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Consuming Sport offers a detailed consideration of how sport is experienced and engaged with in the everyday lives, social networks and consumer patterns of its followers. It examines the processes of becoming a sport fan, and the social and moral career that supporters follow as their involvement develops over a life-course.

The book argues that while for many people sport matters, for many more, it does not. Though for some sport is significant in shaping their social and cultural identity, it is often consumed and experienced by others in quite mundane and everyday ways, through the media images that surround us, conversations overheard and in the clothing of people we pass by.

As well as developing a new theory of sport fandom the book links this discussion to wider debates on audiences, fan cultures and consumer practices. The text argues that for far too long consideration of sport fans has focused on exceptional forms of support ignoring the myriad of ways in which sport can be experienced and consumed in everyday life. ... Read more

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Examines the link between three key obsessions of the 20th century, the media, sport and popular culture as the author explores a wide range of sports, as well as, other important side issues including nationalism, gender, race political economy and consumption.Topics covered include; the history of media in sport;television, sport and sponsorship;why sport matters to television;sports pages, journals & literature; fans and the audience; and sport in the 'New Media Age'. For those interested in media and sport. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (23)

Boring book without a point
This book was very boring and I felt I wasted my money. I agreed with some of the book, but found it to be redundant and pointless. I wouldn't recommend this book unless you are a staunch liberal who wants to be told what you need to think. just terrible writing...

Ok, nothing too new here
This book was mildly interesting. The author takes pot shots at easy targets without really detailing his arguments fully. Slides down into name calling too often to be taken completely seriously. However, most of the points made by this book are valid and should induce serious reflection. Would love it if all sports writers attempted this kind of serious discussion rather than all the fluff being distributed.

Sheer brilliance
Finally a book that takes some of our nations favorite pastimes and peoples and humanizes them.Instead of making excuses and putting people in sports aloof, Zirin examines the social and economic ramifications of sport.An honest look at the way our national sports treat their players, and their most important asset, their fans and young admireres.This book will change the way you think about sports and sports heroes for the better.
Dave Zirin's writings teach us that a ballplayers actions on the field are nothing if he or she can't stand for something beyond his or her own paycheck.

fabulous
what a tremendous book for anyone interested in sports, humanity, racism and the cracks in the american dream. this book is amazing. zirin doesn't hold back at all and sinks his teeth down to the bone. highly, highly reccomended.

Going back into the terrordome
Zirin was an important discovery for me.As a kid, I followed professional baseball and basketball with a very childlike passion.Later I got disgusted with the general state of the corporate franchises and drifted away from any interest in watching sports in any form.After being assigned as a teaching assistant to a course on the history of sports in the modern world, I picked up Zirin's first book and this one to help me appreciate the political side of professional sports.I'm of the audience Dave Marsh of XM Radio had in mind when he wrote that "the people who need to read Dave Zirin most are people who don't think sports is important at all.Zirin knows it is and he continually shows how it fits into the rest of our world."
I believe Zirin also has much to say to those who already understand the importance of sports.The debates over race, class, business, jingoism, steroids, and so on, that rage within the world of sports bear directly or indirectly on just about every area of politics and public life.In all of these essays -- which explore the political underbelly of major league baseball, the NBA, the Olympics, soccer, and more -- he shows a fine understanding of the precisely these kinds of connections and the ways people with political influence routinely use sports for their own ends.
Zirin has strong opinions, and that in itself is not unique.But he expresses his arguments more cogently and supports them more effectively than any other opinionated sports commentator I've ever heard.This is what enables him to engage and challenge the preconceived beliefs of every one of his readers.Furthermore, he's an outstanding writer.Welcome to the Terrordome frequently had me outraged over a fact or quoted statement and then, sometimes on the same page, I'd be laughing out loud at a particularly funny or audacious turn of phrase.Whether or not we agree with Zirin should not make or break the book's significance.If we really want to challenge our sometimes ossified views of the world, we've got to seek out writers like Zirin, who offer perspectives entirely lacking in the weak analysis, calculated outrage, and narrow political perspective on offer in the overwhelming majority of mainstream political commentary.
My only complaint is that there should have been some endnotes, not just to document the quotes he uses but also to help orient the book in relation to other writings on sports with which Zirin is in dialogue in his essays. ... Read more

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Insider and outsider narratives on the essence of modern "extreme" sports. ... Read more

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Professional sports today have truly become a global force, a common language that anyone, regardless of their nationality, can understand. Yet sports also remain distinctly local, with regional teams and the fiercely loyal local fans that follow them. This book examines the twenty-first-century phenomenon of global sports, in which professional teams and their players have become agents of globalization while at the same time fostering deep-seated and antagonistic local allegiances and spawning new forms of cultural conflict and prejudice. Andrei Markovits and Lars Rensmann take readers into the exciting global sports scene, showing how soccer, football, baseball, basketball, and hockey have given rise to a collective identity among millions of predominantly male fans in the United States, Europe, and around the rest of the world. They trace how these global--and globalizing--sports emerged from local pastimes in America, Britain, and Canada over the course of the twentieth century, and how regionalism continues to exert its divisive influence in new and potentially explosive ways. Markovits and Rensmann explore the complex interplay between the global and the local in sports today, demonstrating how sports have opened new avenues for dialogue and shared interest internationally even as they reinforce old antagonisms and create new ones. Gaming the World reveals the pervasive influence of sports on our daily lives, making all of us citizens of an increasingly cosmopolitan world while affirming our local, regional, and national identities. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Like Global Sports 101: The One Book Any True Sports Fan Needs for Sports Literacy
After taking Professor Andrei Markovits' class titled "Sports and Society" at the University of Michigan, I couldn't anticipate ever having access to the type of global sports knowledge that I received in the class. I was wrong.After reading this book, I realized that it was indeed possible to convey a deep sports knowledge, in conjunction with how and where these sports influence communities across the globe, in one book.I was left feeling that any sports fan or anyone interested in sport's increasing role in local and global communities, should read this book in order to gain "Sports Literacy".From each of the sports' origins to their profound impacts on the countries where they originated to their impact abroad in a more globalized society, this book includes all the necessary knowledge to give you a comprehensive perspective on the global sports world. Specifically, the representation of sports as languages is fitting and revolutionary.In many ways this book is a "greatest hits" of sorts from what was a truly amazing class taught by Markovits while adding in the additional perspective another brilliant academic in Rensmann. No guy wants to ever feel that his sports knowledge is outmatched by his fellow man, so do yourself a favor and read this book (and then buy it for a friend so you can both converse on the same level about sports).
GO BLUE!

Sports Matter
Gaming the World: How Sports are ReshapingGlobal Politics and Culture byAndrei Markovits and Lars Rensmann is an excellent follow up to Markovits' previous volumeon sports, Offside.Offside was focused on the development and formation of modern sports-soccer,rugby and cricket-in 19th century England and their expansion across the globe in the first period of globalization.This is contrasted with the developments in the U.S. which developed its own unique sports environment revolving around baseball, football, basketball and hockey.
Gaming the World continues the analysis of sports in the second period of globalization starting in the 1970's in a comparative manner.Specifically, the world plays soccer and the U.S. does not. But this work is much more then 'why is there no soccer in America', Markovits and Rensmann show how sports can illuminate both the positive and negative reactions to globalization.
Sports can alter excepted and unchallenged prejudices by an athlete, seen as an unknown other, excelling on the playing field.Thus,exposingthe hollowness ofthose previous held views. Making it possible to expand acceptance by a community. It can also work in the opposite way by intensifyingattachment to a unique local identitycoalescing around 'my team'. The local becomes a refuge from the forces of globalization.
Gaming the World shows that sports do matter.Their impact is felt beyond the narrowly defined space between the lines.

Understanding Sports
Sports Matter.The first sentence in this book gets right to the point.Sports are an integral part of our culture throughout the world.Sports connect politics, culture, education, and all of society together with more fluidity than anything else.While we know of the major changes within the world from the late 19th century to the early 20th century - the authors make note of the ever-changing world in which we are living today. Markovits and Rensmann do a wonderful job in helping all of us understand how different sports languages relate with one another and cross over into different cultures.

Early on, this book gives us a great quote from a manager from Liverpool FC Bill Shankly.He said, "Some people think football is a matter of life or death.I don't like that attitude.I can assure them it is much more important than that!""Gaming the World" is chock full of enjoyable tidbits and fascinating facts about sports figures across the world.Why does the President throw out the first pitch on opening day of every baseball season?Why do we stand for the 7th inning stretch?How was the "wave" introduced to baseball?All of these, and many more questions are answered in this book.

"Gaming the World" also helps us to see how sports have helped to bridge the gap in race relations in our country and around the world.While it is almost common knowledge in the United States that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in US sports in 1947, Gaming the World takes a global look at this unfortunate situation that we still deal with to this day - and more importantly, how sports has helped us to garner a better understanding from our different brothers and sisters."Gaming the World" also looks at how sports have propelled women to gain more equality throughout the world.And finally, religion is yet another aspect of society that have divided people until sports was able to bring them together.

Much like the way Jim Bouton revealed to the rest of the world the inner workings of baseball with his highly controversial book "Ball Four," Markovits and Rensmann show us how sports have become an international phenomenon."Gaming the World" gives us an explanation of how sports have crossed into today's societies, modern cultures and the politics of the world that we live in today.

Persuasive and Engaging
The new book Gaming the World: How Sports are Reshaping Global Politics and Culture is a sophisticated and welcome look at the seemingly contradictory role played by sports in furthering the diffusion of global culture while at the same time serving as a venue for those who resist and reject this spread. The book examines how professional sports have become international phenomena and why some sports are virtually universally popular (e.g. soccer) while others (e.g. American football) remain confined to certain countries and regions.

Written by renowned social scientists, Gaming the World will appeal to sports fans and non-fans as well as to academics and non-academics alike. The book is filled with illuminating examples and persuasive arguments which make for an enjoyable read. I found the metaphor of sports as languages particularly useful and compelling. Markovits and Rensmann contend that sports are like languages in that though they oftentimes share basic characteristics, they will remain unintelligible "without a long process of acculturation and learning". As an American, I `speak' baseball fluently but its relative cricket will always remain Greek to me.

Gaming the World is highly recommended for all those who take sports seriously but it is also a must-read for those interested in the processes of globalization and what the authors call "cosmopolitanism" and "counter-cosmopolitanism". You will enjoy this book.

A Triumph of Sport
As a longtime sports fan, I live in the ESPN-centered world of quick updates and a few storylines that are beaten to death.This book is a refreshing break from that world to give a full background on the origins of sports and how they came to be so popular.Markovits and Rensmann combine their academic backgrounds with their lives as sports fan to create an approachable narrative that really helps you understand why sports are so important to so many people's lives.This book will change how you watch sports, how you think about them, and how you live them.It is absolutely worth reading and I strongly recommend it. ... Read more

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Fantastic For The Blokes!
I used this to write a paper on violence in sports and its connection to alcohol and it was fantastic, also beloved by the males in my household! ... Read more

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A revealing look at gender issues in contemporary sport. ... Read more

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Intercollegiate athletic programs continue to grow to financially, physically, and ethically challenged levels, despite institutions' stated priorities to the contrary. Organizational theories offer lenses for understanding why colleges and universities appear to make athletics decisions that do not seem to be in their interests. Exploring the forces—structural, legal, social and cultural, and market—external to the institution leads to an understanding of the environment’s role in constraining campus leaders’ choices.

The challenge is how to reap educational, social, and economic benefits from sports programs without harming the institution's academic and moral integrity. This volume explores how relatively independent forces constrain the ability of institutional, athletics, and faculty leaders to limit perceived excesses in the growth of intercollegiate athletics programs on their campuses and nationally. Academic and athletic cultures; historical precedent; external organizations and constituencies; external laws and regulations; and markets for athletics-related materials, entertainment, student-atheletes, and professionals: all bring outside forces to bear on the college culture, leadership, and decision making. This monograph explores how the unintended interactions of these forces constrain campus leadership of intercollegiate athletics and consider the resulting policy and leadership implications. It examines the unique historical role of football—and its associated commercialization and culture of masculinity—as shaping the foundational structure and regulation of college sports.  The monograph concludes with campus leadership strategies and recommendations.

This is Volume 30, Issue 6 of the of the ASHE Higher Education Report series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Scrimmage of Values

Suzanne E. Estler, with Laurie J. Nelson, delivers something appealingly different, a scholarly monograph without monotone. "Who Calls The Shots? Sports and University Leadership, Culture, and Decision Making" spotlights how higher education officials rationalize ornate and costly intercollegiate athletic programs, and the resulting challenges to consistency with the core missions of their institutions.

Estler's extensive research finds answers in a net of social, cultural, legal and economic history, 19th century to almost yesterday, revealing the mix of motives evolved amongcelebrants of intercampus sports. Stakeholders these days include student athletes, faculty, alumni, administrators, spectators, also the National Collegiate Athletic Association and a host of other agencies, conferences and pseudo-regulatory outfits, plus a nasty assortment ofprofit-sucking entrepreneurs (this reviewer's characterization, not Estler's), all of them flexing muscles in this sweat-sock corner of the entertainment industry. Alma mater aims for a basketful of prizes (everyone gets something): enhanced enrollments, money, strengthened endowments, pumped-up campus loyalty, money, national attention, money, political clout, and money, to name a few.

Estler examines the hard-hitting influences of football, in its various domains, on standards applied to all collegiate sports, and enlightens about player, coach and athletics administrator issues of gender and racial equality in higher education settings. She details plenty of wise recommendations to refocus perceptions of college sports opportunities, currently viewed, as she says, "...through a window in the gym rather than one in the campus library."

An Associate Professor of Higher Educational Leadership (U. Maine), Estler scores big, making convincing points with elegance. The book is an easy read. This reviewer would love to set her loose on many other vexing issues of intercollegiate athletics.

RBS



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A leading authority on classical games here provides a comprehensive study of the practice of combat sports in the ancient civilizations of Greece, Rome, and the Near East. Describing and analyzing the sports of boxing, wrestling, stick-fighting, and pankration, Michael B. Poliakoff discusses such topics as the function of competition and violent games in ancient society; on the social background of the participants, showing the broad spectrum of Greek athletic personnel; on the significance of the appearance of combat sport in myth and literature; and on the alleged cultic functions of the ancient combat sports. The book is copiously illustrated with photographs of numerous objects rarely or never before published. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

besser geht kaum
Wäre Poliakoff ein Kampfkünstler, sein Buch hätte stellenweise mehr "Insider-Lebendigkeit". Aber auch ohne diesen Punkt ist das Werk einfach hervorragend. Es gibt kaum ein besseres Buch zu diesem Thema. Alle anderen, die ich hierzu gelesen habe, weisen die eine oder andere Schwäche auf. This book is recommended for all martial artists.

I'd rather be punched in the face with an iron knuckled Caestus.
Ok, that's a little severe... In truth an erudite academic overview, interesting, but lacking in charisma. The chapter on wrestling was a particular disappointment as it was limited to an analysis of Black-figure style depictions of wrestlers on Greek pottery which the author goes to lengths to decipher, but aside from pointing out what may or may not be a particular wrestling hold being applied on a particular piece there is not much offered. Wrestling aside, the chapters on Pankration and Boxing proved slightly more fulfilling, while the varied source materials documenting the deeds of the contemporary participants (sprinkled throughout, few and far between, like brilliant gems in dry clay) are completely fascinating and thankfully made the effort worthwhile.

Great Book!!!!!!
Well to start off im 18 and HATE READING (as does everyone in my generation) and from the way that this book was layed out I thought it was the average encyclopidia style book that is boring as hell and that only Stephen FRICKEN Hawking could only understand. I did order it seeing from the last 4 reviews and found out that this book is actually very informative and very well written to keep your attention regardless if you hate reading or not. Filled with greek storys and in formation on pankration, boxing and wrestling. And little things about them that will make you sound smart LOL. I even used this book as my main source for my essay in college and got a A to be honest this was my only source really the other 5 books were the encyclopidia style that looked like they were written in greek rather than be on the damn topic. Anyways really good book definitly would say buy it though there is only like 3 pages on stick fighting so if your looking for that you might be a little disapointed but none the less this book is to good to not get.

An Excellent Survey of Classical Martial Arts
Poliakoff gives a thorough overview of the three combat sports of the ancient Olympics (wrestling, boxing, & pankration), their rules, the training involved, and the attitudes of the Ancients towards those sports.He speaks briefly of Egyptian stick fighting, but the dearth of ancient literature on the subject means he can treat it only superficially.

In addition to describing the sports, Poliakoff gives biographies of some of the more famous practitioners and voices some opinions about the usefulness of combat sports to the body politic, especially in the field of athletics.

In his exposition, Poliakoff sometimes dismisses as fantastical legend some feats which are achievable by well trained athletes.For example, he expresses grave doubts about the tradition that the wrestler Milo of Kroton could lift and carry a bull.In the mid-20th century there was a carnival performer, H.E. Mann, who lifted and carried a bull as a part of his act.Mann's act was inspired by Milo.Poliakoff neglects to mention that Milo is credited as the father of "progressive resistance" weight training.Milo began with a calf and lifted it daily until it became full grown.H.E. Mann trained for his carnival act exactly as Milo did, beginning with a calf and lifting it daily until it became full grown.One of the USA's earliests vendors of weight training equipment was the Milo Barbell Company.

Poliakoff takes a dim view of the savagery involved in ancient combat sports and sees no correlation between the combat sports and actual military service.Although Poliakoff seeks to show that excellent combat athletes make poor soldiers, he does cite numerous counter examples to his position.It seems ancient Greek history is full of individuals who distinguished themselves both in the games and on the battlefield.

Notwithstanding Poliakoff's anti-combat-sports agenda, the book is an informative and enjoyable reading experience.

Nothing New Under the Sun
Fans of modern day Pankration, as in the UFC, Pride and other such events, will be fascinated to read of the close parallels between the ancient and modern versions in terms of technique, match style as well as audience reception.Many of the same issues facing the sport today were dealt with by the ancients.

More important perhaps is what is revealed regarding the importance and effectiveness of combat sports outside the competitive arena.Poliakoff quotes Homer, Alexander and others to make the point that boxing, wrestling and pankration may not be so effective in producing an effective warrior.Alexander, for instance, didn't approve of boxing and wrestling but did favor stick fighting.Champion athletes in the Iliad are cowardly in battle.The Romans blame the Greek love of "games" on their decline.

Scholarly, readable, relevant. ... Read more

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Taking Sports Seriously provides an iconoclastic, out-of-the-box look at the intersection of sports and law in contemporary America. This collection of essays offers an unflinching take on the salient legal issues from the world of sports, including player violence, fan injuries, free agency, player agents, drug testing, athletes as role models, gambling, and other hot-button topics. Each essay provides background information on the issue, poses the relevant problems provocatively, and presents surprising resolutions sure to generate reflection and discussion. Taking Sports Seriously is ideal as a reading companion to a course in sports law or sports management. Written in a fast-paced, accessible style that unpacks jargon, this book brings sophisticated legal analysis to bear on the problems of sports. ... Read more

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Originally published in 1982, this multifaceted work played a pivotal role in bringing sport history within the broader scope of social history. In placing the rise of sport in Boston within the context of urban history, community building, and dynamic political, ethnic, religious, class, labor, and leisure issues, this book helped set a new paradigm for sports historians. Part of the University of Tennessee Press Sport and Popular Culture series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Somewhat misleading
I gave this book a three star, fair to middlin' grade. The title isn't totally misleading, but I would have put sport last in order of coverage. There's a lot of academic talk about past sociological work and general social coverage, but not a lot about the history of sporting activities. Maybe this was written too soon, but there's a lot known about the history of baseball now that I would have been interested in reading. One hundred years ago, Boston had huge crowds for ice skating on every available pond, curling teams, soccer leagues, and large numbers of baseball teams sponsored by community groups, employers, churches, etc. This book is OK for what it covers, but it does not tell you how Boston played in the post-Civil War years. ... Read more

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The editors and their contributors address such issues as BLThe restructuring of the NCAA; BLThe role of athletics in the university objective function; BLAthletic revenue and Title IX compliance; BLFinancial implications of athletic endeavors; BLCartel rents for collegiate athletics; BLInstitutional changes and competitive balance in collegiate sports. ... Read more

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An inside look at the hosts, hot spots, and history of sports-talk radio

Sports-Talk Radio in America looks at major-, medium-, and small-market stations across the United States that feature an all-sports format, with a focus on the unique personalities and programming strategies that make each station successful. Broadcasters, journalists, and academics provide insight on how and why this media phenomenon has become an important influence of American culture, examining the "guy talk" broadcasting approach, the traditional sports-emphasis approach, "HSOs" (hot sports opinions), localism in broadcasting, how sports talk radio builds "communities" of listeners, and how reckless, on-air comments can actually build ratings.

For better of worse, millions of (mostly) male listeners indulge their obsession with sports to the exclusion of virtually everything else available on the radio dial-music, news, and political talk. This unique book examines how this "niche of the niche" has formed a bond between its hosts and their rabid, passionate, and loyal audiences, spinning the dial from the largest, best-known stations in big-league markets to smaller stations in Collegetown, USA, including Philadelphia’s WIP, "The Ticket," KTCK in Dallas, WEEI in Boston, "The Team," WQTM in Orlando, KJR in Seattle, KOZN "The Zone" Omaha, Nebraska, WGR and WNSA in Buffalo, Kansas City’s WHB, and "The Fan," WFAN in New York, the first all-sports radio station and the blueprint for the format. Sports-Talk Radio in America puts you in the studio with Mike and the Mad Dog, Angelo Cataldi, Howard Eskin, "The Musers" ("Junior" Miller and George Dunham), Norm Hitges, John Dennis and Gerry Callahan, Dan Sileo, Howard Simon, and Art Wander.

Sports-Talk Radio in America examines:

how stations create an environment in which listeners become part of a social group (social-identity and self-categorization theories)

personality-driven programming

the station’s commitment to local teams and their fans

how exploring controversial topics beyond sports broadens station’s appeal and attracts upscale, affluent audience

how an abundance of live, play-by-play broadcasting, creating plenty of available content

college sports in a town without a major professional sports team

how local sports is framed by hosts and callers

the conflicted relationship between sports-talk radio and the print media

and much more!Sports-Talk Radio in America is a must-read for academics and professionals working in radio-television and popular culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Recommended for anyone with an interest in the field.
Edited by John Mark Dempsey, Ph.D., Sports-Talk Radio in America: Its Context and Culture is an anthology of essays by learned authors and field professionals about major, medium, and small-market stations across America with an all-sports format. Each is presented with an eye toward the individual programming strategies and charismatic personalities that made them successful. Written in mostly plain terms (and some sports-specific terminology), Sports-Talk Radio in America is as accessible to the casual sports-talk radio fan as it is to a prospective sports-talk radio station owner or professional. From WFAN and the inception of all-sports radio to WHB Kansas City "World's Happiest Broadcasters", Sports-Talk Radio in America is part history, part tribute, part testimony, and entirely enjoyable. Recommended for anyone with an interest in the field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Very informative
If you are an American who wants to learn about cricket, this book is for you. I checked it out from my university libary and I liked it so much, I bought it. Could use more in-depth instruction on acual bowling and batting techniques.

I didn't like it
I tired of this book very quickly, it was so boring to read that I didn't even finish it.

His Enthusiasm Is Obvious, But Not Infectious
As one of this book's target audience, I can testify that it is a first-rate primer on the ancient game of cricket.After reading it, I now know that bowling a maiden over is not salacious, how to distinguish a silly point from a frivolous argument and why it is disgraceful to make a duck.While the Daily Telegraph's cricket columns are still not an easy read, they at least no longer resemble pages of Swahili.

Tom Melville, an Englishman transplanted to Wisconsin, is a proselytizer for his favorite sport.In expounding its tenets, he is clear and concise, explaining the rules of the game, its inbred vocabulary, its organization in its strongholds (England, of course, but also India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies, South Africa - indeed, practically every former British possession outside of North America) and its history.For the thoroughgoing student, he reprints the complete Laws of Cricket, as promulgated by the venerable Marylebone Cricket Club, and includes an extensive glossary.

What is lacking in this exposition is a vision of what makes cricket attractive to its devotees.Mr. Melville proclaims his love of the game but fails to impart it.He comes closest in a chapter describing the twists and turns of a one-day "limited overs" match, which conveys some feeling for the opposing strategies and shows how tension can mount as small gains and losses accumulate.He does not, however, extend the picture to multi-day matches.The out-of-place chapter on how to give cricket lessons to neophytes could profitably have been replaced by, say, an account of a test match.

Anyone who knows nothing about cricket and has a reason to learn should track down this volume.No one else is likely to be interested.

The most boring book I have ever read
This has to be one of the most boring and uninteresting books I have everread.If the game is as boring as the book then at least it has helped andpersuaded me to take up hockey instead.

The best introduction to cricket that's been written.
This book is without doubt the best introduction to cricket for readers unfamiliar with the game. Not only does the author present a clear, easy to follow explanation of the basic rules, he does this from the standpoint ofa baseball familiar readership. But the book offers much more.It haschapters onbasic strategy, umpiring, reading statistics even termonology.Also has a chapter on how to watch a cricket match and how to teach it toAmericans.Can't imagine how anyone can do a better job than this. ... Read more