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The Meaning Of Sports: Why Americans Watch Baseball, Football, and Basketball and What They See When They Do
In The Meaning of Sports, Michael Mandelbaum examines America's century-long love affair with baseball, football, and basketball. He shows how each of these games experienced a golden age when the values that it embodies were most prized by the culture. He demonstrates how sports respond to deep human needs; describes the ways in which baseball, football, and basketball became national institutions and how they reached their present forms; and covers the evolution of rules, the rise and fall of the most successful teams, and the historical significance of the most famous and influential figures such as Babe Ruth, George Steinbrenner, Red Grange, Vince Lombardi, Bill Russell, and Michael Jordan.
378 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 31, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 8, 2018
My favorite books might be the ones that give me some insight to the world or, as in this case, some part of it.
I'd never understood baseball, football or basketball as I do now, especially how they came to have such prominence in American life.
Fact is, I'd never thought much about them at all. Just played them (organized softball to this day, basketball and football in my youth at the schoolyard) and enjoyed watching them all my life (though only the championship games as an adult). But I see now I was always looking only at pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, scattered on the table, never seeing how the parts fit together. Or even how they fit together with parts of other puzzles. Yes, that's confusing, but read the book to see what I mean. I don't want to tell you more, so you can enjoy the author's countless connections as much as I did.
I'm in awe of the scholarship that went into this book. And marvel at how it was made it so readable and relevant. George Will has long been my standard for great writing (to include his wonderful book on baseball, "Men at Work"); Mandelbaum is his equal. Mandlebaum's book, in fact, has replaced Will's in my Deserted Island Books list.
My only kvetch is the title, which really should be "The Meaning of Baseball, Basketball and Football in America: a Historical and Sociological Perspective." But that's way too long, and not very catchy. "The Meaning of Sports" is good enough.
In my sixth decade, and a lifelong reader, I've enjoyed many fine books on sports. This is my favorite.
I'd never understood baseball, football or basketball as I do now, especially how they came to have such prominence in American life.
Fact is, I'd never thought much about them at all. Just played them (organized softball to this day, basketball and football in my youth at the schoolyard) and enjoyed watching them all my life (though only the championship games as an adult). But I see now I was always looking only at pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, scattered on the table, never seeing how the parts fit together. Or even how they fit together with parts of other puzzles. Yes, that's confusing, but read the book to see what I mean. I don't want to tell you more, so you can enjoy the author's countless connections as much as I did.
I'm in awe of the scholarship that went into this book. And marvel at how it was made it so readable and relevant. George Will has long been my standard for great writing (to include his wonderful book on baseball, "Men at Work"); Mandelbaum is his equal. Mandlebaum's book, in fact, has replaced Will's in my Deserted Island Books list.
My only kvetch is the title, which really should be "The Meaning of Baseball, Basketball and Football in America: a Historical and Sociological Perspective." But that's way too long, and not very catchy. "The Meaning of Sports" is good enough.
In my sixth decade, and a lifelong reader, I've enjoyed many fine books on sports. This is my favorite.
June 21, 2017
This book attempts to explain why team sports, specifically baseball, football and basketball in the U.S. have so much popularity. It is well researched with many footnotes. To sum up the message of this book is that sports give people clarity in a world that increasingly is incomprehensible. I think he is right because when i pick up a newspaper I usually turn to the sports pages first.
May 26, 2019
This book completely changes the way one would perceive something ,as common place and popular as sports !
June 4, 2014
Political scientist Mandelbaum turns his attention to sports in this highly readable, insightful, and entertaining study of why we watch and play (and become rabid fans) of America’s three most primary sports: baseball, football, and basketball, and how each of them reflects the times in which they emerged and have been most popular.
As one who is completely befuddled by sports mania or why anyone would choose to spend hours in the cold watching stylized combat or pay exorbitant amounts for court side or box seats, I enjoyed Mandelbaum's insight that sports serve much the same function as religion and theater have historically, namely to provide a diversion from the drudgery and routine with periods of leisure and spectacles that excite. Stadiums have replaced cathedrals as impressive architectural structures that distinguish a city. Like theater, sports are characterized by cathartic tension and release, but unlike drama, the outcome of sporting events is unknown and lasts longer than a single game to a season, creating an “epic series of challenges to achieve a goal.” Sports offer a “clear cut observable beginning, middle, and end,” a comforting structure, particularly in the last hundred years, when life has become less coherent and predictable.
Team sports truly surged in America in the 19th century, with urbanization, public schools, and the protracted “period between birth and work,” childhood, when children actually had leisure time to participate in sports. “English private schools adopted organized team games as part of their curricula in the 19th century because the games were thought to inculcate the qualities of character necessary to leading the country and managing the empire” (p. 13).
Mandelbaum describes baseball as an essentially rural game with a leisurely pace, born of an agrarian society in which humans are at the whim of nature. The game has changed little over the course of more than a century of play. “To succeed at baseball…requires the emotional capacity to confront and accept failure, and to proceed with confidence despite the repeated existence of failure, which were also the attitudes necessary to endure the conditions of traditional existence.” As a creation of the industrial age, football is more urban, with measured time, no deference to the elements, specialization of labor, and frequent change in rules and equipment and “offers something in abundance that baseball and basketball do not: violence,” which exercises a “powerful attraction” and underscores the centrality of war, gaining ground, combat. Finally, basketball is post-industrial, requires minimal equipment and an artificial surface, with games held in climate-controlled buildings independent of nature.
The amusing historical anecdotes sustained my interest. His explanations were at times a bit of a stretch (land, capital, knowledge), but all in all, this was a fun and insightful book that brought me to a greater understanding of the psycho-social dimensions of sport.
As one who is completely befuddled by sports mania or why anyone would choose to spend hours in the cold watching stylized combat or pay exorbitant amounts for court side or box seats, I enjoyed Mandelbaum's insight that sports serve much the same function as religion and theater have historically, namely to provide a diversion from the drudgery and routine with periods of leisure and spectacles that excite. Stadiums have replaced cathedrals as impressive architectural structures that distinguish a city. Like theater, sports are characterized by cathartic tension and release, but unlike drama, the outcome of sporting events is unknown and lasts longer than a single game to a season, creating an “epic series of challenges to achieve a goal.” Sports offer a “clear cut observable beginning, middle, and end,” a comforting structure, particularly in the last hundred years, when life has become less coherent and predictable.
Team sports truly surged in America in the 19th century, with urbanization, public schools, and the protracted “period between birth and work,” childhood, when children actually had leisure time to participate in sports. “English private schools adopted organized team games as part of their curricula in the 19th century because the games were thought to inculcate the qualities of character necessary to leading the country and managing the empire” (p. 13).
Mandelbaum describes baseball as an essentially rural game with a leisurely pace, born of an agrarian society in which humans are at the whim of nature. The game has changed little over the course of more than a century of play. “To succeed at baseball…requires the emotional capacity to confront and accept failure, and to proceed with confidence despite the repeated existence of failure, which were also the attitudes necessary to endure the conditions of traditional existence.” As a creation of the industrial age, football is more urban, with measured time, no deference to the elements, specialization of labor, and frequent change in rules and equipment and “offers something in abundance that baseball and basketball do not: violence,” which exercises a “powerful attraction” and underscores the centrality of war, gaining ground, combat. Finally, basketball is post-industrial, requires minimal equipment and an artificial surface, with games held in climate-controlled buildings independent of nature.
The amusing historical anecdotes sustained my interest. His explanations were at times a bit of a stretch (land, capital, knowledge), but all in all, this was a fun and insightful book that brought me to a greater understanding of the psycho-social dimensions of sport.
March 28, 2014
I would have rather read the an essay that summarized the book, but I appreciated the connections that Mandelbaum made. I found the baseball section the hardest to get through.
Baseball- agrarian, individual success leads to team success, rooted in the past
Football- highly specialized and mechanized, violent, war complement/substitute
Basketball- fluid teamwork, attractive to Boomers as alternative to the other sports, heavily promoted the individual and is now facing the cost as the appeal is in large part of the team working together.
I was hoping I might find a way to foresee the success of professional Ultimate, but that may rest on whether spirit of the game wins out and whether idealism sweeps the nation.
Baseball- agrarian, individual success leads to team success, rooted in the past
Football- highly specialized and mechanized, violent, war complement/substitute
Basketball- fluid teamwork, attractive to Boomers as alternative to the other sports, heavily promoted the individual and is now facing the cost as the appeal is in large part of the team working together.
I was hoping I might find a way to foresee the success of professional Ultimate, but that may rest on whether spirit of the game wins out and whether idealism sweeps the nation.
August 22, 2012
The author's father was an anthropolgist who's ability rubbed off on his favorite subject. Besides insightful history of each of these uniquely American sports, he relates them to each to specific points in our development as a country. I found these relationships very thought provoking as sport rule changes also reflect changes in our society.
There is a fun element of walking down history of the "Great Players" of each sport. I was also reminded of some of George Carlin's comic routines about the word choices that each sport invokes.
It was a fun and easy read and I highly recommend it to everybody and not just sport enthusiast.
January 6, 2013
Although this book was reviewed for me as a serious sports fan I thoroughly enjoyed it from anthropology perspective. Basically baseballs a farm game, football is an industrial game and basketball postindustrial game. The cultural norms about the sport is quite fascinating really explained why these three a popular today can you be popular in the future. I didn't know much about basketball I was really interested by the history sport especially the Catholics influence. This is a great book for a beginner sports fan that provides a broad history of American sports and culture.
October 22, 2007
Random thoughts about the nature of sports and their meaning to American life. The rambling narrative seems meant to show how well-read Mandelbaum is as opposed to forming a reasonable or significant point-of-view.
Besides, any author who claims pro basketball is the most popular sport in America is either painfully out of touch or just plain ignorant.
Does give some interesting tidbits on the histories of the three major sports.
Besides, any author who claims pro basketball is the most popular sport in America is either painfully out of touch or just plain ignorant.
Does give some interesting tidbits on the histories of the three major sports.
September 17, 2007
A little too simplistic. It lacks anecdotes or intriguing observations but instead simply explains why certain sports reflect certain historical periods, their rise and fall from popularity, nothing too complex.
April 14, 2015
The book explains why baseball, football, and basketball are popular by comparing them to agrarian, industrial, and post industrial society. Some of it was interesting and some of it felt like the author was picking and choosing examples that fit his theory. I wasn't all that convinced.
September 4, 2009
A very interesting look in to the history of the three team sports - baseball, football and basketball - and the society which invented them and what they reflect about those times in history.
July 25, 2011
Theory-based book that is really enjoyable.
June 7, 2015
In 8 Words or Less: Interesting, Engaging Sociological Insights into The Big 3
April 9, 2017
sports is quite machiavellian in as much as we have the best..that doesnt mean others arent worthy..its because the best can only be one..
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews