Of all the sporting contests in the world,baseball,basketball and football are by far the most popular in America:millions of diehard fans dedicate countless hours to following these games on TV,in print and in person.But perhaps few fans know why they are drawn to one sport more than another,or why they feel such a strong affiliation to their favorite..Baseball,which experienced its great rise during America’s agrarian stage when the majority of the nation’s people lived in rural areas,plays to our longing for the pure,the outdoors,he says.When the country entered its industrial period,and many people worked in factories with extremely specialized jobs,football,a sport in which each player is assigned carefully specialized roles,began to evolve in American schools.Basketball,unlike the other more organic sports,was invented during the post-industrial age.Like the "knowledge workers" of that era-the economists,psychologists and designers-basketball required that athletes bring little equipment to the court.The author parallels each sport’s history with the history of our nation,explaining in textbook-like prose why each became popular and endured where other sports did not.
"Not only fascinating but enormously entertaining.A knowledgeable sports fan will learn more than a thing or two.I'm one and I did.The non-sports fan will discover just why sports are woven so tightly into the fabric of American life." Wall Street Journal"
No-one can deny the power of sports in American culture America's century-long love affair with team sports.Whether he is writing about the histories,the legends,the rules or the strategies of these games,Mandelbaum illuminates the cultural principles and the social trends that they embody.Critically acclaimed by sports writers,cultural commentators and political pundits,The Meaning of Sports offers everyone - from novice sports fans to the most seasoned fanatics,from scholars of Americana to sports widows - a deep,compelling and utterly new understanding of baseball,football and basketball:what they say about us and why so many of us follow them with such remarkable devotion.
The Meaning of Sports has as its premise a fascinating idea:Explain our national obsession with our three top sports ...ones that fail to captivate people in most of the rest of the world.I had often wondered about that subject,and looked forward to learning a lot.Well,I didn't really learn very much at all on that subject.
What I was surprised to find in the book was a pretty thorough history of each of the three sports.For a non fan who wants to get up-to-speed with the fans in her or his life,those parts are valuable.If you just wanted to become knowledgeable in the least amount of time on the sports,this is a five-star effort.
Sports provide lots of emotional pleasures,The home team may be losing by three touchdowns ...but the fans are still there.Why?Many would claim it is loyalty.But it's more likely to be that the home team still has as chance to beat the point spread.Although gambling is mentioned in the book,the full impact of the appeal of betting on the games isn't quite captured.