American Sports: From the Age of Folk Games to the Age of Televised Sports [Paperback]

Benjamin G. Rader (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0131112139 | ISBN-13: 978-0131112131 | Publication Date: January 1996 | Edition: 3rd

The Fourth Edition of this book offers a gracefully written, analytical history of American sports from the colonial era to the present. It gives special attention to the historical relationship between sports and such major social cleavages as class, race, ethnicity, gender, and region as well as the power that sports have exercised in binding diverse peoples together.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Revised to give greater attention to continuities in the American sporting experience, this widely-acclaimed book offers a gracefully written, analytical history of American sports from the colonial era to the present. Acutely sensitive to clarity and style, it gives emphasis to the historical relationship between sports and such major social cleavages as class, race, ethnicity, gender, and region, as well as the power that sports have exercised in binding diverse peoples together.

From the Back Cover

Key Benefit: Revised to give greater attention to continuities in the American sporting experience, this widely-acclaimed book offers a gracefully written, analytical history of American sports from the colonial era to the present. Acutely sensitive to clarity and style, it emphasizes the historical relationship between sports and such major social cleavages as class, race, ethnicity, gender, and region, as well as the power that sports have exercised in binding diverse peoples together. Key Topics: Containing a vivid analysis of sports in the colonial era, the book presents a clear discussion of the nineteenth century sporting fraternity, the rise of baseball as the national game, and the origins of intercollegiate sports. It offers provocative interpretations of legendary and contemporary sports heroes such as Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Muhammad Ali, and Billie Jean King, and examines the relationship between modern sports and society, including the Key role of television in shaping recent sport history. Adding three new chapters on the history of women and blacks in American sports, it continues to provide an in-depth treatment of the recent history of professional sports, intercollegiate sports, youth sports, and American sports in the international arena. Chapter summaries, illustrations, graphs, tables, and detailed bibliographic information are included. Market: For sports historians; also for reference in public libraries.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 3rd edition (January 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131112139
• ISBN-13: 978-0131112131
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,578,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars American Sports: From the Age of Folk Games to the Age of Televised Sport, January 11, 2012

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Richard Diamond - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Sports: From the Age of Folk Games to the Age of Televised Sports (5th Edition) (Paperback)

Rader's book is a classic in the field. It is the basis for all studies and has a marvelous bibliography after each chapter. What is most enjoyable is the readability of the book. One can pick it up and it almost reads like a novel. Not good, but great writing. My interest lies in the period of 1900-1930 and most especially with women's sports. Although not as detailed as the sports of boxing, baseball, football which of course are "bigger" in the nation, the section is valuable and the bibliography really helps. I like most the entire cultural aspect of the book. By discussing the Victorian "mentality," one can get a great picture of the times, not only regarding sport but also the society in general. I recommend this book as a basic study and a very interesting complement to those who are sports fans, especially baseball, football, and boxing. Highly recommended. You can't lose by getting this book.