More Than a Game: When Sport and History Collide - Softcover

Jan Stradling

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1741961351 ISBN 13: 9781741961355

Publisher: Pier 9, Murdoch Books, 2009

Synopsis

Sporting events are battles. To the fan they are simply battles waged between sportsmen and women, but the battle is sometimes part of something much bigger - a war that may involve not only the players on the field but also their race, faith or political beliefs. More Than A Game looks at the fascinating stories behind some of the world's most famous sporting battles and examines the underlying reasons that made them so memorable - from athlete Jesse Owens flying in the face of Hitler's white supremacy beliefs by winning four gold medals in the same day at the Berlin Olympics in 1936; to tennis player Billie Jean King serving hard to win the fight for women's equality by taking on self-declared male chauvinist pig Bobby Riggs; from Argentinian soccer legend Maradona hitting back at the English for the Falklands War with his 'Hand of God' goal. The book explores the dramatic, emotional sporting moments that captured the hearts of nations and reveals why they always were much more than a game. Key points: sidebars and breakout information add texture and extra value to the powerful main narrative; the subject matter covers a wide variety of sports, from chess to water polo

About this title

Product Description:

Sporting matches are battles. To the fan they are simply battles waged between sportsmen and women, but the battle is sometimes part of something much bigger. A war that may involve not only the players on the field but their race, faith or political beliefs. More Than a Game recounts the unforgettable moments of triumph or defeat of some of our most amazing athletes, and how they wittingly or unwittingly forged themselves a place in the history books to become key players in the struggle for social change. This book explores these dramatic, emotional sporting events that have captured the hearts of nations, and reveals why they were much more than just a game.

Synopsis:

Sporting events are battles...but not always just between competitors. They are sometimes part of something much bigger: a war that may involve not only the players on the field but also their nationality, race, faith, sex or religious beliefs. Throughout history, sport has provided a snapshot of the social and political climate of the times. This book looks at the fascinating stories behind some of the world's greatest sporting battles, including: African-American athlete Jesse Owens' triumph at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, making a mockery of Hitler's white supremacy doctrine; Argentinian soccer player Diego Maradona hitting back at the UK, his country's enemy in the Falklands War, with his 'hand of God' goal; the Cold War defeat of the 'unbeatable' USSR ice hockey team by a bunch of inexperienced US college students; and the infamous 'Bodyline' cricket series between imperial power and dominion, England and Australia, in 1932-3.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pier 9, Murdoch Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1741961351
• ISBN 13: 9781741961355
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304