Description
Book SynopsisIn the 1960s, Bruce Kidd was one of Canada’s most celebrated athletes. As a teenager, Kidd won races all over the globe, participated in the Olympics, and started a revolution in distance running and a revival in Canadian track and field. He quickly became a symbol of Canadian youth and the subject of endless media coverage.
Although most athletes of his generation were cautioned to keep their opinions to themselves, Kidd took it upon himself to speak out on the problems and possibilities of Canadian sport. Encouraged by his parents and teammates, Kidd criticized the racism and sexism of amateur sport in Canada, the treatment of players in the National Hockey League, American control of the Canadian Football League, and the uneven coverage of sports by the media and he continues to fight for equity to this day. After retiring from his career as an athlete, Kidd became a well-known advocate for gender and racial justice and an academic leader at the University of Toro
Trade Review
"Anyone interested in the history of Canadian sports, international track and field and the Olympic movement will find great value in this entertaining and informative memoir." * Canadian Running Magazine *
"In A Runner’s Journey, Kidd takes the reader inside the life of one of Canada’s greatest and most complex athletes. Whether it is his discussion of his unconventional athletic background (his late start in track and field, and his affinity for social activism from a young age), or analyzing his sudden skyrocketing to fame, he offers a compelling memoir from the opening page." -- Rachael Bishop * Medium *
Table of Contents
Introduction Part One: The Education of an Athlete 1. A Boy on the Beach 2. I Become a Runner 3. Choosing Canada 4. Canadian Hero 5. Commonwealth Champion 6. A Cheer for Amateurism 7. Great Expectations 8. Lane Three Part Two: The Education of an Activist 9. Gap Year 10. Recreation for All 11. The Olympic Project for Human Rights 12. The Canadian Sport System 13. Wafflers and Jockrakers 14. The Political Economy of Sport Part Three: My Struggle for Canadian Sport 15. Dream Job 16. Critical Support for the Olympics 17. A Boycott that Worked 18. Feminist Ally 19. Recovery Projects 20. Struggling for the Olympic Ideals 21. A Sport System We Can Be Proud Of 22. Renewing Varsity 23. A New Social Movement 24. Runner with a Worldview
