Showing titles in Sociology of Sports

In an increasingly secular, fragmented, and distracted culture, nothing brings Americans together quite like sports. On Sundays in September, more families worship at the altar of the NFL than at any church. This appeal, which cuts across all demographic and ideological lines, makes sports perhaps the last unifying mass ritual of our era, with huge numbers of people all focused on the same thing at the same moment. That timeless, live quality makes sports very powerful, and very lucrative. And the media spectacle around them is only getting bigger, brighter, and noisier.   

A bold and impassioned meditation on injustice in our country that punctures the illusion of a postracial America and reveals it as a place where authoritarianism looms large. Whether the issues are protest, labor, patriotism, or class division, it is clear that professional sports are no longer...

Sports fans, dads, and data analysts David Sikorjak and Ben Valenta argue that fandom can not only increase our sense of belonging but also serves as a powerful antidote to loneliness because sports fans experience increased social connection. What they didn't realize was how deep that connection was, the potential it carried for individual and societal wellness, or the opportunities it offered for adult friendships, making and keeping friends, and family ties.

"A really brilliant book" — Malcolm Gladwell "So important" — Glennon Doyle Longlisted for the Porchlight Business Book Awards 2022 A close look at how big money and high stakes have transformed youth sports, turning once healthy, fun activities for kids into all-consuming...

Acclaimed sports writers Jessica Luther and Kavitha A. Davidson tackle the most pressing issues in sports, why they matter, and how we can do better. For the authors, "sticking to sports" is not an option - not when our taxes are paying for the stadiums, and college athletes aren't getting paid at all. But simply quitting a favorite team won't change corrupt and deplorable practices, and the root causes of many of these problems are endemic in our wider society. 

From the #1 NYT bestselling author often called the greatest living sportswriter, a countdown of the 50 greatest and most magical seasons in baseball history. Joe Posnanski is the go-to writer in sports, and Fifty Seasons delivers a joyful, stirring look at baseball moments and miracles that...

A celebration of birding as an inclusive activity for everyone, from organizing members of the Feminist Bird Club. Birding is for everyone. That is the sentiment on which the Feminist Bird Club (FBC) was founded in 2016 and the spirit that is celebrated in this original and timely book. In these...

Es cierto, el futbol nos une. No es sólo que se trate del deporte más popular del planeta ni que la fifa cuente con más países asociados que la misma onu. El futbol es un manantial de emociones y significados: nos da sentido de identidad y pertenencia, crea vínculos, a veces instantáneos, entre personas de distintas generaciones, regiones y clases sociales.

Sports radio legend Stugotz rewrites the record books, taking rings away from undeserving champions and giving them to the rightful winners. “I’ve been accused of rooting against every team in America, but I am rooting FOR Stugotz’s Personal Record Book.”—Joe Buck Without Tom Brady...

* A New York Times Bestseller * Winner of the William Hill Sports Book Of The Year Award * A Financial Times Best Sports Book of 2023 Fueled by her years as an elite runner and advocate for women in sports, Lauren Fleshman offers her inspiring personal story and a rallying cry for reform of a...

The extraordinary tale of a refugee youth soccer team and the transformation of a small American town Clarkston, Georgia, was a typical Southern town until it was designated a refugee settlement center in the 1990s, becoming the first American home for scores of families in flight from the...

Originally published in 1976, James A. Michener’s explosive, spectacular Sports in America is a prescient examination of the crisis in American sports that is still unfolding to this day. Pro basketball players are banned for narcotics use, while a Major League pitcher is arrested for...

In a town deep in the Florida Everglades, where high school football is the only escape, a haunted quarterback, a returning hero, and a scholar struggle against terrible odds. The loamy black “muck” that surrounds Belle Glade, Florida once built an empire for Big Sugar and provided much of...

Kenny Stills is a former NFL Wide Receiver, activist, and advocate for social justice. Over a nine-year career in the league, he made his mark not only as a deep-threat playmaker but also as a fearless voice for change. Stills used his platform to protest racial injustice, standing alongside Colin Kaepernick and others to push for systemic reform. His commitment to advocacy extended beyond the field, working with grassroots organizations and engaging in community outreach to create meaningful impact.

Una historia social y cultural del deporte El deporte encierra muchas más historias que las del terreno de juego, el balón o la canasta. Porque el deporte no es, nunca ha sido, simplemente «minuto y resultado». Palanca de cambios sociales, espacio para reivindicaciones políticas, espejo...

From the legendary football writer, an extraordinary front-row-seat to the modern NFL, chronicling the defining moments, teams, controversies, and more. For forty years, Peter King has gotten the stories no one else could. From riding the Madden Cruiser cross-country with John Madden, to...

Before Mary Earps, Jess Fishlock and Lucy Bronze, a generation of trailblazing women's footballers defied the odds. In 1921, the FA banned women from playing football in England, but these rebels refused to quit. Leaving behind jobs, families and their homeland, they travelled across Europe in search of professional opportunities. This groundbreaking book uncovers their untold stories: the original Lioness who started a new life in the Netherlands as a teenager, the first woman of colour to play for England, the girl who turned down international recognition to play in Italy.

Nick Paumgarten’s memoir of his consuming lifelong obsession with a game —hockey —its tribe, and its unreasonable demands. Over the past two decades, Nick Paumgarten has become one of The New Yorker’s most admired and popular staff writers. He brings to journalism what great novelists...

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK Sports Illustrated #1 Book of 2024 A hugely entertaining history of baseball and New York City, bursting with larger-than-life figures and fascinating stories from the game’s beginnings to the end of World War II. "You’re going to beg for extra innings...

A revealing, humorous, behind-the-scenes memoir from Kenny "The Jet" Smith—superstar basketball commentator, host of the top-rated show, Inside the NBA, and two-time NBA champion. Smith reveals memorable inside stories of his playing and broadcasting careers, focusing on the star players...