Sports in America, James A. Michener
Sports in America, James A. Michener
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Sports in America

Author: James A. Michener

Narrator: Larry McKeever

Unabridged: 24 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/08/2015


Synopsis

Originally published in 1976, James A. Michener’s explosive, spectacular Sports in America is a prescient examination of the crisis in American sports that is still unfolding to this day. Pro basketball players are banned for narcotics use, while a Major League pitcher is arrested for smuggling drugs across the Mexican border. The NFL’s “injury report” grows longer every Sunday. Corruption and recruiting violations plague collegiate sports as the “winning is everything” mentality trickles down to the Little League level. With his lifelong enthusiasm for sports in evidence, the incomparable Michener tackles this subject thoroughly and leaves us amazed and appalled by what we’ve learned, yet still loving the games we grew up on.
 
Praise for Sports in America
 
“A comprehensive, controversial examination of sports as a major force in American life.”—Los Angeles Times
 
“Michener’s life was saved by sports twice. In return, he has issued a long, lovingly critical, prodigiously researched account of the passions and politics of America at organized play. Rich in anecdote, source material and his own shrewd commentary.”—The New York Times Book Review
 
“Like just about everything James Michener has produced, Sports in America is a thoughtful, well-written document that’s thoroughly researched. . . . For anyone interested in how the ball bounces in the U.S. of A., the answers are all here.”—The Wall Street Journal
 
“Encyclopedic . . . amusing and sometimes alarming.”—The Washington Post

About The Author

James A. Michener was one of the world’s most popular writers, the author of more than forty books of fiction and nonfiction, including the Pulitzer Prize–winning Tales of the South Pacific, the bestselling novels The Source, Hawaii, Alaska, Chesapeake, Centennial, Texas, Caribbean, and Caravans, and the memoir The World Is My Home. Michener served on the advisory council to NASA and the International Broadcast Board, which oversees the Voice of America. Among dozens of awards and honors, he received America’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1977, and an award from the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities in 1983 for his commitment to art in America. Michener died in 1997 at the age of ninety.


Reviews

Goodreads review by John on March 24, 2012

Read this book 20+ years ago. It should be required reading for all sports junkies as well as athletes planning a career in sports. The chapter on collegian sports in America was well-researched, spot on and worth the purchase price. I gave this book to a friend's son as he was going off to college......more

Goodreads review by Sharron on June 25, 2011

This was actually used as a textbook for a class I took way back in undergrad days. Best textbook ever.......more

Goodreads review by Mark on June 15, 2020

Good nonfiction from Michener. I enjoyed this one during my college years!......more

Goodreads review by Kirsten on October 19, 2024

Dated but a lot of relevant themes still today......more

Goodreads review by Hal on February 08, 2015

Reading this book caused me to help lead a peaceful protest movement in college, trying to get my college to drop to a lower NCAA division.......more


Quotes

“A comprehensive, controversial examination of sports as a major force in American life.”Los Angeles Times
 
“Michener’s life was saved by sports twice. In return, he has issued a long, lovingly critical, prodigiously researched account of the passions and politics of America at organized play. Rich in anecdote, source material and his own shrewd commentary.”The New York Times Book Review
 
“Like just about everything James Michener has produced, Sports in America is a thoughtful, well-written document that’s thoroughly researched. . . . For anyone interested in how the ball bounces in the U.S. of A., the answers are all here.”The Wall Street Journal
 
“Encyclopedic . . . amusing and sometimes alarming.”The Washington Post