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Winning is the Only Thing

Sports in America since 1945

James S Olson author Randy Roberts author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Johns Hopkins University Press

Published:1st Apr '91

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Winning is the Only Thing cover

Important reading for anybody who cares about sports. -- Tug McGraw

And how TV sports czars like Roone Arledge-inventor of the "instant replay"-actually dictate how games are played.In Winning Is the Only Thing, Randy Roberts and James Olson take a hard look at the dark side of American sports. The scandals. The role of organized crime. How politicians and businessmen exploit the Olympics. Who gets rich and who goes broke. Why the fitness craze has nothing to do with fitness. And how TV sports czars like Roone Arledge-inventor of the "instant replay"-actually dictate how games are played.

An important and absorbing book... Scholars, students, and the general adult reading public all have much to gain from it. -- Arthur McClure History Probably the best brief treatment of the culture and business of American sports and the warping influence of television, commercialism, nationalism, and narcissism... An ambitious overview, Winning Is the Only Thing treats politico-cultural themes and a host of other subjects in a book that is clearly aimed at both general and scholarly audiences. -- Lawrence N. Powell Journal of Southern History A provocative essay on sports in America. It provides analyses of a multitude of people and trends, it is a synthesis of the best sports writing and sports history of the last several decades, and it offers insight into this significant part of American culture. Orlando Sentinel Reminds us that while the sports world may be seamier than ever, scandals are nothing new. -- Felicia E. Halpert The Nation

ISBN: 9780801842405

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 386g

272 pages