Sports in American Life: A History

Review

"Richard Davies has given us a wonderfully rich and comprehensive look – not only at the history of sports in the United States, but at what sports means to such a diverse people. His is a valuable addition to our understanding of this institution that works itself so deeply into our culture." Frank Deford, Senior Consulting Editor, Sports Illustrated "This is a superb history of American sport. Davies explains in great detail and with much passion how sport in this country was transformed from an informal activity to a highly structured and organized phenomenon." David K. Wiggins, George Mason University "By introducing some of the basic topics and literature on sport from the American Colonial period through the present, Davies hopes to show how important sports have been throughout American history, both in and of themselves and as a social force." Choice“Gracefully joining well-chosen analytic themes and illustrative biographies … Davies puts scholarship and art on the same team … .And gives us something to cheer for.” Journal of Social History

From the Back Cover

"This is a superb history of American sport. Davies explains in great detail and with much passion how sport in this country was transformed from an informal activity to a highly structured and organized phenomenon." David K. Wiggins, George Mason University