A History of American Sports in 100 Objects

by Cait Murphy

Beautifully designed and carefully curated, a fascinating collection of the things that shaped the way we live and play in America What artifact best captures the spirit of American sports? The bat Babe Ruth used to hit his allegedly called shot, or the ball on which Pete Rose wrote, "I'm sorry I bet on baseball"? Could it be Lance Armstrong's red-white-and-blue bike, now tarnished by doping and hubris? Or perhaps its ancestor, the nineteenth-century safety bicycle that opened an avenue of previously unknown freedom to women? The jerseys of rivals Larry Bird and Magic Johnson? Or the handball that Abraham Lincoln threw against a wall as he waited for news of his presidential nomination? From nearly forgotten heroes like Tad Lucas (rodeo) and Tommy Kono (weightlifting) to celebrities like Amelia Earhart, Muhammad Ali, and Michael Phelps, Cait Murphy tells the stories of the people, events, and things that have forged the epic of American sports, in both its splendor and its squalor. Stories of heroism and triumph rub up against tales of discrimination and cheating. These objects tell much more than just stories about great games-they tell the story of the nation. Eye-opening and exuberant, A History of American Sports in 100 Objects shows how the games Americans play are woven into the gloriously infuriating fabric of America itself.

Genres: Sports, History, Nonfiction

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 11, 2016

About the author

Cait Murphy is an editor and writer in New York, New York.

Reviews

[MH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cait Murphy, the author of the excellent Crazy '08, uses 100 objects to tell the stories of moments, people, or ideas that changed American sports. The entries are a good mix of the familiar and the little-known, and Murphy is a fantastic writer - warm, clear, and at times surprisingly touching. She doesn't shy away from the often bittersweet, sometimes tragic coda of many of these stories, and she does a fine job discussing some complicated people or ideas (Title IX, recurring Olympic corruption, Ali) without ever over-simplifying them. The concept of the 100 objects is applied pretty loosely and can feel like a bit of a cheat - not every important figure or moment has a particular artifact that they're associated with (Billie Jean King's iconic tennis dress from the Battle of the Sexes understandably gets an entry, for example, but so does a "dress worn by Venus Williams," which is really only there to allow Murphy to write an entry on the Williams sisters) - and anyone expecting a coffee-table book will be disappointed by the black-and-white, newsprint-quality of the images, but Murphy's skill as a storyteller makes this collection informative, moving, and very readable.

I was fortunate enough to win a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meticulously researched with copious references. The objects range from about 1100 to 2016. Objects from recent history were most interesting to me, such as the Auburn Oaks, first base from Galarraga's imperfect game, and Mike Eruzione's hockey stick. I also enjoyed reading about Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

It may not be the top 100 sports moments but I loved this book. There were so many stories about individual athletes that I didn't know anything about as well as some big names and legacies. The stories would range from record breakers to league creations, Nike's start to memorials for lost athletes. Highly recommend.

[Josh Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to my brother for letting me borrow this! This is a gem of a book with short stories of why these 100 objects are important. The most interesting to me at least, were the sections on the gloves that Tommy Smith and John Carlos held up at the '68 Olympics and the chapter on the CTE cat scans. Really good book. - B

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

didn't read cover-to-cover but flipped through all the pages and read a couple dozen vignettes. having worked on USOPM, this was fun to go through and i enjoyed that i have seen some of, of very close relatives to, the featured objects.

[Phillip Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun deep dive into sports.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book for sports fans, "A History of American Sports in 100 Objects" picks 100 objects, often those belonging to famous athletes, and describes their significance. It begins with one from the Native Americans and then a couple from colonial times to 1800s, although the vast majority are 1900+. The first object was the one I found most interesting, as it was a unique history/taught something very new, but then it seemed out of place amongst the more modern sport-related objects. Another interesting one was the notation of a $500 payment to an NFL player- the first time one was paid to play (a notion that seems odd given the current NFL paychecks). The modern ones I found less intriguing as I already knew about them/the individuals involved. I imagine they were easier to comprehend the importance of/think of.

Altogether, it's an interesting collection complete with pictures (albeit black and white). The focus in the book is more on the descriptions than the pictures (I thought it would be a coffee-table-style book but it's really more of a book meant for reading). As each object has it's own couple of pages, it is easy to put down and pick up or just to flip through. The table of contents easily helps you find objects you might want to check out! It's a great book for sports fans!

Please note that I received this book from a goodreads giveaway. All opinions are my own.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as part of a First Reads promotion.

I thought that A History of American Sports in 100 Objects did a good job of touching on major turning points in sports in America. There were references to well-known athletes and events, and also detailed other events that are not as well-known to the casual sports fan, which helped to keep me interested.

My only minor complaint about the book was that the objects themselves served only to introduce the main idea or person in the chapter, and then is essentially forgotten. I felt that the title was a bit misleading in this sense. Perhaps a better title could have been "100 People, Places, and Events that Changed American Sports."

The book is very well researched, and even though I consider myself a pretty die-hard sports fan, there were many entries in which I learned something completely new. I would recommend this book to both casual and avid fans of all sports, as well as history buffs, as these sporting events not only changed American sports history, but American history.

I would like to see other books in this series, whether it be about sports or otherwise, as the quick-to-read chapters make it easy to pick up if only for a few minutes and learn something new.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just come across a really fun book - A History of American Sports in 100 Objects. Actually, it’s more than just fan. There is also good history here, and an offbeat sense of humor. Murphy has a lot of greatest hits/moments – people like Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali. But about three dozen sports get at least one object, which date all the way back to 1100, to the game of chunkey. Who knew? And Abe Lincoln’s handball. Again who knew? I particularly liked how she was able to give women’s sports appropriate attention, something many similar books fail to do. For example, there is a great essay on the “safety bicycle” that hit the market in a big way in the 1890s. This gave middle-class American women a physical freedom that had hitherto lacked. Oh, and the bicycle also literally paved the way to the car. It’s nuggets like these that make A History of American Sports in 100 Objects an excellent read. It really should be on every sports fan’s bookshelf – or at least in the bathroom. One caveat: Murphy says she is a Mets fan (like me). I do wish she had managed to smuggle in a reference or two to them.

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be fascinating, well written, and utterly engrossing. I thought it would be all about football, baseball, and men but I was pleasantly surprised to see that all sports were represented and there was a good number of women present too. Items ranged from the modern football, the nike waffle iron, the gold club used on the moon, CTE brain scans, Immaculata's basketball uniforms and more. Each item gave an overview of the sport, player or players, pertinent history, and how it helped define American sports. I enjoyed this book so much that I want to buy it. I learned soo much about so many different things. A great read for sports fans, history buff, and Jeapordy afficianados.

[bach books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for sports fans, or readers looking for an accessible informational history read. Full review at https://bachbooks.wordpress.com/2017/...