Sport in American Culture: From Ali to X-Games

A unique and timely exploration of the cultural impact of sport on American society, including lifestyles, language, and thinking.

Sport in American Culture is the first and only reference work to provide an in-depth and up-to-date exploration of sport and its impact on American culture. Essays from more than 200 scholars, professionals, and sports enthusiasts address how sport has changed our lifestyles, language, and thinking.

Arranged alphabetically, the work introduces key sport figures and national icons, with a focus on their cultural impact, examines individual sports and how they have influenced society, and discusses such phenomena as the billion-dollar athletic apparel industry, sport as big business, and the effect of sport on gender, racial views, pride, and nationalism. In addition to expected topics, the work also includes less studied areas such as myths, audience rituals, Wheaties, comic books, the hula hoop, and religion.

Joyce D. Duncan is managing editor of the Sport Literature Association and founding editor of Arete, an online discussion group for sport literature enthusiasts, and a faculty member at East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, where she teaches service-learning.