More Than Just a Game - (Columbia Histories of Modern American Life) by Kathryn Jay (Paperback)

About the Book

Every aspect of the sporting world has exploded since 1945. In this book, Jay takes a look at how sports has become a multibillion-dollar industry as well as a major influence on--and reflection of--American society. 25 illustrations.

Book Synopsis

More Than Just a Game tracks the explosion of the sports industry in the United States since 1945 and how it has shaped class, racial, gender, and national identities. By examining both professional and intercollegiate sports such as baseball, football, basketball, golf, tennis, and stock car racing, Kathryn Jay looks at the impact of packaging, salary, hype, corporate sponsorship, drug use, and the presence of women and African American players. Jay also considers the persistent belief that sports encourage good citizenship and morality despite a rise in cheating and violent behavior and an unabashed emphasis on financial gain. More Than Just a Game is a fascinating exploration of a phenomenon that has engaged the American imagination and thrilled fans for decades.

Review Quotes

More Than Just a Game will be an important source for historians and sociologists in years ahead...--Lawrence S. Connor "Indianapolis Star"

[Jay] traces the complex evolution of sports in American society over the course of the past sixty years, explaining how and why the major sports... have become a multibillion-dollar industry, as well as a major influence on and reflection of American society.-- "Forecast"

A valuable and necessary read... Riveting.--Terry Martin "Aethlon"

Dr. Jay has produced a useful and thoughtful volume... it offers much insight into, and raises important questions about, recent developments in American Sport.--Richard C. Crepeau "The Journal of American History"

Her judgments are sharp, her insights astute, and her breadth remarkable...Highly recommended.-- "Choice"

Jay's exciting--sometimes breathless--commentary on the evolution of sports in late 20th-century America touches all the bases, scoring point after point with her lucid insights and evocative prose.-- "Publishers Weekly"

Jay's historical and sociological treatment offers many important details on women in sports... This would be a good textbook for an undergraduate sport history class. Recommended for academic libraries.-- "Library Journal"

About the Author

Kathryn Jay was most recently an assistant professor of history and director of American studies at Barnard College.