: Be a True Friend37. Week 37: Live Up to Your Potential38. Week 38: Be Ready to Take the Shot39. Week 39: Always Show Respect40. Week 40: The Block Heard Round the World41. Week 41: Come Through When It Counts42. Week 42: Helping Others Succeed43. Week 43: Associate with Like-Minded People44. Week 44: You're Better Than You Think45. Week 45: What Does Your Nickname Say about You?46. Week 46: Own Up to Your Acts47. Week 47: Be a True LeaderIU Coaches48. Week 48: Critics—Yep, Everybody's Got 'Em49. Week 49: Strive for Excellence and Live with Integrity50. Week 50: Built Up, Not Beat Down51. Week 51: Not Fired, Fired Up!52. Week 52: Hold On to Your ChairConclusion

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Book SynopsisIn Heart of a Hoosier: A Year of Inspiration from IU Men's Basketball, authors Del Duduit and Michelle Medlock Adams show readers how the famous moments and personalities of the Indiana Hoosiers can inspire them to reach for success, overcome adversity, be a great team member, and more.Trade Review"Indiana University basketball is religion to those who bleed Cream 'n Crimson, but as Michelle Medlock Adams and Del Duduit showcase in Heart of a Hoosier, it goes much deeper than that. It inspires with the faith and passion true believers need. The message is clear: speak your heart; seize the moment; overcome adversity; write a lasting legacy; and always, always move forward."—Pete DiPrimio, Indiana Sports Writers and Sportscasters Hall of Famer"Heart of a Hoosier has its finger on the pulse of what makes Indiana basketball so special. Both this book and Hoosier hoops are about the passionate connection teams, families, and fans have to the game we love."—Kirk Haston, author of Days of Knight: How the General Changed My Life"Many of my most precious memories from my time at Indiana University involved Bobby Knight and IU basketball. This book, Heart of a Hoosier brings those memories back to life. It is an absolute must read for not only IU basketball fans but for anyone who loves the game of basketball."—Jeff Ramey: Author and former baseball player at IU"Award-winning authors Michelle Medlock Adams and Del Duduit really capture the essence of IU Basketball in their book, Heart of a Hoosier. This book offers 52 encouraging inspirations, highlighting great Indiana Basketball moments and the hallowed traditions that make IU Basketball so special. Even if you're a diehard fan, or even a former player, you're sure to learn a few fun facts about the candy-striped warmups, the IU Fight Song, and many of the players you've cheered for over the years."—Kent Benson, former NBA player, and member of the undefeated 1975-1976 IU teams and 1976 NCAA championsTable of ContentsIntroductionIU Traditions1. Week 1: What's Your Motivation?2. Week 2: Give Honor Where Honor Is Due3. Week 3: Candy-Striped Legacy4. Week 4: The Simple Thing in Life5. Week 5: Bleeding Cream & Crimson6. Week 6: Hail to Old IU!Monumental Moments7. Week 7: Foul Out Your Foes8. Week 8: Pursue Greatness9. Week 9: Just in Time10. Week 10: Live Like a Winner11. Week 11: Don't Let Up12. Week 12: Are You Determined to Be Better?13. Week 13: Stay Focused14. Week 14: It's the Heart That Matters15. Week 15: The Sweet 1616. Week 16: Silence the Critics17. Week 17: Mama Knows Best18. Week 18: Your One Shining Moment19. Week 19: Find a Silver Lining20. Week 20: When a Game Is More Than a Game21. Week 21: Taking Down a Giant22. Week 22: Teamwork Always Wins23. Week 23: A Light at the End of the Tunnel24. Week 24: Get the Monkey off Your Back25. Week 25: Healthy RivalriesIU Players26. Week 26: Follow Your Heart27. Week 27: Mountaintops & Valleys28. Week 28: Be the First29. Week 29: Get the Shot You Need30. Week 30: Grace under Pressure31. Week 31: Continue through the Struggles32. Week 32: Go the Extra Mile33. Week 33: The Sixth Man34. Week 34: Stepping into Greatness35. Week 35: Break the Barrier36. Week 36: Be a True Friend37. Week 37: Live Up to Your Potential38. Week 38: Be Ready to Take the Shot39. Week 39: Always Show Respect40. Week 40: The Block Heard Round the World41. Week 41: Come Through When It Counts42. Week 42: Helping Others Succeed43. Week 43: Associate with Like-Minded People44. Week 44: You're Better Than You Think45. Week 45: What Does Your Nickname Say about You?46. Week 46: Own Up to Your Acts47. Week 47: Be a True LeaderIU Coaches48. Week 48: Critics—Yep, Everybody's Got 'Em49. Week 49: Strive for Excellence and Live with Integrity50. Week 50: Built Up, Not Beat Down51. Week 51: Not Fired, Fired Up!52. Week 52: Hold On to Your ChairConclusion

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Book SynopsisTells the story of the 1953 Hoosiers, NCAA champions, coached by Branch McCracken and led by star players Bobby Leonard and Don Schlundt. This work aims to recreate the story of Indiana's magical 1952-53 season. For Hoosier fans, it is a tale that illuminates one of the most glorious chapters of Indiana University basketball history.Table of ContentsContentsAcknowledgmentsI.1. Expansion and Crisis2. Bobby3. The Ox4. Big Mac and the Firewagon5. The Second-Place CurseII.6. The Race and the Free Throw Contest7. Here We Go Again8. Kiss It Goodbye9. Speed versus Power10. The Game Neither Team Could Afford to Lose11. Century Mark12. A Knife in Wisconsin13. The ClincherIII.14. A Record Night in Chicago15. Kansas City CoronationEpilogueAppendix: Stats and RecordsNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisTells the little-known story of a highly celebrated auto-racing event for African Americans, the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes. These races were held in Indiana and throughout the Midwest during the racial turbulence of the 1920s and 1930s, when the Ku Klux Klan cast a shadow over the social and political landscape of the state and region.Trade ReviewAuthor Todd Gould has a remarkable eye for detail and a good ear for pace and tone. . . . For Gold and Glory is an exciting ride about an American legend, a book that almost turns an ordinary man into a superhero. * Black Issues Book Review *Anyone who loves history and sports will thoroughly enjoy this story. * Bookviews *This book offers much more than its title suggests. Gould describes how African American racing came to life in the 1920s and 1930s—'gold and glory' refers to the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes, a celebrated race for black drivers—but vanished before WW II. . . . The absolute segregation of early Triple A racing and the Indianapolis racing circuit is now difficult to imagine, but even today one finds few African American drivers in Indy cars or in formula racing. This makes Gould's excellent treatment of times long forgotten—or more likely never known—not only an excellent resource but also an excellent reminder of the times and the travails of the black community. . . . Recommended. All readers, all levels. * Choice *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Racing for "Gold and Glory"The AdventurerThe Dawn of a New Opportunity100% AmericanThe Negro Speed KingCharlie's Gang"A Darn Good Move on Us"A Bad PremonitionEpilogue: These Men of Grease and GritAppendix: Gold and Glory Sweepstakes WinnersNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisA first-ever history of recreation in Texas that shows how our pastimes reveal our characters.Table of Contents Introduction 1. The Licit and the Illicit 2. Parks and Other Public Spaces 3. The Great Stadiums 4. The Pleasure of Libraries 5. Theater and the Electric Revolution 6. Conclusions and Afterthoughts Notes A Bibliographic Note Index

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Book SynopsisA noted authority on ancient sport discusses various ways in which the ancient Greeks, as well as people today, used sports to achieve social status.Table of Contents Preface Some Important Dates Chapter One. Helpers, Horses, and Heroes: Contests over Victory in Ancient Greece Chapter Two. Slaves and Ancient Greek Sport Chapter Three. Greek Games and Gladiators Chapter Four. Olive-Tinted Spectacles: Myths in the Histories of the Ancient and Modern Olympics Conclusion Notes Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisHow the city's marginalized communities have historically used sports as a tool for resilience and resistanceTo cities, sports have never been just entertainment. Progressive urbanites across the United States have used athletics to address persistent problems in city life: the fights for racial justice, workers' rights, equality for women and LGBTQ+ city dwellers, and environmental conservation. In Seattle, sports initiatives have powered meaningful reforms, such as popular stadium projects that promoted investments in public housing and mass transit. At the same time, conservative forces also used sports to consolidate their power and mobilize against the civic good. In Heartbreak City Shaun Scott takes the reader through 170 years of Seattle history, chronicling both well-known and long-forgotten events, like the establishment of racially segregated golf courses and neighborhoods in the regressive 1920s and the 1987 Seahawks players' strike that galvanized organized labor. At every Trade Review"Shaun Scott’s Heartbreak City unfolds like a baseball game. First through its structure: divided chronologically, recounting a people’s history of Seattle into nine innings—and some extra bits—corresponding to key eras between the start of white settlement and today. Then through a vibrant array of characters shaping how history unfolds: divulging their shared hopes, committing errors, moving through losses, rallying. Heartbreak City is as much about casting a light on keystone, bygone sports dynasties. . . . as it is about questioning Seattle’s teams, champions, and projects the city rallies behind." * The Stranger *

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Book SynopsisFocuses on the acquisition and loss, after only one year, of the Seattle PilotsTrade Review"Any person going through the turnstiles, any person in an already established MLB city, and anyone who finds themselves in a potential city considered for expansion have an indelible resource for reference in Mullins’ work." -- Matthew J. Bartkowiak * The Journal of Popular Culture *"Mullins is able to keep the many threads of the story . . . from tangling . . . It cannot be overstated how difficult and important this task is: sports business is an impossible morass, so to tell the tale without leaving the reader dizzy is a real accomplishment." -- Jason Wojciechowski * Baseball Prospectus *"The story of how major league sports finally came to Seattle—and then left after only one year. Stadium politics remain at the heart of Seattle's ongoing struggle with sports, even nearly fifty years later, as the city vies for an NBA team." * Publishers Weekly *"Places the Pilots in baseball’s broader historic context, but also brings the underlying subject matter home for the reader…a fascinating history and walk down memory lane." -- Katherine J. Ringsmuth * Pacific Northwest Quarterly *"Bill Mullins has covered all angles of this expansion club, delivering a book replete with details of the year-long effort to place a major-league team in the Pacific Northwest and of the team’s swift decline that led to its transfer to Milwaukee on the eve of the 1970 American League season. . . . Mullins shows a most capable hand in developing the central characters of this drama." -- Paul Hensler * NINE Spring Training Conference *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction: Going Over the Ground Rules 1. Seattle: City of Restraint 2. The Seattle Spirit and a World's Fair 3. For Want of a Stadium 4. Come, and They Will Build It Play-by-Play: Spring Training 1969 Time Line of Pilots and Stadium Politics 5. Build It, and They Will Come Play-by-Play: April and May 6. Setting the Course 7. Not Enough Seats, Not Enough Fans Play-by-Play: June and July 8. "Storm Clouds Gather over Pilots' Port" Play-by-Play: August and September 9. The Civic Leaders Strike Out 10. Dropping the Pilots Play-by-Play: Spring Training 1970 11. A Stadium at Last 12. Out-of-Court Settlement: The Mariners Epilogue: The Box Score Appendixes Abbreviations Used in Notes Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTells the story of Seattle's relationship with major league baseball from the 1962 World's Fair to the completion of the Kingdome in 1976 and beyone. This book focuses on the acquisition and loss, after only one year, of the Seattle Pilots and documents their on-the-field exploits in lively play-by-play sections.Trade Review"Any person going through the turnstiles, any person in an already established MLB city, and anyone who finds themselves in a potential city considered for expansion have an indelible resource for reference in Mullins’ work." -- Matthew J. Bartkowiak * The Journal of Popular Culture *"Mullins is able to keep the many threads of the story . . . from tangling . . . It cannot be overstated how difficult and important this task is: sports business is an impossible morass, so to tell the tale without leaving the reader dizzy is a real accomplishment." -- Jason Wojciechowski * Baseball Prospectus *"The story of how major league sports finally came to Seattle—and then left after only one year. Stadium politics remain at the heart of Seattle's ongoing struggle with sports, even nearly fifty years later, as the city vies for an NBA team." * Publishers Weekly *"Places the Pilots in baseball’s broader historic context, but also brings the underlying subject matter home for the reader…a fascinating history and walk down memory lane." -- Katherine J. Ringsmuth * Pacific Northwest Quarterly *"Bill Mullins has covered all angles of this expansion club, delivering a book replete with details of the year-long effort to place a major-league team in the Pacific Northwest and of the team’s swift decline that led to its transfer to Milwaukee on the eve of the 1970 American League season. . . . Mullins shows a most capable hand in developing the central characters of this drama." -- Paul Hensler * NINE Spring Training Conference *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction: Going Over the Ground Rules 1. Seattle: City of Restraint 2. The Seattle Spirit and a World's Fair 3. For Want of a Stadium 4. Come, and They Will Build It Play-by-Play: Spring Training 1969 Time Line of Pilots and Stadium Politics 5. Build It, and They Will Come Play-by-Play: April and May 6. Setting the Course 7. Not Enough Seats, Not Enough Fans Play-by-Play: June and July 8. "Storm Clouds Gather over Pilots' Port" Play-by-Play: August and September 9. The Civic Leaders Strike Out 10. Dropping the Pilots Play-by-Play: Spring Training 1970 11. A Stadium at Last 12. Out-of-Court Settlement: The Mariners Epilogue: The Box Score Appendixes Abbreviations Used in Notes Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisAnalyses South African rugby through the lens of aesthetic politics. Building on 17 months of ethnographic research with rugby coaches, players, and administrators, Joshua Rubin argues that rugby is a form of performance and further that the qualities that define rugby shape the political ends to which the sport can be put.Trade ReviewAnimated by Uncertainty is insightful, thought-provoking and beautifully written. It offers a bold, new perspective that is at once engaging and provocative: far more than a history of sport, it offers deep insights into the embodied practices and legacies of Apartheid in white and ‘coloured’ men and communities, as well as diverse fantasies of integration and failures to materialize them."" - Laura Fair, Michigan State UniversityTable of Contents Introduction Chapter 1: Making Art from Uncertainty: Magic and Its Politics in South African Rugby Chapter 2: Sons and Commodities: Work, Play, and the Politics of Autonomy at the Margins of Professional Rugby Chapter 3: Residual Uncertainty: Play, Injuries, and Rugby’s Masculine Ideal Chapter 4: Searching for Certainty: Rugby and Male Identity in a Former Model C School Chapter 5: Fractured Frames: Rugby, Imaginative Resistance, and the Legacies of the Struggle against Apartheid Chapter 6: In Apartheid’s Image: Rugby and Nationalist Spectacle in South Africa Conclusion Endnotes Works Cited

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Book SynopsisHow one man brought the Olympics to Los Angeles, fueling the city's urban transformation.Dreamers and Schemers chronicles how Los Angeles's pursuit and staging of the 1932 Olympic Games during the depths of the Great Depression helped fuel the city's transformation from a seedy frontier village to a world-famous metropolis. Leading that pursuit was the Prince of Realtors, William May (Billy) Garland, a prominent figure in early Los Angeles. In important respects, the story of Billy Garland is the story of Los Angeles. After arriving in Southern California in 1890, he and his allies drove much of the city's historic expansion in the first two decades of the twentieth century. Then, from 1920 to 1932, he directed the city's bid for the 1932 Olympic Games. Garland's quest to host the Olympics provides an unusually revealing window onto a particular time, place, and way of life. Reconstructing the narrative from Garland's visionary notion to its consequential aftermath, Barry Siegel shows Trade Review"A fascinating tale." * New York Times Book Review *"A gripping portrayal of [Billy] Garland’s marathon campaign to get the Games." * Los Angeles Times *“Wonderfully written narrative. . . . Recommended." * CHOICE *"In sum, one might say that Siegel’s Olympic effort to demonstrate how the Games and Los Angeles each boosted the development of the other is a medal-worthy effort in itself." * The New England Journal of History *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Author’s Note Prologue: Billy’s Parade 1 Billy’s Migration 2 LA on the Cusp 3 The Quest 4 A Foot in the Door 5 The Hand of Man 6 Rome, 1923 7 The Great Migration 8 Protecting the Image 9 A Bolt from the Blue 10 Planting a Seed 11 Then Came the Crash 12 Berlin, 1930 13 A Sacred Duty 14 Desperate Hours 15 Competing Narratives 16 Playing His Cards 17 A Lush New World 18 A Parallel Universe 19 The Games 20 A Footing in the World Epilogue Acknowledgments Notes and Sources Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisShows how seemingly irrational business decisions, inspired in part by the self-interest of the owners but also by their nostalgia for the game, transformed baseball into the national pastime.Trade Review"An astute examination of how baseball emerged as the national pastime... Things liven up when [White] looks at the gambling and cheating that were a part of the game early in the century, and when he examines the growth and economic importance of night baseball and of radio and TV broadcasts... Baseball cognoscenti will find plenty to chew on here."--Kirkus Reviews "Mr. White, an affectionate but agreeably dry-eyed student of the game ... is unfailingly interesting about the influence of Hank Greenberg and Joe DiMaggio on American attitudes about ethnicity, on the business culture of an industry in which competitors also are partners, on the evolution of the relationship between major league teams and the journalists who cover them... Mr. White's insights are frequently accompanied by fascinating facts."--George F. Will, The New York Times Book Review "Remarkable. This is one of the first books about baseball that doesn't confuse the game with the author's lost boyhood, his failure to connect with Dad, or the end of American innocence... one of the most original studies of baseball in years."--Jesse Berrett, LA Weekly "... perceptively examines the ways baseball mirrored a changing American society in the first half of this century...White paints an especially vivid picture of the evolution of the ballpark from a small wooden structure; through the concrete-and-steel boom of 1908-15...White is also strong on the pervasiveness of gambling and game-throwing, and how baseball's barons responded by inventing the rhetoric of its pure, pastoral roots."--Jeff Z. Klein, New York Newsday "This book should provide real insight into [baseball's] glorious past, and why it is no accident that we remember that past as glorious."--Richard J. Tofel, The Wall Street Journal "[White] is poignant in his description of the decline of the pastoral setting, as a new generation of owners found profit in suburbia. This study represents the best of serious research into American baseball history."--Sol Gittleman, Journal of Interdisciplinary HistoryTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsPrefaceIntroduction3Ch. 1The Ballparks10Ch. 2The Enterprise, 1903-192347Ch. 3The Rise of the Commissioner: Gambling, the Black Sox, and the Creation of Baseball Heroes84Ch. 4The Negro Leagues127Ch. 5The Coming of Night Baseball160Ch. 6Baseball Journalists190Ch. 7Baseball on the Radio206Ch. 8Ethnicity and Baseball: Hank Greenberg and Joe DiMaggio245Ch. 9The Enterprise, 1923-1953275Ch. 10The Decline of the National Pastime316Notes331Index355

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Book SynopsisThe Noble Art of Heavyweight Boxing is a knockout trip through the history of this popular sport, from the last thrilling bareknuckle contest in 1889 between champion John L. Sullivan and challenger Jake Kilrain, right through to modern times, covering key fights and boxing greats such as Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Lennox Lewis, and many, many more. Illustrated with contemporary photographs and packed with fascinating true details about the personalities and bouts, this book will be a winner with every sports fan and boxing enthusiast.Trade Review'Another knockout!' Diss Express 'a book packed packed with interesting facts and statistics' ... 'After over 25 years of writing boxing books it's clearly a labour of love for the author' Barking and Dagenham Post 'packed with facts and feats of interest on the division' -- Kate Royall Eastern Daily Press 'a knockout success' Norwich Evening News

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Book SynopsisThe story behind the mainstream press’s efforts to preserve baseball’s color line and the efforts of Black and communist newspapers to end it. Trade Review“Everyone—casual fans, journalists, and even the most knowledgeable baseball expert—will find something of interest in this significant contribution to our understanding of civil rights and baseball.”—John Paul Hill, NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Cultures "Lamb . . . brings all his scholarly tools to the project. . . . The author has documented a story of immense cultural importance."—Kirkus Starred Review"[Conspiracy of Silence] is a valuable resource for students of baseball history and for readers concerned with the history of race relations and the media in this country."—Robert Bruce Slater, Library Journal"Conspiracy of Silence represents a significant contribution to the study of baseball, race, and the press."—Trey Strecker, Journal of Sport History"Conspiracy of Silence offers overwhelming evidence of the effectiveness of the black press in advancing integration in this country."—Dorothy Seymour Mills, New York Journal"Lamb's thorough journalistic exposé chronicles the drama and history behind the game, while tracing how the desegregation of baseball parallels the story of the civil rights movement in the United States."—Kathleen Gerard, Shelf Awareness"Lamb's research shows the struggle that took place in the media had a lot to do with the tug-o-war of ideals and practicality of all the issues involved in the decision. It's as good a book on the subject as we've ever come across."—Tom Hoffarth, Farther Off The Wall "Though it covers some familiar ground, this solidly researched study introduces new faces to the picture to broaden the context. The clear, bold writing makes the book a joy to read."—L. A. Heaphy, Choice"This is important, overdue work."—Gene Sapakoff, Post and Courier"Everyone—casual fans, journalists, and even the most knowledgeable baseball expert—will find something of interest in this significant contribution to our understanding of civil rights and baseball."—John Paul Hill, NINETable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPart 1 1. White Sportswriters and Minstrel ShowsPart 2 2. The Color Line Is Drawn 3. Invisible Men 4. “Agitators” and “Social-Minded Drum Beaters” (written with Kelly Rusinack) Part 3 5. “L’affaire Jake Powell” 6. Major League Managers and Ballplayers Call for End of Color Line Part 4 7. The Double V Campaign 8. “The Great White Father” Speaks 9. Black Editors Make Their Case for Desegregation 10. “Get Those Niggers Off the Field” Part 5 11. Robinson Becomes the Chosen OnePart 6 12. “I Never Want to Take Another Trip Like This One”Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“At last Gil Hodges is a Hall of Famer. Now that the leader of two of the most iconic baseball teams of all time, the 1955 Dodgers and 1969 Mets, is enshrined in Cooperstown, his fascinating life story deserves greater appreciation. Mort Zachter delivers a book worthy of the great player, manager and American.”—Tom Verducci, senior writer for Sports Illustrated “Zachter’s account of Hodges’s exploits is thorough and entertaining, and his case that his favorite player probably ought to be in the Hall of Fame is convincing.”—Bill Littlefield, NPR’s Only a Game "Mort Zachter captures the essence of Hodges in his biography."—Bob D'Angelo, Tampa Tribune"Fans who remember the Brooklyn Bums and the Miracle Mets will find this a must-read."—Jim Burns, Library Journal“The definitive and wonderfully told tale of a baseball icon. Mort Zachter has given Gil Hodges the biography he has long deserved.”—Michael Shapiro, professor of journalism at Columbia University and author of The Last Good Season: Brooklyn, the Dodgers and Their Final Pennant Race Together “Exhaustively researched.”—Christian Science Monitor “Whether focusing on Hodges the Hoosier, the marine on Okinawa, the home run–hitting slugger, or the Brooklynite on Bedford Avenue, Mort Zachter has given us Gil, right down to the nub of his Marlboro. His mincing steps to the mound are remembered along with the candles lit in church and the day Brooklyn’s heart skipped a beat with his. This one spikes high into your heart; the Hodges epic is a lesson in humanity for all seasons.”—Bob McGee, author of The Greatest Ballpark Ever: Ebbets Field and the Story of the Brooklyn Dodgers “Zachter brings the same grace and precision to the page that Hodges brought to first base at Ebbets Field and with methodical research, insight, and pure affection gives life to the man behind the astounding stats, proving once and for all that Hodges truly belongs in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Kudos to Mort Zachter for giving a beloved Brooklyn legend his due.”—Marty Markowitz, former Brooklyn Borough president "[An] excellent biography."—Jacqueline Cutler, Newark Star Ledger“Absolutely fantastic. It was truly a pleasure to read.”—Josh Lewin, New York Mets broadcaster Table of ContentsList of IllustrationsPrefacePrologue: His Reputation Preceded HimHOME—Princeton and Petersburg (1924–43)1. Coal Miner’s Son2. The Twig, the Branch, and the LipAWAY—The Pacific (1944–45); Newport News (1946)3. Okinawa4. Newport NewsHOME—Brooklyn (1947–57)5. Hanging On6. Breaking Through7. Four in One, One for Four8. Great Expectations9. A Bitter Uniqueness10. Say a Prayer11. The Day Next Year Arrived12. Where in America Would You See That?13. The Last SeasonAWAY—Los Angeles (1958–61)14. The Worst Place Ever15. World ChampionsHOME—Manhattan (1962)16. CaseyAWAY—Washington DC (1963–67)17. In the Cellar18. Off the Floor19. On the Doorstep of RespectabilityHOME—Queens (1968–72)20. The Mets Get Serious21. Contenders22. Miracle23. Struggles in the Spotlight24. Easter SundayEpilogue: A LifeAfterword: Hodges and the HallAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTelling Mordecai Brown's - one of baseball's greatest pitchers - story, this title intends to trail Mordecai from the Indiana countryside to the coal mines, from semipro ball to the Majors, from the World Series mound back down to the Minors. It chronicles this man's determination to reach a dream that most believed was unreachable.Trade Review“An excellent window into a time when sport and society were wildly different from today, and it successfully reminds us of Mordecai Brown's rightful place in baseball’s collective memory.”—Tim Denevi, Aethlon: The Journal of Sport Literature“Deadball aficionados, baseball fans in general, and those loving a well written story should read this great book.”—Mark Dugo, The Inside Game“Among the great pleasures of the narrative is the authors’ ability to recreate the gritty atmosphere of early baseball. By contrast, today’s game seems sedate. Rivalries were intense and local (within the Three I League—Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, for example). Dangers lurked from mobsters, brawling opponents and teammates, and head-hunting pitchers. Umpiring was a high-risk profession.”—Steve Golos, Ohioana QuarterlyTable of ContentsForewordAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Who Was Three Finger Brown?2. Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown3. Miner Brown4. Three Finger5. The Royal Rescuer6. Grace under Pressure7. Plenty of Pluck8. The Champion9. The Mentor10. Old Reliable11. The Great Eliminator12. Outlaw Brown13. Ambassador Brown14. Forever Friend15. Hoosier Hero16. Old-timer17. BrownieEpilogue: Uncle MortAppendix A: How Did He Do It?Appendix B: Mordecai Brown's Career StatisticsNotesFor Further InformationIndex

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Book SynopsisA biography of Branch Rickey, the man who signed Jackie Robinson, and invented baseball's farm system.Trade Review"Lowenfish's take is detailed and nuanced, balancing the issue of integration with the economic and competitive imperatives of running a professional baseball team... Where Lowenfish is at his best is in explicating the complex and often contradictory impulses that drove his subject, as well as his almost evangelical sense of self... All this leaves us with a question-or a set of questions-about who Rickey really was. To Lowenfish's credit, he doesn't look for simple answers; despite his own abiding admiration, he never sugarcoats or presents Rickey in anything other than a three-dimensional light... Without him, baseball would not exist as we know it. America would be a different place as well. In these pages Lowenfish traces the evolution of that America through the filter of a remarkable life."-David L. Ulin, LA Times Book Review Los Angeles Times Book Review "Branch Rickey: Baseball's Ferocious Gentleman, by Lee Lowenfish, provides a thorough account of the life, character, and exploits of this teetotaler Ohio farm boy, the grandson of a horse trader, and a true 'conservative revolutionary.'"-Katherine A. Powers, Boston Globe Boston Globe "[O]ur heartiest recommendation: Branch Rickey - Baseball's Ferocious Gentleman by Lee Lowenfish. A fitting and admirable tribute to the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color line. Lowenfish, a respected baseball scholar, reportedly spent 10 years researching and writing this book that, at 600 pages, is chock full of revelations and great anecdotes on Rickey's life."-Bill Madden, NY Daily News New York Daily News "It's an impressive achievement in historical reporting on a unique character and will serve scholars for decades to come."-Neil Best, Newsday Newsday "If you read one baseball book this summer, make it Branch Rickey: Baseball's Ferocious Gentleman by Lee Lowenfish. The author did a remarkable amount of research in bringing to life this incredible baseball man... Lee Lowenfish is to be congratulated for this monumental work... [O]ne of the best baseball books I've read."-Tom Knight, Brooklyn Spectator Brooklyn SpectatorTable of ContentsIntroductionList of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsProloguePART I. THE MAKING OF A BASEBALL BRAIN, 1899-19181. Diamond in the Rough2. From Catcher to Coach3. Branch Rickey and the St. Louis Browns4. "War Overshadows Everything"PART II. THE ST. LOUIS PRIME OF BRANCH RICKEY, 1919-19425. Necessity Is the Mother of Invention6. Years of Contention and Frustration7. That Championship Season8. The Near-dynastic Years and a Place in Who's Who9. Another Championship Season and Then Decline10. Prelude to the Gashouse Gang11. The Triumph of the Gashouse Gang12. Years of Frustration13. More Years of Loss, and Farewells to Dizzy Dean and Charley Barrett14. Going Out on TopPART III. THE BIRTH OF THE MAHATMA, 1943-195015. A Branch Grows in Brooklyn16. The Secret Path to the "Young Man from the West"17. An Historic Meeting in Brooklyn18. Prelude to a Pennant19. When All Hell Almost Broke Loose20. When Most of Heaven Rejoiced21. A Year of Disappointment, Odd Choices, and an Adieu to Leo22. A Branch Bends in Brooklyn23. A Branch Is Chopped in BrooklynPART IV. "MY GREATEST THRILL IN BASEBALL HASN'T HAPPENED YET," 1951-196524. A Branch Doesn't Grow Fast Enough in Pittsburgh25. Mr. Rickey Prepares to Do the Continental26. The Continental Dance Card Goes Blank27. Meet Me in St. Louis, Final ChorusNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisFrom the sandlots of San Francisco to the power centers of baseball, this book tells the story of Joe Cronin, one of twentieth-century baseball's major players, both on the field and off. This book follows Cronin from his humble beginnings to his position as one of the most powerful figures in baseball.Trade Review"This is a rich account of one of the 20th century's great player-managers, his rise from modest beginnings all the way to Cooperstown, and presidency of the American League."—Margaret Heilbrun and Gilles Renaud, Library Journal"Mark Armour has produced a grand and deep biography of one of the sport's central figures. I approached it with very high expectations, and came away fully satisfied."—Steve Treder, Hardball Times"Well written and well worth owning."—frommersports.blogspot.com"Cronin emerges as a larger-than-life figure, and Armour's biography is a fitting tribute."—D. R. Danbom, Time Out for Entertainment"This readable, well-documented biography of Cronin, who became an elder statesman of the national pastime, is candid, honest, and reverential."—S. Gittleman, Choice"In writing this biography, Mark Armour has done a great service not only to those interested in Joe Cronin, but also to future researchers interested in any of the multitude of facets of baseball that Joe Cronin impacted."—Richard Puerzer, NINETable of ContentsList of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsPrologue1. San Francisco2. Pittsburgh and Other Places3. Washington4. Player-Manager5. Rich Kid6. Comeback7. Winding Down8. War9. Bench Manager10. General Manager11. Opportunity Lost12. Youth Movement13. Power and Glory14. Mr. President15. New Order16. Unrest17. At RestNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisNot only was it probably the most cutthroat pennant race in baseball history; it was also a struggle to define how baseball would be played. This book re-creates the rowdy, season-long 1897 battle between the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Beaneaters. Bill Felber brings to life the most intensely watched team sporting event in the US’s history to that time.Trade Review“Felber . . . excels at demonstrating the dissimilarities between these two evenly matched opponents. . . . [He] gives a spirited retelling of the season, giving life to greedy owners, rabid fans, drunken ballplayers and terrorized umpires, all the while bringing to life an era of baseball when home runs were a rarity, players fielded with no gloves and starting pitchers threw almost 400 innings a season.”—Publishers Weekly“Bill Felber has woven a picturesque tale of how baseball was played more than 100 years ago in the rowdy days of the 1890s. The story, although concentrating on the 1897 pennant race between Baltimore and Boston, vividly describes the atmosphere of the game on and off the field, and in doing so creates a rollicking good tale to boot.”—Pete Palmer, coeditor of ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia, 4th edition“This book is a hoot from start to the cliff-hanging conclusion.”—John Linsenmeyer, Greenwich Time (CT) “A fine source of stories about the days when . . . Boston fans celebrated victories by tossing into the air beans that they had carried to the games in their pockets for that purpose, and when an umpire could be arrested twice in one season without losing his job.”—Bill Littlefield, WBUR-FM Radio, NPR’s “Only a Game”Table of ContentsList of IllustrationsForeword by Senator Edward M. KennedySources and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Baseball's Original Evil Empire2. The Royal Rooters3. Spring Thunderbolts4. Parade of Champions5. Suspected Criminals6. Streaks of June7. Sunday Misdemeanors8. The Rise and Fall of Louis Sockalexis9. Day Job for Garroters10. Don't They Keep Warm?11. Fall in BaltimoreAfterwordAppendixNotes

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