Book Description

Each topic in this text is covered by both secondary readings and a wide variety of primary source documents, including legal decisions, diary entries, newspaper reports, literary accounts, government hearings, and advertisements for athletic equipment.

Customer Reviews (1)

Gives legitimacy to the study of American sports
First a word about the "Major Problems" line:it is designed to be a text in college history courses.Each chapter is divided into two parts:1) Primary sources2)Two or three scholarly articles (usually written by an expert in the field).Each source or article is designed to act as a springboard for classroom discussion lead by the professor.In all, I like the format of the line of books and enjoyed it when a professor assigned it as a text.I'm so nerdy, in fact, that I've bought a couple books from the "Major Problems" lines to read for pleasure. This particular title in the series was compiled by a former professor of mine, Steven Riess.He succeeds in putting together a series of documents that enlighten, challenge opinions and, in all, provide a wealth of information while leaving no clear cut answers.Favorites include essays on why sports were restricted in colonial New England (because of religions reasons or for practical/safety reasons?), the interview with Muhammad Ali, and Chapter 14: The Business of Sport (highlighting the benefits, drawbacks and inside deals involved in big money major leagues).Riess also succeeds in giving legitimacy to the study of sport--think of all the money spent on tickets, all the air time, advertisements, etc. that are involved in modern sports.Sports IS a major part of American society and Riess helps to present its rich history and evolution.This is a college text book--not something one would take to the park with them on a Sunday afternoon to read under a tree, but this was notRiess' intention.Clearly, he hit the mark he was aiming for. ... Read more

Book Description
From the author Robert Lipsyte calls "the best young sportswriter in America," a rollicking, rebellious, myth-busting history of sports in America that puts politics in the ring with pop culture.

In this long-awaited book from the rising superstar of sportswriting, whose blog The Edge of Sports is read each week by thousands of people across the country, Dave Zirin offers a riotously entertaining chronicle of larger-than-life sporting characters and dramatic contests and what amounts to an alternative history of the United States as seen through the games its people played. Through Zirin's eyes, sports are never mere games, but a reflection of—and spur toward—the political conflicts that shape American society.

Half a century before Jackie Robinson was born, the black ballplayer Moses Fleetwood Walker brandished a revolver to keep racist fans at bay, then took his regular place in the lineup. In the midst of the Depression, when almost no black athletes were allowed on the U.S. Olympic team, athletes held a Counter Olympics where a third of the participants were African American.

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." ... Read more

Product Description
The Ultimate Jewish Sports History and Trivia Book.


Have you ever gotten into an argument with someone about exactly how many National Basketball Association teams the great Larry Brown took to the playoffs?

Would you know the answer if someone asked whether Daniel Mendoza was a flamenco dancer or the world s first Jewish boxing champion? Do you know which major league venue was the first to offer kosher food?
If you ve ever wondered about Jews in sports and who hasn t this is the book for you. And it s not just Mark Spitz, Sandy Koufax, and Hank Greenberg. Covering every day of the year to include thousands of names, records, events, and achievements of all kinds, from virtually every sport you can think of and some you can t, this book is the definitive picture of the role Jews have played in world sports informative, enlightening, easy to read, and entertaining in a 432-page calendar book format. You ll never wonder again. It gives you all the basic information and statistics, from baseball to figure skating, from boxing to track and field, from hockey to bowling, tennis, gymnastics, soccer, Olympic winners including 160 sports quiz questions and sports you never heard of, American and international, amateur and professional. Day by Day in Jewish Sports History, by sportswriter Bob Wechsler, tells it all. It s a fascinating book. You ll never regret reading and owning this book. .

Day by Day in Jewish Sports History, by sportswriter Bob Wechsler, tells it all.

About the Author Bob Wechsler is a sports editor at The Express-Times of Easton, Pa. He is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and lives in Bethlehem, Pa. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Collections strong in Jewish history and culture will find this packed with facts and statistics.
Over 400 pages packed with thousands of entries about Jewish sportsmen and women covers nearly every day of the year profiling records set, achievements, and participation in all kinds of events around the world, refuting the joke that Jewish sports heroes don't exist. Collections strong in Jewish history and culture will find this packed with facts and statistics.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

A must buy!
This book completely changed my life.It may save Western Civilization if we can make it required reading in schools.Generations of future historians will devote their lives to studying the depth and implications of Wechsler's achievement.We owe this man. ... Read more

Book Description
This engaging and informative text will hold the attention of students and scholars as they take a journey through time to understand the role that history and philosophy have played in shaping the course of sport and physical education in Western and selected non-Western civilizations.

Using appropriate theoretical and interpretive frameworks, students will investigate topics such as the historical relationship between mind and body; what philosophers and intellectuals have said about the body as a source of knowledge; educational philosophy and the value of physical education and/or sport; philosophical positions that have impacted the historical development of sport and physical education; the history of women in sport and physical education; the role and scope of sport and physical education in Ancient Greece and Rome; the Ancient Olympic Games; the relationship between sport and religion in ancient and modern times; the theoretical and professional development of physical education; the rise of sport in modern America; the history and politics of the modern Olympic Games; and the contributions of men, women, and social movements to the development of sport and physical education from ancient times to the modern era. ... Read more

Book Description

For the sports fan, this guide offers fascinating facts and tidbits on baseball, football, basketball, hockey, the Olympic Games, tennis, figure skating, soccer, and more.It contains special sections on women's sports, young people's sports, and the Special Olympics, and includes listings of winners of the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup, and other major competetions.

Book Description
The NFL is the most successful professional sport. The league's secret to success is sound business practices like revenue sharing and a salary cap. These policies have created parity on the field and in the boardroom. Because of the collective approach of the league, a small-town team like the Green Bay Packers has just as much chance of getting into the playoffs--and succeeding financially--as big-market teams in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.

But in 2006, a faction of entrepreneurial owners led by maverick Washington Redskins executive Dan Synder proposed changes to the league finance and revenue models that many fear will upset this near-perfect system. They are creating alternative revenue sources, such as stadium-naming rights, local sponsorships, radio and television deals, pre-game and post-game clubs. These owners are arguing that revenue they generate locally--outside of the normal NFL model--should be theirs to keep. Other owners worry this would dash the league's parity like Major League Baseball, where big-market teams like the New York Yankees flourish and small-market teams like the Milwaukee Brewers flounder.

This critical battle for the future of America's most popular sport has opened a wide rift between owners. Tailgating, Sacks, and Salary Caps offers an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the league and examines the maverick owners whose ideas could have lasting repercussions for the players, owners, coaches, and ultimately the fans.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

good facts but not much fun
This book serves as a functional primer for NFL fans eager to learn the history of the NFL from a business and organizational perspective. However, the author falls short of providing any sort of novel and intellectually-stimulating critical analysis of the league. The writing style is so formulaic and dry that it quickly grates on the reader. Bottom line: this book does great with recounting facts and providing a detailed overview of the NFL's history as a business, enough to make me glad I'd read it. But it wasn't a very enjoyable read.

As a diehard NFL fan, I was thrilled to find out about this book because I'd been looking for a book that 1) would explore the NFL history from a business and organizational perspective 2) would provide independent, critical analysis of the NFL and 3) would do so with intellectual flair, rigor, and creativity.

Having read the book, I now feel that I have an understanding and appreciation for the business and organizational history of the NFL. Yost does a good job highlighting the key business decisions and agreements that have shaped the NFL into the organization it is today, and weaving personal profiles of relevant managers, commissioners, and television producers.

He also has a knack for writing in easily digestible tidbits. Each chapter is broken down into smaller, clearly delineated sections, which helped keep the pace of the book moving forward.

These sections were important for me, because I found his writing style to be grating after a few chapters. He tends to write sections and paragraphs following a simple formula: a statement/claim in the first sentence is backed up by a recitation of evidence: either facts, multiple examples, or quotes attributed to relevant people.

Although this is a no-nonsense approach, and clearly demonstrates that the author doesn't make any wild, unsubstantiated claims, it got old and annoying for me quick.

It was a bit grating on the brain when he'd back up statements with language and quotes that read as if they were lifted straight from league or team press releases. For example, in a section describing league merchandising and the consolidation of official league clothing into a single license awarded to Reebok, the author writes (p. 130) "Reebok develops polo shirts for warmer days, light jackets and sweaters for fall-like weather, and thick parkas for late in the season. Even the NFL's bulky winter wear is more stylish today, and as well-branded."

Halfway through the book, I thought it was going to be entirely a book of celebratory worship. "Gee whiz, hooray for the amazing NFL and their genius decisions and incredibly rich history of brilliant commissioners." But the sole injection of criticism on the part of the author comes from his views on stadium financing. Chapter 9 seems to have been written by a different person, a Bizarro Yost able to find fault with his subject. He makes a convincing case that the NFL vastly overstates the economic benefit of stadium construction, ensuring that public stadium financing results in a net economic loss for the local community and its taxpayers.

In any case, I'd learned a lot about the league when I was done with the book. But I can't help but think that there are a lot of interesting stories about the league's past that weren't covered, perhaps because they put the league in a bad light, and Yost was weary of stirring skeletons too deep in the NFL closet. And the book was hampered by the author's dry, repetitive structure and writing style. I was glad to get the facts, I just wish it were a more fun and engaging read.

Insightful ticket into the finances of NFL football
Baseball may be the Great American Pastime, but professional football is America's passion. With revenues in the billions of dollars, massive TV audiences thirsting for its product and merchandise flying off the shelves in thousands of stores, the National Football League is a textbook example of how to build and maintain a thriving pro sports league. While professional baseball, basketball and hockey have all experienced labor strife and endured difficult financial times, the NFL has largely avoided such crippling problems. That's mainly because of its salary cap and a revenue-sharing system that benefits teams in smaller media markets as well as teams in major metropolitan cities. In the NFL, owners and players consider themselves partners in an enormously successful enterprise, rather than operating as greedy adversaries trying to squeeze every penny from each other. Like any other multi-million dollar corporation, the NFL succeeds because of smart management and foresight. We believe that both the casual fan and the rabid NFL loyalist will appreciate author Mark Yost's expert examination of the league's economic infrastructure and behind-the-scenes politics. Highly recommended.

Creating Big Business from Sports
I wasn't around then, but from reading it seems to me that during World War II baseball was indeed America's pastime. Football was a distant relative, perhaps about where soccer is today. Now the World Series comes and goes, while every bar and restaurant has a Super Bowl party, and the supermarkets are loaded with Super Bowl displays of beer and snacks.

This book doesn't describe the sport or talk about the coaches. It's about the hard business facts of how the NFL has created a monopoly and built a business model around it for the overall good (that's financial good) of the league.

There are several surprising points: The NFL format appeals to the two prime target audiences of consumers: 18-49 year old males and FEMALES OF ALL AGES, FROM PRETEEN GIRLS TO MIDDLE-AGED MOMS. Really, that big a female audience?

ABC has lost Monday Night Football. It moved to ESPN. Did ABC lose out in the bidding wars? Guess who owns ABC - Disney. Guess who owns ESPN - Disney. Disney simply decided it could make more money moving it to ESPN.

Like I said, this book is about the business aspects, and they are not simple. This is big business, serious business, fascinating business.

Writer's Pedigree Shows Through
Fascinating!A brilliantly written insight into all those things you always wondered about the business of the NFL.Already an accomplished writer, Yost's Wall Street pedigree shows through in every page.No spin.Just how it should be.Highly recommend, and a must read for anyone interested in the sports business. ... Read more

Book Description
Continuing Sports Illustrated's tradition of producing best-selling coffee-table books for the holiday season, SI presents The Basketball Book, a lavish celebration of the athleticism and pageantry of both the college and professional game. With the same kind of unforgettable photographs and award-winning writing that propelled The Baseball Book, The Football Book and The Anniversary Book to The New York Times best-seller list over the past three years, this volume brings to life the legendary players, the classic action and the great rivalries of the court. In 294 oversized pages, The Basketball Book commemorates the epic teams and characters, the personalities and performances and artifacts that have created legions of passionate fans since Dr. James Naismith nailed up a peach basket and devised the Original 13 Rules of the game more than 100 years ago. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Wonderful Coffee Table Book!
This is a great coffee table book.I purchased this for my husband's birthday and he really enjoys it.I am not a sports fan but the beautiful high quality artistic photos are very appealing to me.

Sposts Illustrated " The basketball Book " scores again !


I bought the SI Basketball book because I had already bought the baseball and football books, and was very pleased with them.. I expected the basketball book to be of the same quality of writing and photos of the other two. I was not diapointed. The book is full of great articles by quality writers, and with many photos by the famed photo staff at SI. If you want a good quaility book, and are a basketball fan, this book is worth the more then fair asking price. The origins of the game to the present day game is covered as well as profiles on the superstars of each decade, is excellent. This is an exceptional book, buy it, it is worth it.

The Basketball Book
Great basketball book. Excellent if you'd like to get an appreciation of the 60's and 70's of NBA basketball (as well as current information).

Highly recommended !

NICE COFFEE TABLE VOLUME
This is a great coffee table book and would be a great gift for any basketball fan.Great value for the money... it has an inexpensive list price for what you get.Great photos as usual from SI and some nice tables and charts highlighting each decade.

Best of all... there is a large fold-out photo spread showing the best players in history at EACH HEIGHT from 5'3" to 7'7" and composed to show them standing next to each other.Everyone from Muggsy Bogues to Manute Bol.And yes... Michael is rated the best 6'6" player.

Enjoy! ... Read more

Book Description
Gorn and Goldstein show us where our games and pastimes came from, how they developed, and what they have meant to Americans. The great heroes of baseball and football are here, as well as the dramatic moments of boxing and basketball. Beyond this, the authors show us how sports fit into the larger contours of our past. A Brief History of American Sports reveals that from colonial times to the present, sports have been central to American culture, and a profound expression of who we are. ... Read more

Book Description
When George S. Halas was asked to rebuild the Staley Company’s football club in Decatur, Illinois in 1920, nobody could have imagined that his efforts would forever change Sunday afternoons in America. Halas helped found the National Football League, and with it the Chicago Bears, the most storied franchise in the league’s history. From the Galloping Ghost, to the Monsters of the Midway, to that indomitable “46” defense—the “Grabowskis” as their coach named them—Bears teams and players have made such an impact on the city of big shoulders that Chicago will be forever known as a “Bears town.” ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

great book
This is a great book and has wonderful facts on the Chicago BearsI would reccommend to all Bears fans.

Oustanding Chicago Bears Book
I had a great time reading this book.It has many photographs throughout the Bears' history, which made the reading more enjoyable.The story is thorough but not dull and boring.The chapters are parceled out in such a fashion that it keeps your interest, and enables you to put the book down and pick right back up again later.This book would be a delight for any Bears fans, young or old.

A great story told through text and photos
Roy Taylor does a fine job telling one of the most compelling sports stories of all time.The photos/captions combined with the text give a true and complete depiction of what the Bears have meant to the fans since their 1920 inception.This well-written book is a must-have for any Bears fan. ... Read more

Book Description
There was little fanfare when Art “Mickey” McBride flew into Chicago in 1945 to purchase a professional football team for Cleveland. But that act set in motion a tradition that has brought the city of Cleveland together on Sunday afternoons for (most of) the sixty years to follow. Cleveland Browns History is the story of championship seasons, legendary coaches, and Hall of Fame players. Coach Paul Brown led his teams to seven league title games in their first 17 seasons. Running backs Marion Motley, Jim Brown, and Leroy Kelley each rushed over opposing defenses and

straight into Canton, Ohio, along with fellow Browns like Otto Graham, Ozzie Newsome, and Len Ford. The “Kardiac Kids” in 1980 had too many nail-biters for some fans, but won the AFC Central in typical fashion—by three points in the final game of the season. All these stories, plus those of the many unsung heroes to don the NFL’s only logo-less helmet, fill the pages of this book, sure to delight any Cleveland Browns fan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

TICKLED PINK
I WAS VERY EXCITED TO RECIEVE THIS BOOK AND EVEN MORE AS I BEGAN TO READ IT! THANK YOU

Must Read
It is remarkable how much information Frank Henkel crams into 128 pages. From the Cleveland Browns' beginnings in the mid-1940s, to the title teams of their first decade, to the club's "slump" in the late-1950s and early '60s, to Cleveland's last pro sports championship in 1964, to the near-misses of the late-'60s, to the Bad News Browns of the mid-70s, to the Kardiac Kids, to the Kosar era, to The Move, to the "return" of the Browns in 1999, to the troubled times of today, Henkel takes the reader on a unique path through the history of one of the most celebrated franchises in the NFL. Besides bringing to the reader the obvious highlights and lowlights of nearly 60 years of Browns football, Henkel also writes of players and happenings about which many fans may have forgotten. The author goes into great detail in the play-by-play of some very memorable games. He also adds spice by offering the reader an array of trivia tidbits throughout the book. If you are a fan of Cleveland Browns history, you will love Cleveland Browns History. It's that simple.

All there is to know about the Cleveland Browns!!! A+++++
A very well written book.There is an amazing amount of information packed into 128 pages.The book is broken down in chronological order, starting in the early days of the All-American Football Leauge, through all the NFL and AFC championships, the hard years of the 1980's and 90's, the move out of Cleveland and the triumphant return in 1999.The book starts with Cleveland's utter domination of the AAFC and their move to the NFL.It covers Paul Brown's accomplishments and his eventual firing by Art Modell, the "Kardiac Kids" of 1979 - 1984, and the careers of Lyle Alzado and Bernie Kosar.The book draws to a close with the old Browns moving to Balitimore, the fans fight in Congress to keep the team in Cleveland, and the eventual rebirth of the new Cleveland Browns and their future, including the recent hiring of Romeo Crennel as the team's new head coach.Plus, there are countless black-and-white pictures and rich captions of Cleveland Browns history.The cool thing about b&w pictures is that it makes everything equally historical, from 2004 to 1946.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book about one of the most historic sports teams in history.I look forward to Mr. Henkel's next book.Perhaps he can work his magic over the Dallas Cowboys history. ... Read more

Book Description
The first comprehensive history of squash in the United States, Squash incorporates every aspect of this increasingly popular sport: men's and women's play, juniors and intercollegiates, singles and doubles, hardball and softball, amateurs and professionals.Invented by English schoolboys in the 1850s, squash first came to the United States in 1884 when St. Paul's School in New Hampshire built four open-air courts. The game took hold in Philadelphia, where players founded the U.S. Squash Racquets Association in 1904, and became one of the primary pastimes of the nation's elite. Squash launched a U.S. Open in 1954, but its present boom started in the 1970s when commercial squash clubs took the sport public. In the 1980s a pro tour sprung up to offer tournaments on portable glass courts in dramatic locales such as the Winter Garden at the World Trade Center.James Zug, with access to private archives and interviews with hundreds of players, describes the riveting moments and sweeping historical trends that have shaped the game. He focuses on the biographies of legendary squash personalities: Eleo Sears, the Boston Brahmin who swam in the cold Atlantic before matches; Hashim Khan, the impish founder of the Khan dynasty; Victor Niederhoffer, the son of a Brooklyn cop; and Mark Talbott, a Grateful Dead groupie who traveled the pro circuit sleeping in the back of his pickup. A gripping cultural history, Squash is the book for which all aficionados of this fast-paced, exciting game have been waiting. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Calling all squash junkies!
When I asked the squash pro at my club if he'd read Zug's book, he turned up his nose. He found much of the material self-indulgent. As for me- a person who took up the sport at a time when many others my age have retired their rackets - I admired the quality of Zug's writing and the way he unraveled the story of the game's evolution. I dug those historical tidbits (did you know the Titanic had a squash court?) and the tales of some of the sport's more eccentric players.Yeah, sure, there were some parts of SQUASH which "hit the nick and died" for me, but no big deal. I'd recommend this book to anyone who has been bitten by the SQUASH bug.

A Great Read

"Squash: A History of the Game" was a very interesting read, and I especially recommend it for all players of Squash. Although dense at points, this book really gives a great history of how squash came to be. James Zug takes us through the transformation from a game named fives, first played against a kitchen chimeny wall, to raquets made from bamboo sticks, to the regulation size courts and oversized hyper titanium raquets we know today. It even explained why "Squash" is called squash, the mysterious question that nobody on my team seems to know the answer to. Im not going to tell you however, you'll have to read it on your own. Like I said before, I belive this book is more enjoyable for squash players. This is just my opinion however, so if you don't play squash I still suggest you try reading this book.

Well anyway thats my 2 cents. Altogether I think this book is definitly a great read, and definitly very useful as a reference if you are writing an essay on the history of squash. Four star material.

-Jalper

North Am Squash
The title of the book is misleading - it is purely about North American squash history.

I was expecting write ups on recognized international greats and found nothing.

Instant Classic of a Mine Unworked
This book, as the forward by the late George Plimpton indicates, is the first comprehensive history of American squash, and it is a hard act to follow.As such it is pretty much assured "instant classic" status.

Problems with the book:1) The title does not indicate that it is a history of squash in America.Except for the very early history of squash in England, do not expect to find much outside the U.S. and Canada.2) It is written for the squash player, and will be difficult to read for outsiders--except perhaps as a reference.

Good things about the book:Everything else.

Likegolf on TV...
...if you've never played golf, it's darn near unwatchable. If you've never played squash, I'm not sure this book is all that readable, save in small chunks. However, for a player such as me it's a great book. Most interesting are Zug's efforts at unravelling the origins of the game from the morass of legends, myths and speculations surrounding that whole English prison/public school debate; and his thoughts on the fairly recent conversion of the North American countries to the international softball game. He mourns, as I do somewhat, the loss of the quirky games and personalities that the American hardball game produced.
If I had one quibble it would be the author's dwelling on the stories and athletes with ties to the Ivy League's perennial squash powers. I could have used a little less history of Harvard's stars of the 1920's and a little more on some less well-known squash luminaries. For example, Heather McKay, the Australian, won the British Open 16 consecutive years, didn't lose a single game in a tournament for nine straight years, etc., etc., but merits two paragraphs?
Overall an impressive accomplishment for Mr. Zug. Well written, thoroughly researched, and heartfelt. Thanks! ... Read more

Book Description
The story of one of baseball's most ferocious hitters, Jimmie Foxx. The most inclusive biography of Foxx to date, Millikin's book provides a complete picture of his subject. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The best
This book has detail about Foxx that has never appeared anywhere before except possibly contemporary newspapers. Foxx's minor league career, largely ignored by previous biographers, is treated extensively. A compelling treatment of the life of a Hall of Famer who hasn't received as much publicity as many players of lesser talent.

The best book out there on Double X
A very informative book. It covers his childhood until his death. Mostlyit covers his major league career of 20 years but covers his childhood inMaryland with lots of good details too. However, after his playing years(20+ years) is covered rarely quickly in about 20 pages. It was wellwritten, but sometimes had too much game by game details and stats. Is thisbook worth the 40.00 price tag? No, and I'm a huge Foxx fan. Cut the pricein half or wait for the softback edition to come out, and save yourself25.00 bucks. A few pictures in the book that are average-nothingspectacular.

The most definative book on Jimmie Foxx that I know of!!!
Mr. Millikin must of spent a great deal of time researching on Mr. Foxx. I know of no other book written on Mr. Foxx to be more accurate and true. If you are interested in Mr. Foxx, this is the only book that I wouldrecommend.Great job, Mr. Millikin and I look forward to your next book.

Most definative book on Foxx on the market...a must read!!!
Mr. Millikin has done his homework on Mr. Foxx.This book is wellresearched and by far the most accurate book ever written on Mr. Foxx.Mr.Millikin goes to the extreme to inform the reader, not only on Foxx'sbaseball career, but on his entire life.Once you finish the book, youfeel like you actually knew Mr. Foxx and appreciate his success on thediamond that much more.Thank you, Mr. Millikin for your hard work...yourbook is one I am proud to have on my bookself!!!

The best book I've ever read
I love this book

It is the greatest book I've ever seen ... Read more

Book Description

This book offers a new history of drug use in sport. It argues that the idea of taking drugs to enhance performance has not always been the crisis or evil we now think it is. Instead, the late nineteenth century was a time of some experimentation and innovation largely unhindered by talk of cheating or health risks. By the interwar period, experiments had been modernised in the new laboratories of exercise physiologists. Still there was very little sense that this was contrary to the ethics or spirit of sport. Sports, drugs and science were closely linked for over half a century.

The Second World War provided the impetus for both increased use of drugs and the emergence of an anti-doping response. By the end of the 1950s a new framework of ethics was being imposed on the drugs question that constructed doping in highly emotive terms as an evil. Alongside this emerged the science and procedural bureaucracy of testing. The years up to 1976 laid the foundations for four decades of anti-doping. This book offers a detailed and critical understanding of who was involved, what they were trying to achieve, why they set about this task and the context in which they worked. By doing so, it reconsiders the classic dichotomy of good anti-doping up against evil doping.

Book Description
This richly documented book traces the evolution of American sports from the colonial period to the present. The narrative is organized around the argument that sports have been a significant social force throughout American history.

Book Description
On the heels of the successful Sports Illustrated 50th Anniversary Book comes a spectacular celebration of professional football that will be treasured by fans of Americas Game. With the same kind of unforgettable photographs and award-winning writing that made the SIs 50th Anniversary Book a best-seller, this lavish coffee-table volume brings to life the bone-rattling action of NFL football and the extraordinary athletes who have made it Americas true national pastime. In 256 oversized pages, The Football Book commemorates the dynasties and the dominating players, the crucial plays and classic games, the personalities and performances that propelled the NFL during SIs first 50 years of publication, from a marginal, ragtag league to the biggest game in town. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

"Sweet!"
This was the comment of my 7 year old nephew (a Jets fan) when I gave him this book. It has the trademark Sports Illustrated photography, plus lots of old photos showing the infancy of the sport, which are interesting to adults and kids alike. He's a beginning reader, but we enjoyed looking at the pictures, with his guessing which teams were shown based on the uniforms. The Amazon price is a bargain. Highly recommended for boys and fans of all ages!

Great Football Book for the non-diehard fan
I bought this book for my 17-yr old who is a visual thinker, not a strong reader, but I loved it too!There are some amazing photos in the book and lots of history of the game and some players.I got a strong sense of the traditions of the game and the excitement for the sport.I am a stronger football fan because of it!I also recommend the rest of this 'series' by Sports Illustrated, The Baseball Book and The Basketball Book.

Good book for the die-hard footabll fan
I got this book for my Dad for xmas & he loved it.It has a lot of great pictures, great articles and goes into the history of football.This is a great gift for older football fans.

Good Gift
I gave this as a Christmas gift to my son.It scored a "touchdown".

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED-THE FOOTBALL BOOK
I BOUGHT SEVERAL OF THESE BOOKS FOR THE FOOTBALL FANATICS IN MY FAMILY.THEY WENT ABSOLUTELY WILD WILD OVER THEM.THE PICTURES ARE HUGE, SHARP AND COVER A LARGE RANGE OF FOOTBALL MEMORABILIA ALL INSIDE ONE AWESOME BOOK.THERE WAS A TWO-PAGE PICTURE, FOR INSTANCE, OF FOOTBALL PADS LIKE MY DAD WORE WHEN HE PLAYED FOOTBALL IN 1950.HE DOES NOT WANT TO LET THE BOOK OUT OF HIS SIGHT! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent Cardinals History
This book documents the history of professional baseball in St. Louis, starting with the short-lived St. Louis Brown Stockings in 1875 through the fascinating history of the St. Louis Browns before they became what we know of today as the St. Louis Cardinals.As baseball historian Bill James has stated, "A very good baseball movie could be made about baseball in St. Louis, 1883-86.It's got everything - - great teams, unbelievable characters . . . pennant races, World Series.Best material for a baseball movie ever."

This is a superbly researched book.Nearly every fact is documented and footnoted, primarily from first-hand accounts published by various newspapers and journalists at the time.Reading the Notes at the end of the book is just as interesting as reading the book itself.Drunkards, cheaters, womanizers . . . baseball in its infancy makes today's issues (steroids, over-paid players) pale in comparison.

The casual baseball fan will most likely be bored by this book, but to those who love baseball history and lore (especially involving the historic St. Louis Cardinals), this is a must-read book.

Early Major League Baseball in the "Gateway to the West"
What did it mean to have a major league baseball team in the latter nineteenth century? How did the host city relate to it and what about its place in the life of the city's inhabitants? These are some of the questions explored in this excellent history of major league baseball (MLB) in St. Louis. Beginning as a dissertation at the University of Oregon, Cash has fashioned what is sure to become the standard work on the rise of MLB in the city that was at the time of the formation of the National League in 1876 the farthest west and south of any of the cities participating it. Cash spends considerable time on the excellent but short-lived Brown Stockings, the city's first entry into the National League; their namesake in the American Association in the 1880s, and the team that became the modern St. Louis Cardinals. Cash rightly notes that city rivalry between St. Louis and Chicago, including both prestige and economic factors, sparked much of the early interest by metropolitan leaders in MLB. He also suggests that in large measure the National League, and St. Louis's place in it, was possible because of the ability to travel between cities by rail. Without it these intercity leagues would not have been feasible.

The author also includes excellent discussions of Chris Von der Ahe and the origins of what became the Cardinals. Von der Ahe, a well-known St. Louis businessman, formed the St. Louis Brown Stockings in the American Association in 1880. He owned a beer garden and boardinghouse near a baseball field on Grand Avenue, and seeing that his bar always picked up before and after baseball games played there, he understood that baseball fans would be good patrons for his business. Mustachioed, Roman nosed, and speaking with thick accent, Von der Ahe was the prototype spotlight grabbing major league baseball team owner. He referred to himself, in his thick accent as "der poss bresident," and the fans loved it. He spent freely, indulged his players, and built an early baseball dynasty in the 1880s. Von der Ahe loved the celebrity his ownership brought him, for now he was not just a prosperous businessman but both a prosperous businessman and a public figure. It was an unbeatable combination, perhaps the real attraction for baseball ownership up to the present, and something repeated many times by many different owners since. In a city rich in baseball history, no one has been more significant in shaping the game in early St. Louis than Chris Von der Ahe.

Cash also details the collapse of the American Association in 1891 and the incorporation of the St. Louis franchise into the National League. Von der Ahe lost his fortune, had to sell the team, and it did poorly in the 1890s but eventually emerged as the fabled St. Louis Cardinals of the twentieth century, which has won more pennants and world championships than any other National League team.

This is an important study of baseball history, as well as in urban history. It is a decided cut above most other writing on the history of baseball, which concentrates on players and cute stories. Unlike so many works on the subject, it is firmly grounded in the documentary record and in the most recent historical thinking. Well done, Jon David Cash! "Before They Were Cardinals" is both a fine historical study and an entertaining reading experience.

I really enjoyed the book.
Pesonally I really enjoy books about baseball before 1930.Back when baseball was more America's pastime.

The book itself was very well written and gave some real insight into the St. Louis-Chicago rivalary.

It was also interesting to read about the labor problems of baseball from 125 years ago.Odd to see really not much has changed just the dollar amounts the player's receive.

It was also neat to see how the beer makers of the 1800's were involved with the game and how without beer St. Louis probably doesn't have a team now. ... Read more

Book Description
This lively and deeply researched history - the first of its kind - goes beyond the great names and moments to explain how British sport has changed since 1800, and what it has meant to ordinary people. It shows how the way we play reflects not just our lives as citizens of a predominantly urban and industrial world, but what is especially distinctive about British sport. Innovators in abandoning traditional, often brutal sports, and in establishing a code of `fair play', the British were also pioneers in popular sports and in the promotion of organized spectator events.Modern media coverage of sport, gambling, violence and attitudes towards it, nationalism, and the role of sport in sustaining male identity are also explored, and the book is rich in illuminating and entertaining anecdotes, which it combines with a serious historical understanding of a fascinating subject. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Soccer, one of the most popular games in the world, is played by many and is supported fanatically by millions. So, how did this sport come about? What were its origins? Why has it flourished for so long? Bill Murray, an Australian sports historian, answers these questions and many more as he persuasively presents the case for why soccer is the premier sport of the world.Tracing the history of the organized game--from its origins as a leisure pastime for private-school alumni in London in 1863 to the World Cup held in the U.S. in 1994--Murray commentates on the evolution of soccer from past to present. Attention is paid to all aspects of the game, ranging from America's ambivalent attitude toward professional soccer to the progress of the women's game to the threat of hooliganism. The ground covered is vast, but Murray's readable style will be appreciated by anyone who has a passion for the game, and will inspire interest in those who know little about it.--Jeremy Storey ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The World's Game: A HISTORY OF SOCCER (Illinois History of Sports)
Very pleased with how fast I recieved the book.It was in wonderful shape

A great overview of soccer history.
Unlike other soccer books which can be narrow in scope and range, Murray's book attempts to take us beyond the borders of South America and Europe and examines soccer all over the world. It also examines political and social affiliations attached to the game. The appendix has major soccer disasters covered,tragedies involving players,major soccer grounds,FIFA membership,Soccer at the Olympic Games before 1930,The Growth of the World Cup,and The Growth of Various Youth Tournaments. It also has a useful Glossary which is a must for any observer, casual or hardcore fan of the game. It would be a good introductory book for someone learning about soccer history because it has plenty of useful anecdotes that illustrates the game's colorful and controversial history.

This book was great!
After having played soccer for years, it wasamazing to see how much I didn't now about the history of the sport. Now that my daughter is absorbing everything soccer, this book has helped. She is preparing to do areport on soccer and it's history. I am sure she'll do great! ... Read more