This collection of fresh essays examines the intersection of baseball and social class, pointing to the conclusion that America's game, infused from its origins with a democratic mythos and founded on high-minded principles of meritocracy, is nonetheless fraught with problematic class contradictions. Each essayist has explored how class standing has influenced some aspect of the game as experienced by those who play it, those who watch it, those who write about it, and those who market it. The topic of class is an amorphous one and in tying it to baseball the contributors have considered matters of race, education, locality, integration, assimilation, and cultural standing. These elements are crucial to understanding how baseball creates, preserves, reinforces and occasionally assails class divisions among those who watch, play, and own the game.

Contains knowledge from sports management, sports science, human movement studies, sport history, and sport sociology synthesised in 450 comprehensive illustrated articles. Covers key social issues such as doping, racism, sexism, civic life, youth participation and public policy, with all perspectives covered.

Now available in paperback, Harold Seymour and Dorothy Seymour Mills' Baseball: The Early Years recounts the true story of how baseball came into being and how it developed into a highly organized business and social institution. The Early Years, traces the growth of baseball from the time of the first recorded ball game at Valley Forge during the revolution until the formation of the two present-day major leagues in 1903. By investigating previously unknown sources, the book uncovers the real story of how baseball evolved from a gentleman's amateur sport of "well-bred play followed by well-laden banquet tables" into a professional sport where big leagues operate under their own laws. Offering countless anecdotes and a wealth of new information, the authors explode many cherished myths, including the one which claims that Abner Doubleday "invented" baseball in 1839. They describe the influence of baseball on American business, manners, morals, social institutions, and even show business, as well as depicting the types of men who became the first professional ball players, club owners, and managers, including Spalding, McGraw, Comiskey, and Connie Mack. Note: On August 2, 2010, Oxford University Press made public that it would credit Dorothy Seymour Mills as co-author of the three baseball histories previously "authored" solely by her late husband, Harold Seymour. The Seymours collaborated on Baseball: The Early Years (1960), Baseball: The Golden Age (1971) and Baseball: The People's Game (1991).

Sport in America: From Colonial Leisure to Celebrity Figures and Globalization, Volume II, presents 18 thought-provoking essays focusing on the changes and patterns in American sport during six distinct eras over the past 400 years. The selections are entirely different from those in the first volume, discussing diverse topics such as views of sport in the Puritan society of colonial New England, gender roles and the croquet craze of the 1800s, and the Super Bowl's place in contemporary sport. Each of the six parts includes an introduction to the essays, allowing readers to relate them to the cultural changes and influences of the period. Readers will find essays on well-known topics written by established scholars as well as new approaches and views from recent studies. Suitable for use as a stand-alone or supplemental text in undergraduate and graduate sport history courses, Sport in America provides students with opportunities to examine selected sport topics in more depth, realize a greater understanding of sport throughout history, and consider the interrelationships of sport and other societal institutions. Essays are arranged chronologically from the early American period to the present day to provide the proper historical context and offer perspective on changes that have occurred in sport over time. Also, a list of suggested readings provided in each part offers readers the opportunity to expand their thinking on the nature of sport throughout American history. Essays on how Pinehurst Golf Course was created, the interconnection between sport and the World War I military experience, and discussion of sport icons such as Joe Louis, Walter Camp, Jackie Robinson, and Cal Ripken Jr. allow readers to explore sport as a reflection of the changing values and norms of society. Sport in America: From Colonial Leisure to Celebrity Figures and Globalization, Volume II, provides students and scholars with perspectives regarding the role of sport at particular moments in American history and gives them an appreciation for the complex intersections of sport with society and culture.

In Baseball Rebels Peter Dreier and Robert Elias examine the key social challenges--racism, sexism and homophobia--that shaped society and worked their way into baseball's culture, economics, and politics. Since baseball emerged in the mid-1800s to become America's pastime, the nation's battles over race, gender, and sexuality have been reflected on the playing field, in the executive suites, in the press box, and in the community. Some of baseball's rebels are widely recognized, but most of them are either little known or known primarily for their baseball achievements--not their political views and activism. Everyone knows the story of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color line, but less known is Sam Nahem, who opposed the racial divide in the U.S. military and organized an integrated military team that won a championship in 1945. Or Toni Stone, the first of three women who played for the Indianapolis Clowns in the previously all-male Negro Leagues. Or Dave Pallone, MLB's first gay umpire. Many players, owners, reporters, and other activists challenged both the baseball establishment and society's status quo. Baseball Rebels tells stories of baseball's reformers and radicals who were influenced by, and in turn influenced, America's broader political and social protest movements, making the game--and society--better along the way.

Examining the ways F. Scott Fitzgerald portrayed spectator sports as working to help structure ideologies of class, community and nationhood, this book shows how narratives of attending sports and being a 'fan' cultivate communities of spectatorship

A collection of original essays about baseball in other cultures, notably Asia, Europe, the Americas and the Pacific, which explores a wide range of issues for each region.

In Sports and Aging a wide-ranging group of physically active people, including many scholar-athletes, fifty years and older, discuss sports in the context of aging and their own athletic experiences. This collection of personal accounts includes a spectrum of contributors across genders, social classes, and racial, ethnic, national, religious, and educational backgrounds to determine whether there are any common characteristics that can promote long, happy, healthy, and meaningful lifespans. In this fresh look at the role of sports in the process of aging, contributors range from a ninety-six-year-old great-grandmother to a former Olympian. Many contributors have used education to better their lot in life or to find solace and meaning in the service of others. For all, sports or physical activity has enhanced their health and temperament and provided a sense of community.

A significant topic in American society, sports ethics has also been the subject of an increasing number of scholarly studies during the past two decades. Moreover, a growing number of courses on sports are being offered at colleges and universities. In Sports Ethics in America, Donald G. Jones provides a valuable reference tool for teaching and research in a variety of sports-related disciplines. The book is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary bibliography with some 2,800 entries. Entries include both scholarly works and works written by journalists during the two decades from 1970 to 1990. The volume is divided into five major sections (1) General Works and Philosophy, (2) The Team, Players, and Coaches, (3) The Game, Competition, and Contestants, (4) Sport and Society, and (5) Reference Works. Each entry includes a brief listing of the subjects covered in the work. The volume also includes a full subject index and an author index.