Design for Sports: The Cult of Performance

by Akiko Busch (Editor)

If sports have become a new religion, then sporting equipment has become an object of devotion. Our cultural fascination with the icons of sports- -from Michael Jordan to Rollerblades--and the technology of designs that push us to ever-higher levels of performance are the subject of this intriguing book. Design for Sports examines both the equipment, showing how sports are changing as a result of advancements in design and materials, as well as the cultural implications of sports design through an investigation of advertising and popular culture. Sports equipment has undergone radical changes in recent years, as technology has reshaped the way sports are played. New designs such as oversized tennis rackets, parabolic skis, titanium bats, and reconfigured golf clubs have altered the very nature of their respective sports, setting new standards of technical performance. Indeed, some professional sports organizations have banned certain kinds of equipment because they fear it could transform the nature of their games. Design for Sports covers a range of cultural how development of sports technology has heightened the visibility of and participation in women's sports; sports subcultures, revealed through the graphics of athletic footwear; and how sports equipment allows for a new relationship with the natural world, as it replicates outdoor conditions inside the gym. The contributors include sports journalist Candace Lyle Hogan; Steven Skov Holt, former editor at I.D. Magazine and currently director of strategy at the firm frogdesign; and world-class swimmer, sports announcer, and National Public Radio columnist Diana Nyad. Editor Akiko Busch has written about architecture and design for publications such as Graphis, Metropolis, House & Garden, and I.D. Magazine. Design for Sports is published in conjunction with the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.

127 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 1998

About the author

Akiko Busch has written about design and culture since 1979. She is the author of Geography of Home: Writings on Where We Live and The Uncommon Life of Common Objects: Essays on Design an the Everyday. Her most recent book of essays, Nine Ways to Cross a River, a collection of essays about swimming across American Rivers, was published in 2007 by Bloomsbury/USA. She was a contributing editor at Metropolis magazine for 20 years. Her essays have appeared in numerous exhibition catalogues, and she has written articles for Architectural Record, Elle, Home, House & Garden, Metropolitan Home, London Financial Times, The New York Times, Traditional Home, Travel & Leisure and Wallpaper*, among other publications. In Fall, 2005 she served as a Richard Koopman Distinguished Chair for the Visual Arts at the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford. She has lectured widely on architecture and design and has appeared on public radio in the U.S. and Canada. Currently, she is a regular contributor to The New York Times Sunday regional section.

Reviews

[Ralph Zoontjens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good essay on the design of sporting goods with many examples and insights into the human psychology and socio-cultural context behind sports innovation.