Description
Book SynopsisTraces how the assimilation process of various ethnic groups in Chicago was facilitated by participation in sports from 1830-1940.
Trade ReviewGems synthesizes theories found in numerous monographs on American sport and delineates political as well as sociological ramifications in that complicated process...his style is direct and lively. This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in America as a civilization, for it contains astonishing and sometimes controversial information about the American fascination with games. * Journal Of Illinois History *
The scope and breadth of material...is most impressive...he has related sport to other broader social developments and movements in Chicago...the most pleasing aspect...is the rich vein of material on sport in schools, parks and playgrounds, factories, neighborhoods, the street and semi-professional and amateur teams. * International Review for the Sociology of Sport *
Perhaps the book's most significant contribution is the considerable attention it devotes to grassroots working-class sports. * The International Journal of the History of Sport, *
Among the best works written on sport in America have been those that focus on particular cities...and now Gerald R. Gems' Windy City Wars: Labor, Leisure, and Sport in the Making of Chicago must be added to the list...does an excellent job of placing sporting developments in historical context...a fine book, and it deserves a wide readership. Chicago was an important cradle of American sporting practices, and Gems is a worthy chronicler of that history. * Journal of Sport History *
