Sports in American History : From Colonization to Globalization

by Gems, Gerald

• ISBN13: 9780736056212
• ISBN10: 0736056211
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-08-07
• Publisher: Human Kinetics

Summary

"Sports in American History: From Colonization to Globalization journeys from the early American past to the present to offer a compelling account of the historical evolution of American sporting practices. This text provides insights that allow readers to develop new and alternative perspectives, examine sport as a social and cultural phenomenon, generate a better understanding of current sport practices, and consider future developments in sport in American life." "Sports in American History is unique in its level of detail, broad time frame, and focus on sports and the evolving definitions of physical activity and games. In addition, excerpts from primary documents provide firsthand accounts that will not only inform and fascinate readers but also provide a well-rounded perspective on the historical development of American sport."--BOOK JACKET.

Table of Contents

Sporting Experiences in Colonial America, 1400-1750

Native American Pastimes and Sports

Influence of Religion on English Colonists

Sport in American Colonies

Summary

Sport and Pastimes in the American Revolutionary Era and Early National Period, 1750-1820

The Great Awakening and the Place of Sport

Consumerism and Changing Patterns of Colonial Life

The Enlightenment in America and Ideas of Sport and the Body

Frontier and Backcountry Sport

Women's Active Recreation in the Revolutionary Era and Early National Period

Native American Sport

Sporting Practices During the American Revolutionary War

Turn of the Nineteenth Century and Societal Patterns

Summary

Antebellum Health Reforms and Sporting Forms, 1820-1860

Overview of the Antebellum Period

Health Reformers

Muscular Christianity

Women and Physical Activity

Rural Sporting Practices

Rise of Agricultural and Sporting Journalism

Sporting Practices of the Middle and Upper Class

Public Spaces for Health and Sport

Sporting Pastimes of African Americans and Native Americans

Immigrants and Sporting Cultures

Summary

Rise of Rationalized and Modern Sport, 1850-1870

Concept of Modern Sport

Subcommunities and the Growth of Modern Sport

Sporting Fraternity

Growth of Sports Clubs and Advancing Rational Recreation

Growth of American Team Sport and Competition

Rise of Intercollegiate Sport

The Civil War and Sporting Experiences

Summary

New Identities and Expanding Modes of Sport in the Gilded Age, 1870-1890

Sport and Social Stratification

Maintaining Ethnic Forms of Leisure

Development of an Intercollegiate Sporting Culture

Male Sporting Culture

Business of Sport

Gendered Sport, Class, and Social Roles

Regulation of Sport: Amateurism Versus Professionalism

Summary

American Sport and Social Change During the Progressive Era, 1890-1920

Social Reformers of the Progressive Era

Play and Games in American Ideology

Recreational Spaces

Back-to-Nature Movement

Sport and Colonialism

Resistance to Social Reform

Sport, Ethnicity, and the Quest for Social Mobility

Assimilation of Disparate Groups in American Society

Challenging Gender Boundaries

Body Culture

Sport and Technology

Modern Olympic Games

Sport During World War I

Summary

Sport, Heroic Athletes, and Popular Culture, 1920-1950

War, Depression, and the Shaping of America

Social Change and the Spread of Sport

Heroes in the Golden Age

Media and the Commercialization of Sport

Summary

Sport as TV Spectacle, Big Business, and Political Site, 1950-1980

Sport in the Cold War

Evolution of the Sport-Media Relationship

Incorporation of Alternative Heroes

Professional Sport and Labor Relations

Sport and the Civil Rights Movement

Sport, Narcissism, and the Existential Search for Self

Scientific Advancements and the Growth of Sport

Summary

Globalized Sport, 1980-2007

Corporate Sporting Culture

Women and Sport

Sport and Cynicism in America

Enduring Icons of Sport

Alternative Sports

Summary

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