American Hoops

by Cunningham, Carson

• ISBN13: 9780803222939
• ISBN10: 0803222939
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-01-01
• Publisher: Univ of Nebraska Pr

Summary

Those who avidly followed the on-court acrobatics and off-court celebrity of the "Dream Team" in Barcelona in 1992 would hardly recognize what passed as basketball fifty-six years earlier, when the United States first played the game in the 1936 Olympics. In those early days of men's Olympic basketball, many teams lacked basic skills, games were played in the pouring rain, only seven players could suit up, and the rules allowed only two substitutions and no time-outs. How this slow, low-scoring sport became the breakneck game that enraptures millions worldwide is the story of American Hoops. In this fascinating history of Olympic basketball on the world stage and behind the scenes, Carson Cunningham presents a kaleidoscopic picture of the evolution into the twenty-first century of one of America's most popular sports. From clashes between celebrated egos and thrilling action on the court to the intense rivalries of the Cold War and technological advances in everything from television to sports equipment off the court, American Hoops follows the fortunes of Olympic basketball, in the United States and internationally, as it developed and emerged as one of the most challenging and entertaining sports in the world. Cunningham traces how the modifications made by the International Olympic Committee and the International Basketball Federation have transformed the game of basketball over the years, from the Berlin to the Beijing Olympics. His book offers a remarkable view of the changing world through the prism of Olympic sport.

Author Biography

Carson Cunningham is a visiting assistant professor of history at DePaul University.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. vii
List of Tables	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. xiii
American Hoops Help Establish the International Standard in Berlin	p. 1
U.S. Basketball Advances the Game in Postwar London	p. 29
Cold War BasketballÆs Opening Salvo in Helsinki	p. 61
The Russell Model Revolutionizes the International Game in Melbourne	p. 89
Basketball Accelerates as Robertson, Lucas, and West Run through Rome	p. 119
In Liberal, Postwar Tokyo, Teamwork, Television, and a Cold War Tilt for Gold	p. 150
Haywood Shines as Satellites, Cable, and Shoes Mature in Mexico City	p. 174
Mayhem in Munich	p. 202
Trademark Speed Returns in Montreal, Then Politics Intrude in Moscow	p. 233
Air Jordan Arrives and The General Delivers in Los Angeles	p. 257
Oddities in Seoul Open the Lane for the Dream Team	p. 288
Basketball Bedlam in Barcelona	p. 318
From Underrated Greatness in Atlanta to the Gap Closed in Athens	p. 350
Reclamation in Beijing	p. 355
Notes	p. 417
Index	p. 453
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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