|  | Resources | No.50 May 2007 |

Book Information Christina Gipson |
Jay, K. (2004). More Than Just a Game: Sports in American Life Since 1945 New York, NY: Columbia University Press Sports have been known as a gateway for opportunity for many people throughout history. People may find their own importance involved with sport; such as building character, offering opportunities for education, giving people activities to stay healthy, etc However, one history professor from Barnard College was able to see the connection of historical events with the growth of sport in the United States. After falling in love with sports as an athlete and a fan, Kathryn Jay completed a literary project about the history of sports in the United States. In More Than Just A Game: Sports in American Life Since 1945, Jay connects the growth of society to the growth in sports in the United States. Jay divides the book chronologically into seven chapters by events, social changes and types of sports. Within each chapter, she presents different elements related to the main topic. Jay opens the book by stating, “In modern American society, sports are far more than just a game.” She begins her timeline in 1945 and shows how sports have evolved into what the United States has today. Jay paints a compelling picture of how professional sports have evolved and changed throughout the twentieth century to become the strong powerful professions of today. She takes the reader through the time when professional football struggled for fan support and had separate leagues. She also points out how professional basketball was only popular within local team regions and the effects of competition on the NBA. Jay shows the importance of professional baseball to Americans through its impact on communities in both good and bad times. As Jay walks the reader down the evolutionary road of professional sports, the we learns when professional teams started moving from their founding home locations and why, when franchises started receiving radio and TV contracts and how and why teams began focusing more on money. However, Jay does not focus only on professional sports, but she gives amateur sports adequate attention. Jay reminds the reader about negative and positive issues faced within amateur sports, such as the roles the athletic departments have played throughout history. Gambling, point shaving and boosters paying players have been issues for many years. Television contracts, radio contracts and overwhelming game attendance have all helped athletic departments grow as a unit at collegiate levels. Jay touches on how the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has regulated unfair acts; trying to level the playing field. She also talks about some of the great players that have stood out in history after playing collegiate level and advancing to the professional level, such as Lewis Alcindor, also known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, from UCLA who became a great icon and hero in basketball. Abdul-Jabbar, was not only known for his aggressive attitude when opposing racial injustice, but also presented a new style for African-Americans when he wore an afro hairstyle. Unlike many sports history books, Jay has been able to link what is going on in the nation and around the world with what has happened in sports. She explains how women kept America’s favorite past time game going, baseball, during World War II, by beginning their own baseball league. It started as a softball league and changed to baseball to gain more interest from fans and fill the void left by so many male baseball players being off at war. She describes how during times of war, men were being drafted regardless of their careers. She details the consequences faced by athletes, like Muhammad Ali who was jailed and banned from boxing when he did not want to go to war and expressed his interest in only fighting for Allah. Ali was one of the first people to speak out against the Vietnam War. Within “More Than Just A Game“, she was able to see the bigger picture of the connection between society and sport. Realizing that sport has not always been easy, equal and fair for everyone, Jay does an exceptional job touching on the struggles that minorities have faced within sports. As Jay talks about common sport heroes within the Caucasian American communities, she also discusses the sport heroes within the African-American communities. Jay explains what the people did for their community, how they changed the opportunity of the sport and the struggles that were faced. Jay is able to not only focus on the most popular African-Americans of the past, but rather she writes about people that were not as well-known and made an impact on African-American sports. Jay is aware that women are part of the minorities and have played a large part in increasing opportunity in society. Equality for women has been a battle for as long as anyone can date back. Jay exhibits the struggles women faced in the workplace as well as on the playing fields. Title IX is discussed and explained very thoroughly, reminding the reader that it was an Act that was not made for sports, but was able to be used in the college and university settings. Jay capitalizes on exciting points in the past where women have not been recognized for their talents, such as when Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in a game called Battle of the Sexes. Women did not only have to break down doors for the opportunity to compete, but they also had to fight off stereotypes of being too masculine, which women still struggle with in the twenty-first century. To score more points to win the Olympics, women became a large priority for involvement. Finally, Jay illustrates how they Olympic Games have always been an event for nations to showcase themselves. Jay is able to show what some countries have had to go through just to participate throughout the history of the Olympics. Many people do not know or comprehend the full history of the Olympics, but Jay explains why Americans have competed, why other countries have not participated and what winning has really meant. Jay has written a history book that not only teaches history, but catches the reader’s attention and keeps it until the very last page. Overall, “More than Just a Game” is an easy reading history tool that discuses all aspects of sports; including the mutual impact of society and sports on each other. Kathryn Jay captures moments in history and puts the reader in that time to fully understand the things going on locally, nationally and globally. Unlike many writers, Jay points out the struggles faced by numerous groups of people without “sugar coating” the topics. I believe this book can be used as a tool for students studying sports who would like a refreshing presentation of the facts. Contact Christina Gipson Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia USA http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5 Book Information Christina Gipson