Games Colleges Play: Scandal and Reform in Intercollegiate Athletics

by John R. Thelin

Featuring a new introduction by the author, the paperback edition of Games Colleges Play chronicles the history of intercollegiate athletics from 1910 to 1990. Featuring a new introduction by the author, the paperback edition of Games Colleges Play chronicles the history of intercollegiate athletics from 1910 to 1990—from the early, glory days of Knute Rockne and the Gipper to the modern era of big budgets, powerful coaches, and pampered players. John Thelin describes how sports programs—although seldom accorded official mention with teaching and research in the university mission statement—have become central to university life. As administrators search for a proper balance between athletics and academics, Thelin observes, this peculiar institution grows increasingly powerful and controversial. Thelin examines the 1929 Carnegie Foundation Report, the formation of major athletic conferences, the national college basketball scandals after World War II, the dissolution of the Pacific Coast Conference in the 1950s, and the Knight Foundation Report of 1991. He finds disturbing patterns of abuse and limited reform and explores the implications of these patterns for today's college presidents, faculty, and students. Games Colleges Play provides historical background that will inform current policy discussions about the proper place of intercollegiate athletics within the American university.

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a pretty good book. But it's lacking in certain areas.
To be honest I bought this book while writing my final paper for my Masters (I wont bore you with to many details I promise). I double checked the prolouge online to make sure it would talk about women's athletics and it talked an awful lot about women and reform in the prologue. So I picked up a copy, however after that the effects of sports reform when it came the NCAA was a footnote. The only time women are talked about is the chapter about Title IX and that is just....not how sports have gone? I was really excited about what this book could have brought to my paper but its hyper-focus on football and popular (see: revenue producing) sports kind of shut that down.
If you looking for information about scandals and reforms surrounding primarily DI football and basketball you're in the right place If you're looking for anything else....you might want to try a different book

TLDR: Its good (if you don't want to know about women's intercollegiate athletics :/ )

[Jessica]

Thelin's awesome and I love it when the book goes into detailed accounts of specific colleges (LSU represent!), but he kind of loses me on the general accounts of the NCAA. I guess that's what happens when I'm only kind of into college sports.