The Routledge History of American Sport

The Routledge History of American Sport provides the first comprehensive overview of historical research in American sport from the early Colonial period to the present day. Considering sport through innovative themes and topics such as the business of sport, material culture and sport, the political uses of sport, and gender and sport, this text offers an interdisciplinary analysis of American leisure. Rather than moving chronologically through American history or considering the historical origins of each sport, these topics are dealt with organically within thematic chapters, emphasizing the influence of sport on American society. The volume is divided into eight thematic sections that include detailed original essays on particular facets of each theme. Focusing on how sport has influenced the history of women, minorities, politics, the media, and culture, these thematic chapters survey the major areas of debate and discussion. The volume offers a comprehensive view of the history of sport in America, pushing the field to consider new themes and approaches as well. Including a roster of contributors renowned in their fields of expertise, this ground-breaking collection is essential reading for all those interested in the history of American sport.

Linda J. Borish is Associate Professor in the History Department and Gender/Women's Studies Department at Western Michigan University. She has presented and published her work nationally and internationally. David K. Wiggins is a professor and co-director of the Center for the Study of Sport and Leisure in Society at George Mason University.Gerald R. Gems is a past president of the North American Society for Sport History, the current vice-president of the International Society for the History of Physical Education and Sport, and a Fulbright Scholar, who has presented his work in 29 countries

Contributors, Acknowledgments, Introduction, PART I: Introduction to American Sport History: Perspectives and Prospects, 1. Theory and Method in American Sport History, 2. New Directions and Future Considerations in American Sport History, 3. The Wild West of Pedagogy: Thoughts on Teaching American Sport History, PART II: Sport and Education, 4. Progressive-Era Sport, Education, and Reform, 5. Intercollegiate Sports, 6. High School Sports, 7. Youth Sports, PART III: Race, Ethnicity, American Sport, and Identity, 8. Native American Sports, 9. African Americans and Sports, 10. Latinos and Sport, 11. Irish Americans and Sport, 12. German Americans and Sport, 13. Sport and Italian American Identity, 14. Jews and American Sports, 15. Asian Americans and Sport, PART IV: Gender and American Sport, 16. The Historical Influence of Sport in the Lives of American Females, 17. Title IX, Race, and Recent Sport, 18. Sport and Masculinity, 19. Queering Fields and Courts: Considerations on LGBT Sport History, PART V: The Business of Sport, 20. Sport, Television, and the Media, 21. Commercialized Sport, Entrepreneurs, and Unions in Major League Baseball, 22. Play for Pay: Professional Sports and American Culture, 23. Sport in American Film, 24. Hegemony and Identity: The Evolution of American Women's Participation in Active Sport Tourism, PART VI: Material Culture and Sport, 25. Playgrounds, Stadiums, and Country Clubs, 26. Building American Muscle: A Brief History of Barbells, Dumbbells, and Pulley Machines, 27. Sport Training, Sport Science, and Technology, PART VII: Social Movements and Political Uses of Sport, 28. "Faster, Higher, Stronger"-And More Patriotic: American Olympic Narratives, 29. American Military Sport from Colonial Times to the Twenty-First Century, 30. A Divided World: The U.S., the U.S.S.R., and Sport during the Cold War, PART VIII: Facets of Sport in Recent American Culture, 31. Active Radicals: The Political Athlete in the Contemporary Moment, 32. Alternative, Extreme (and Avant-Garde) Sport, 33. Not Quite a Slam Dunk: Globalization and American Team Sports, Suggested Further Readings, Index