A single-volume reference source combines history, biography, and records of women's sports

Presents biographical profiles of important women in sports history, including birth and death dates, major accomplishments, and historical influence.

The three-volume International Encyclopedia of Women and Sports is the largest and most comprehensive work about women's sports ever published. It includes articles on individual sports, sports medicine and women's health, societal and cultural issues, biographies, and historical country profiles. The work provides unique international and historical coverage of women's sports from earliest recorded times to the dawn of the twenty-first century, as well as the geographical and cultural context necessary for a thorough understanding of this burgeoning topic.In 430 A-Z articles, leading scholars and specialists cover numerous sports and sports figures, as well as health issues such as eating disorders, nutrition and bone density, and social issues such as body image, gender equity and Title IX legislation (which mandates equity in school funding for women's sports programs). A number of organizations contributed to this project, including the Women's Sports Foundation, the International Working Group on Women and Sport, Amateur Athletic Foundation, and others.One of the American Library Association RUSA Committee's Outstanding Reference Public"An important contribution to the study of women's participation in athletic activity. The wide variety of coverage and depth of the articles will make it a valuable addition to any collection needing information on women or sports. It is appropriate for public and academic libraries." --Booklist"A monumental undertaking, this encyclopedia covers women's sports worldwide and throughout history?. This encyclopedia's strengths lie in its unique, cross-cultural treatment of all subjects?. A scholarly resource for public libraries and schools at all levels, middle school through college." --Library Journal"The wide coverage of the present encyclopedia reflects the diversity in women's sport?. Major health issues of concern to female athletes (e.g., amenorrhea, osteoporosis, eating disorders) are given excellent coverage?. Highly recommended for all academic and large public libraries." --Choice"A very well organized and comprehensive reference work?. Normally I would recommend a work like this for strong sports collections, however ? I strongly recommend it for all serious reference collections." --Reference and User Services Quarterly

The subject is rife with social and cultural implications which Guttmann explores as he traces the development of women's sports from antiquity to the present, including the evolution and the revolution in the 20th century and contemporary controversies.

"This encyclopedia provides short biographical entries with time and place of birth and then spells out the women's athletic accomplishments. It also includes historical articles, such as 'Badminton and Women' and sociological/psychological entries, such as 'Goal Setting and Women.'" Voice Youth Advocates. "This clearly written book offers more information about American female athletes than any other single source." SLJ.

The participation of women in sports, whether it be professional or amateur, has increased dramatically over the past 20 years. The anatomy and physiology of the female athlete is unique and it is these aspects which are covered in this new volume in the Encyclopaedia of Sports Medicine. Women in Sport provides and invaluable reference for those who deal with sportswomen of all abilities, both on a clinical and research level.

Although girls and women account for approximately 40 percent of all athletes in the United States, they receive only 4 percent of the total sport media coverage. SportsCenter, ESPN's flagship program, dedicates less than 2 percent of its airtime to women. Local news networks devote less than 5 percent of their programming to women's sports. Excluding Sports Illustrated's annual "Swimsuit Issue," women appear on just 4.9 percent of the magazine's covers. Media is a powerful indication of the culture surrounding sport in the United States. Why are women underrepresented in sports media? Sports Illustrated journalist Andy Benoit infamously remarked that women's sports "are not worth watching." Although he later apologized, Benoit's comment points to more general lack of awareness. Consider, for example, the confusion surrounding Title IX, the U.S. Law that prohibits sex discrimination in any educational program that receives federal financial assistance. Is Title IX to blame when administrators drop men's athletic programs? Is it lack of interest or lack of opportunity that causes girls and women to participate in sport at lower rates than boys and men? In Women's Sports: What Everyone Needs to Know®, Jaime Schultz tackles these questions, along with many others, to upend the misunderstandings that plague women's sports. Using historical, contemporary, scholarly, and popular sources, Schultz traces the progress and pitfalls of women's involvement in sport. In the signature question-and-answer format of the What Everyone Needs to Know® series, this short and accessible book clarifies misconceptions that dog women's athletics and offers much needed context and history to illuminate the struggles and inequalities sportswomen continue to face. By exploring issues such as gender, sexuality, sex segregation, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, media coverage, and the sport-health connection, Schultz shows why women's sports are not just worth watching, but worth playing, supporting, and fighting for.