Playing Tough : the World of Sports and Politics by
Playing Tough is an entertaining and thoroughly enlightening look at the unique and surprisingly outsized role that sports have played in politics and history. Ever since the bread and circuses of Rome, sports have been used as a tool to entertain the masses and to instill civic pride. Abrams shows both the positive and the negative ways in which sports and politics have coalesced, from the rabid nationalism of the 1936 Nazi Olympics, the political grudge match of the Louis and Schmeling fights, and the "futbol war" between Honduras and Costa Rica to the inspiring stories of South Africa's rugby nation-building and Muhammad Ali's brave antiwar stance, which nearly cost him his career. Abrams is an informed and impassioned writer who chronicles the profoundly creative and destructive influence that sports have on the political life of our nation and the world. This book will be of interest to any and all sports and politics enthusiasts and is a wonderful introduction for course creation and adoption.
An Economist Goes to the Game : How to Throw Away $580 Million and Other Surprising Insights from the Economics of Sports by
An engaging look at the ways economic thinking can help us understand how sports work both on and off the field "Mr. Oyer writes clearly and ranges across all sorts of sports as well as across the globe, introducing fascinating observations."--Henry D. Fetter, Wall Street Journal Are ticket scalpers good for teams? Should parents push their kids to excel at sports? Why do Koreans dominate women's golf, while Kenyans and Ethiopians dominate marathon racing? Why would Michael Jordan, the greatest player in basketball, pass to Steve Kerr for the game-winning shot? Paul Oyer shows the many ways economics permeates the world of sports. His topics range from the business of sport to how great athletes use economic thinking to outsmart their opponents to why the world's greatest sports powerhouse (at least per capita) is not America or China but the principality of Liechtenstein. Economics explains why some sports cannot stop the use of performance-enhancing drugs while others can, why hundred-million-dollar player contracts are guaranteed in baseball but not in football, how one man was able to set the world of sports betting on its ear--and why it will probably never happen again. This book is an entertaining guide to how a bit of economics can make you a better athlete and a more informed fan.
Play On : the New Science of Elite Performance at Any Age by
A lively, deeply reported tour of the science and strategies helping athletes like Tom Brady, Serena Williams, Carli Lloyd, and LeBron James redefine the notion of "peak age." Season after season, today's sports superstars seem to defy the limits of physical aging that inevitably sideline their competitors. How much of the difference is genetic destiny and how much can be attributed to better training, medicine and technology? Is athletic longevity a skill that can be taught, or a mental discipline that can be mastered? Can career-ending injuries be predicted and avoided? Journalist Jeff Bercovici spent extensive time with professional and Olympic athletes, coaches and doctors to find the answers to these questions. His quest led him to training camps, tournaments, hospitals, anti-aging clinics and Silicon Valley startups, where he tried out cutting-edge treatments and technologies firsthand and investigated the realities behind health fads like alkaline diets, high-intensity interval training, and cryotherapy. Through fascinating profiles and first-person anecdotes, Bercovici illuminates the science and strategies extending the careers of elite older athletes, uncovers the latest advances in fields from nutrition to brain science to virtual reality, and offers empowering insights about how the rest of us can find peak performance at any age.
On the Origins of Sports : the Early History and Original Rules of Everybody's Favorite Games by
Did you know that James Naismith invented basketball as a way to keep his students indoors during the cold Massachusetts winter? Or that many of the Southerners who began racing stock cars got their early driving experience escaping police while running moonshine? On the Origins of Sports is jam-packed with these compelling tidbits of information tailor-made for obsessive sports fans, and covers a wide range of sports--whether national pastimes like football and cricket or global obsessions such as soccer and basketball. Each sport has its own chapter, which includes the sport's original rules; a short history of the sport in accessible, insightful text; and informative line illustrations. Also included are annotated interstitials that take a deeper look into an element of the sport: for example, the evolution of the baseball glove; sports with war roots; a compendium of sports balls; iconic sports trophies; and more. Aside from facts and figures, rules and history, On the Origins of Sports is a book that sports enthusiasts and history buffs alike will want to display on their coffee tables, showcase on their bookshelves, and treasure for generations.
The Sports Rules Book by
Whether you're a physical education teacher, youth sport administrator, coach, player, parent, or a fan who wants to know more about various sports, The Sports Rules Bookis a useful tool for understanding the procedures, main features, and guidelines for 47 sports. The featured format and easy-to-read presentation help you to glean information quickly on each sport's -origin and history, -basic procedures, -essential terminology, -competitive playing areas, -equipment, -scoring systems, -player positions and primary features, -common rules violations and their consequences, and -officials' signals, where appropriate. The Sports Rules Bookalso presents age- and skill-related modifications for many sports, making it especially helpful for anyone teaching or coaching young athletes. The sport of Ultimate has been added to this edition, and greater emphasis is placed on the 12 most popular U.S. sports: baseball, basketball, football, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. Where appropriate for these sports, rule modifications are presented to promote fairer competition, maximum participation, and greater enjoyment for athletes at all levels. Each chapter was reviewed and approved by an appropriate sport-specific organization (such as USA Volleyball, USA Wrestling, and the United States Tennis Association) or by an individual with the expertise to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date, no matter how significant the rules changes have been since the first edition. As a result, The Sports Rules Bookis an accurate and useful guide to understanding the essential rules, regulations, and procedures of 47 sports.
The Ethics of Sport : Essential Readings by
Sport is often thought of as simply "games," but it can in fact be much more. Sport can be responsible for guiding social justice movements, igniting city-wide riots, uniting countries, permanently injuring youth, revolutionizing views about race, gender and class, and producing several of the most successful global industries. Reports of ethical crises in athletics are constant fodder for popular attention, whether performance enhancing drugs in baseball, corruption in college athletics, the epidemic of brain damage among NFL players, and others too numerous to mention. As a proxy for social concerns, we naturally think of sport in inherently moral terms. Yet we can hardly define the term "sport," or agree on acceptable levels of sporting risk, or determine clear roles and responsibilities for fans, players, coaches, owners, media and health care personnel. Bringing together 27 of the most essential recent articles from philosophy, history, sociology, medicine, and law, this collection explores intersections of sports and ethics and brings attention to the immense role of sports in shaping and reflecting social values.
Faster, Fitter, Happier : 75 Questions with a Sports Psychologist by
Faster, Fitter, Happier is the first book to bridge the gap between the practice of psychology across both professional and amateur sport, and the theoretical foundations on which the science is based. Author Tony Westbury has been working alongside coaches and performers across a range of sports for over 25 years, during which time he has been asked everything from the best methods to combat nerves to developing that elusive 'will to win'. Here he provides the answers to 75 questions that encapsulate some of the most important issues he's faced. From motivating yourself to stick to a training programme to taking a high-pressure penalty or getting back in the saddle after a fall, the book offers guidance and advice across a range of sports for both professional and amateur alike. Its accessible style is ideally suited to performers, coaches, teachers and parents, while each question also includes a summary of the theory - an invaluable resource for students and early career practitioners. With a foreword by British Lion and Scottish International Jason White, this is a unique overview of how sport psychology can support us in our everyday sporting endeavours. Engaging, insightful and practical, it will be essential reading whether you're training for the Olympics or just losing confidence after yet another missed putt.
The Meaning of Sports : Why Americans Watch Baseball, Football, and Basketball, and What They See When They Do by
In The Meaning of Sports, Michael Mandelbaum, a sports fan who is also one of the nation's preeminent foreign policy thinkers, examines America's century-long love affair with team sports. In keeping with his reputation for writing about big ideas in an illuminating and graceful way, he shows how sports respond to deep human needs; describes the ways in which baseball, football and basketball became national institutions and how they reached their present forms; and covers the evolution of rules, the rise and fall of the most successful teams, and the historical significance of the most famous and influential figures such as Babe Ruth, Vince Lombardi, and Michael Jordan. Whether he is writing about baseball as the agrarian game, football as similar to warfare, basketball as the embodiment of post-industrial society, or the moral havoc created by baseball's designated hitter rule, Mandelbaum applies the full force of his learning and wit to subjects about which so many Americans care passionately: the games they played in their youth and continue to follow as adults. By offering a fresh and unconventional perspective on these games, The Meaning of Sports makes for fascinating and rewarding reading both for fans and newcomers.
Getting to Us : How Great Coaches Make Great Teams by
What makes a coach great? How do great coaches turn a collection of individuals into a coherent "us"? Seth Davis, one of the keenest minds in sports journalism, has been thinking about that question for twenty-five years. It's one of the things that drove him to write the definitive biography of college basketball's greatest coach, John Wooden, Wooden: A Coach's Life. But John Wooden coached a long time ago. The world has changed, and coaching has too, tremendously. Seth Davis decided to embark on a proper investigation to get to the root of the matter. In Getting to Us, Davis probes and prods the best of the best from the landscape of active coaches of football and basketball, college and pro--from Urban Meyer, Dabo Swinney, and Jim Harbaugh to Mike Krzyzewski, Tom Izzo, Jim Boeheim, Brad Stevens, Geno Auriemma, and Doc Rivers--to get at the fundamental ingredients of greatness in the coaching sphere. There's no single right way, of course--part of the great value of this book is Davis's distillation of what he has learned about different types of greatness in coaching, and what sort of leadership thrives in one kind of environment but not in others. Some coaches have thrived at the college level but not in the pros. Why? What's the difference? Some coaches are stern taskmasters, others are warm and cuddly; some are brilliant strategists but less emotionally involved with their players, and with others it's vice versa. In Getting to Us, we come to feel a deep connection with the most successful and iconic coaches in all of sports--big winners and big characters, whose stories offer much of enduring interest and value.
Women's Sports : What Everyone Needs to Know by
Although girls and women account for approximately 40 percent of all athletes in the United States, they receive only 4 percent of the total sport media coverage. SportsCenter, ESPN's flagship program, dedicates less than 2 percent of its airtime to women. Local news networks devote less than 5 percent of their programming to women's sports. Excluding Sports Illustrated's annual "Swimsuit Issue," women appear on just 4.9 percent of the magazine's covers. Media is a powerful indication of the culture surrounding sport in the United States. Why are women underrepresented in sports media? Sports Illustrated journalist Andy Benoit infamously remarked that women's sports "are not worth watching." Although he later apologized, Benoit's comment points to more general lack of awareness. Consider, for example, the confusion surrounding Title IX, the U.S. Law that prohibits sex discrimination in any educational program that receives federal financial assistance. Is Title IX to blame when administrators drop men's athletic programs? Is it lack of interest or lack of opportunity that causes girls and women to participate in sport at lower rates than boys and men? In Women's Sports: What Everyone Needs to Know®, Jaime Schultz tackles these questions, along with many others, to upend the misunderstandings that plague women's sports. Using historical, contemporary, scholarly, and popular sources, Schultz traces the progress and pitfalls of women's involvement in sport. In the signature question-and-answer format of the What Everyone Needs to Know® series, this short and accessible book clarifies misconceptions that dog women's athletics and offers much needed context and history to illuminate the struggles and inequalities sportswomen continue to face. By exploring issues such as gender, sexuality, sex segregation, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, media coverage, and the sport-health connection, Schultz shows why women's sports are not just worth watching, but worth playing, supporting, and fighting for.
The Atlas of Sports : Who Plays What, Where, and Why by
This fully illustrated atlas charts and profiles the world's major competitive sports and the profits that flow from their commercial development. From the U.S.A-baseball, football, basketball, boxing, car racing, and more-to Pelé's "beautiful game" of international soccer, Alan Tomlinson paints sport's big picture. He traces its emergence in modern forms, including those events recognized by the International Olympic Committee, and less well-known sports that have their own cultural bases and commercial momentum. In four colorful sections, the book maps major sporting events, follows financial ebbs and flows, notes political uses and abuses, highlights media attention, and provides case studies of global superstars. A handy "A-Z of Sports" maps key indicators and historical influences for each of 30 majors, and includes controversies such as cheating, drug use, and betting scandals. Finally, the atlas captures the full flavor of sport's contribution to national and international cultures with country profiles noting the main strengths, notable achievements, and key events.
Games People Played : a Global History of Sport by
Now in paperback, this first global history of sports offers all spectators and participants a reason to cheer--and to think. Games People Played is, surprisingly, the first global history of sports. The book shows how sports have been practiced, experienced, and made meaningful by players and fans throughout history. It assesses how sports developed and diffused across the globe, as well as many other aspects, from emotion, discrimination, and conviviality; to politics, nationalism, and protest; and how economics has turned sports into a huge consumer industry. It shows how sports are sociable and health-giving, and also contribute to charity. However, it also examines their dark side: sports' impact on the environment, the use of performance-enhancing drugs, and match-fixing. Covering everything from curling to baseball, boxing to motor racing, this book will appeal to anyone who plays, watches, and enjoys sports, and wants to know more about their history and global impact.
Wonder Girl : the Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias by
Experience the extraordinary story of a nearly forgotten American superstar athlete. Texas girl Babe Didrikson never tried a sport too tough and never met a hurdle too high. Despite attempts to keep women from competing, Babe achieved All-American status in basketball and won gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Olympics. Then Babe attempted to conquer golf. One of the founders of the LPGA, Babe won more consecutive tournaments than any golfer in history. At the height of her fame, she was diagnosed with cancer. Babe would then take her most daring step of all: go public and try to win again with the hope of inspiring the world. A rollicking saga, stretching across the first half of the 20th century, Wonder Girl is as fresh, heartfelt, and graceful as Babe herself.
The Black Fives : the Epic Story of Basketball's Forgotten Era by
A groundbreaking, timely history of the largely unknown early days of Black basketball, bringing to life the trailblazing players, teams, and impresarios who made the game From the introduction of the game of basketball to Black communities on a wide scale in 1904 to the racial integration of the NBA in 1950, dozens of African American teams were founded and flourished. This period, known as the Black Fives Era (teams at the time were often called "fives"), was a time of pioneering players and managers. They battled discrimination and marginalization and created culturally rich, socially meaningful events. But despite headline-making rivalries between big-city clubs, the savvy moves of innovative businessmen, and the undeniable talent of star players, this period is almost entirely unknown to basketball fans. Claude Johnson has made it his mission to change that. An advocate fiercely committed to our history, for more than two decades Johnson has conducted interviews, mined archives, collected artifacts, and helped to preserve this historically important African American experience that otherwise would have been lost. The Black Fives is the result of his work, a landmark narrative history that braids together the stories of these forgotten pioneers and rewrites our understanding of the story of basketball.
Complete Conditioning for Volleyball by
Get in top volleyball shape by using the same training techniques as the powerhouse UCLA teams use! Complete Conditioning for Volleyball--written by the Bruins' legendary coach, Al Scates, and St. Louis University's strength and conditioning coordinator, Mike Linn--will have you serving with more power and consistency, skying higher on every jump, and covering the court with increased quickness and agility. Utilizing this winning training program has direct on-court results, as your digs, kills, and blocks increase and you remain strong through the end of every match. The perfect workout manual for coaches and players alike, Complete Conditioning for Volleyballlinks the drills and exercises to diagrams and photos in easy-to-understand fashion. The latest title in the popular Complete Conditioning for Sportsseries, this book follows a formula proven to get athletes in the best possible shape for their sport. You'll find beneficial, volleyball-specific exercises and drills for in-season and off-season, on-court and off-court practice. Over the past four decades, Coach Scates has set the standard for success in collegiate volleyball, netting 18 NCAA Division I championships. With his book Complete Conditioning for Volleyball, he gives you the perfect set for you to score with greater fitness on the court.
The Numbers Game : Why Everything You Know About Soccer is Wrong by
Moneyball meets Freakonomics in this myth-busting guide to understanding--and winning--the most popular sport on the planet. Innovation is coming to soccer, and at the center of it all are the numbers--a way of thinking about the game that ignores the obvious in favor of how things actually are. In The Numbers Game, Chris Anderson, a former professional goalkeeper turned soccer statistics guru, teams up with behavioral analyst David Sally to uncover the numbers that really matter when it comes to predicting a winner. Investigating basic but profound questions--How valuable are corners? Which goal matters most? Is possession really nine-tenths of the law? How should a player's value be judged?--they deliver an incisive, revolutionary new way of watching and understanding soccer.
Total Tennis : the Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia by
This is the fourth book in the successful series of Total Encyclopedias.
Golf by the Numbers by
How do the world's greatest golfers improve their game? Practice, sure, but Roland Minton says mathematics and statistics are also key to their success. Golf by the Numbers analyzes the mathematical strategies behind the sport, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at how numbers drive the game. Computers, GPS trackers, swing simulators, and high-speed cameras have introduced new and exciting ways of seeing and understanding the complicated and endlessly fascinating game of golf. Players like Phil Mickelson are so good because they review the results of every swing they take. Minton's comprehensive analysis of statistics taken from the PGA Tour's ShotLink system walks readers through the mountains of data that pros use to inform and refine their play. The result is an insider's perspective of how the world's greatest golfers apply mathematics to the sport. Minton discusses randomness in golf (especially how much luck is involved in putting) as well as aggressive and cautious strategies both on and off the greens, and he explains, by the numbers, just how Tiger Woods was so dominant from 2004 to 2009. Here is a book that tells some truly engaging stories of modern golf, featuring famous players and memorable tournaments, all through the lens of elementary probability theory. Minton's informal style and clear and direct explanations make even the most detailed discussions accessible to all curious-minded golfers. His mathematical morsels are not only enjoyable to read--they may even help you improve your game.
When Running Made History by
Robinson takes readers on a globe-trotting tour that combines a historian's insight with vivid personal memories going back to just after World War II. From experiencing the 1948 ""Austerity Olympics"" in London as a young spectator to working as a journalist in the Boston Marathon media center at the moment of the 2013 bombings, Robinson offers a fascinating first-person account of the tragic and triumphant moments that impacted the world and shaped the modern sport. He chronicles the beginnings of the American running boom, the emergence of women's running, the end of the old amateur rules, and the redefinition of aging for athletes and amateurs. With an intimate perspective and insightful reporting, Robinson captures major historical events through the lens of running. He recounts running in Berlin at the time of German reunification in 1990, organizing a replacement track meet in New Zealand after the disastrous 2011 earthquake, and the triumph of Ethiopian athlete Abebe Bikila in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. As an avid runner, journalist, and fan, Robinson brings these global events to life and reveals the intimate and powerful ways in which running has intersected with recent history.
The Forgotten Legacy of Stella Walsh : the Greatest Female Athlete of Her Time by
Stella Walsh, who was born in Poland but raised in the United States, competed for Poland at the 1932 and 1936 Olympics, winning gold and silver in the 100 meters. Running and jumping competitively for three decades, Walsh also won more than 40 U.S. national championships and set dozens of world records. In 1975, she was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, yet Stella Walsh's impressive accomplishments have been almost entirely ignored. In The Forgotten Legacy of Stella Walsh: The Greatest Female Athlete of Her Time, Sheldon Anderson tells the story of her remarkable life. A pioneer in women's sports, Walsh was one of the first globetrotting athletes, running in meets all over North America, Europe, and Asia. While her accomplishments are undeniable, Walsh's legacy was called into question after her murder in 1980. Walsh's autopsy revealed she had ambiguous genitalia, which prompted many to demand that her awards be rescinded. In addition to telling her fascinating story, The Forgotten Legacy of Stella Walsh provides a close look at the early days of women's track and field. This book also examines the complicated and controversial question of sex and gender identity in athletics--an issue very much in the news today. Featuring numerous photographs that help bring to life Walsh's story and the times in which she lived, this biography will interest and inform historians of sport and women's studies, as well as anyone who wants to learn more about a Polish immigrant who was once the fastest woman alive.
Chronicle of the Olympics, 1896-1996 by
"Short essays coupled with numerous photographs will make it a sure hit with browsers and casual readers". -- Library Journal
Cycling Science : How Rider and Machine Work Together by
Every July hundreds of thousands flock to the Champs-Élysées in Paris--and millions more to their televisions and computers--to witness the dramatic conclusion of the grueling three weeks of the Tour de France. There is no better measure of the worldwide love of the bicycle. But of the 1.2 billion cyclists traversing the world's roadways and trails, few of us take the time to consider the science behind the sport. The simple process of getting about on two wheels brings us in touch with a wealth of fascinating science, and here journalist Max Glaskin investigates the scientific wonders that keep cyclists in their saddles. Cycling Science tours readers through a wide variety of topics, from tire rolling resistance and the difference between yield strength and ultimate strength, to the importance of aerodynamics and the impact that shaved legs have on speed. Each chapter explores a different subject--fundamentals, strength and stability, materials, power, aerodynamics, and the human factor--and is organized around a series of questions: What is the ideal frame shape? What is the biggest source of drag? What keeps a bicycle from falling over? How much power can a cyclist produce? Which muscles does cycling use? Each question is examined with the aid of explanatory diagrams and illustrations, and the book can be used to search for particular topics, or read through for a comprehensive overview of how machine and rider work together. Athletes have much to gain from understanding the science of their sports, and Cycling Science will be a must-read for cyclists of all stripes--professionals, recreational riders, and anyone seeking to enhance their enjoyment of cycling.
Kodokan Judo by 
