A People's History of Sports in the United States: 250 Years of Politics, Protest, People, and Play

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Synopsis
To those who scoff at the idea that sports counts in the real world, casually bring up Jackie Robinson, Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Kenichi Zenimura, whose dedication to baseball created major-league-level play in internment camps during World War II. Journalist Zirin gives due credit to the unsung, pointing out the very close relationship between the idols and lesser idols of sports and the city functionaries, mayors, governors, legislators and presidents who courted them. The endorsement of a sports hero was magic, of course, and the support of the politicos created venues, stadiums and parks, but as Zirin points out, how sport has been played in America and by whom (and watched by whom) are not-so-subtle inside looks into the heart of America. Readers can opt for just enjoying the sports stories; more likely, they will see how sport raised us up and let us down as a people. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) A People's History of Sports in the United States is replete with surprises for seasoned sports fans, while anyone interested in history will be amazed by the connections Zirin draws between politics and pop flies. As Jeff Chang, author of Can't Stop Won't Stop, puts it, "After you read him, you'll never see sports the same way again." Dave Zirin is the author of three books, including What's My Name, Fool? and Welcome to the Terrordome. He writes the popular weekly online sports column The Edge of Sports and is a regular contributor to The Nation, SLAM, and the Los Angeles Times. He lives in Takoma Park, Maryland.
Copyright:
2008

Book Details

Book Quality:
Excellent
Book Size:
305 Pages
ISBN-13:
9781595581006
Publisher:
The New Press
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Dave Zirin
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
History, Nonfiction, Sports, Sociology
Submitted By:
Richard James
Proofread By:
Lori C.
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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