On the Origins of Sports

On the Origins of Sports

Author: Gary Belsky

Publisher: Artisan Books

Published: 2016-04-19

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1579656846

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New York Times Bestseller “Fascinating.”—Men’s Health, Best Beach Reads for Sports Fans On the Origins of Sports is an illustrated book built around the original rules of 21 of the world’s most popular sports, from football and soccer to wrestling and mixed martial arts. Never before have the original rules for these sports coexisted in one volume. Brimming with history and miscellany, it is the ultimate sports book for the thinking fan. Each sport’s chapter includes a short history, the sport’s original rules, and a deeper look into an element of the sport, such as the evolution of the baseball glove; sports with war roots; a compendium of sports balls; and iconic sports trophies. Written by ESPN The Magazine’s former editor in chief, Gary Belsky, and executive editor, Neil Fine, and filled with period-style line drawings in a handsome package, On the Origins of Sports is a book that sports fans and history buffs alike will want to display on their coffee tables, showcase on their bookshelves, and treasure for generations.


Games People Played

Games People Played

Author: Wray Vamplew

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Published: 2021-09-14

Total Pages: 455

ISBN-13: 1789144574

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"Games People Played is, surprisingly, the first global history of sport. Wray Vamplew assesses how sports have developed and diffused across continents and centuries, exploring topics such as emotion, discrimination and conviviality; politics, nationalism and protest; and how economics has turned sport into a huge consumer industry. Sport is sociable, charitable and health-giving, but this book also examines its dark side: its impact on the environment, players' use of performance-enhancing drugs and the repercussions of match fixing. Covering everything from curling to baseball, boxing to motor racing, Games People Played will appeal to anyone who plays, watches and enjoys sport."--Publisher's description


Fun and Games

Fun and Games

Author: Anthony Dowson

Publisher: Human Kinetics

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 9780736054386

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With more than 20 years of coaching and teaching experience, UK authors Anthony Dowson and Keith Morris have realized that children's encounters with sporting activities need to be creative, entertaining and fun. Children can be encouraged to engage in physical activity through fun games that stimulate both body and mind. Fun games keep children healthy and active now as well as contribute to a more positive attitude towards physical activity for life. In response to numerous requests from teachers and coaches, the authors have developed and adapted an array of activities and games from their own everyday use when teaching children. The book contains a range of warm-up ideas, games, skill practices and sport-specific activities to motivate children and encourage active participation. The games use only common sport equipment and are supported by easy-to-follow instructions and illustrations. Useful in both planning and providing physical education lessons and recreational experiences, this book makes it easy to create a varied and exciting program. The text includes more than 30 multi-sport games suitable for children of ages 5 to 16. There are sport-specific games for cricket, striking and fielding, rugby, soccer, tennis, badminton and hockey, as well as parachute games. All activities are designed to improve children's skills in specific sports through the use of enjoyable games to promote learning. Each game offers multiple variations designed to suit a wide range of ages and abilities. With childhood obesity becoming increasingly common, children's physical activity is becoming more important. Healthy, active young people now mean a future generation of adults less affected by the health problems associated with obesity and inactive lifestyles. Anyone who has the responsibility of organizing activities for young people will find the ideas in Fun and Games invaluable. Through the practical games in this book, children will develop new skills as they participate in fun and enjoyable activities.


Changing the Game

Changing the Game

Author: John O'Sullivan

Publisher: Morgan James Publishing

Published: 2013-12-01

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1614486468

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The modern day youth sports environment has taken the enjoyment out of athletics for our children. Currently, 70% of kids drop out of organized sports by the age of 13, which has given rise to a generation of overweight, unhealthy young adults. There is a solution. John O’Sullivan shares the secrets of the coaches and parents who have not only raised elite athletes, but have done so by creating an environment that promotes positive core values and teaches life lessons instead of focusing on wins and losses, scholarships, and professional aspirations. Changing the Game gives adults a new paradigm and a game plan for raising happy, high performing children, and provides a national call to action to return youth sports to our kids.


Cooperative Games and Sports

Cooperative Games and Sports

Author: Terry Orlick

Publisher: Human Kinetics

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 9780736057974

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Who needs cooperative games? -- Games for children ages 3 through 7 -- Games for children ages 8 through 12 -- Games for preschoolers -- Remaking adult games -- Cooperative games from other cultures -- Creating your own games and evaluating your success -- A new beginning : turning ideas into positive action.


Playing to Win

Playing to Win

Author: Robert Alan Brookey

Publisher: Indiana University Press

Published: 2015-01-12

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 0253015057

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In this era of big media franchises, sports branding has crossed platforms, so that the sport, its television broadcast, and its replication in an electronic game are packaged and promoted as part of the same fan experience. Editors Robert Alan Brookey and Thomas P. Oates trace this development back to the unexpected success of Atari's Pong in the 1970s, which provoked a flood of sport simulation games that have had an impact on every sector of the electronic game market. From golf to football, basketball to step aerobics, electronic sports games are as familiar in the American household as the televised sporting events they simulate. This book explores the points of convergence at which gaming and sports culture merge.


Playing Fair, Having Fun

Playing Fair, Having Fun

Author: Daniel Grippo

Publisher: Open Road Media

Published: 2014-08-19

Total Pages: 78

ISBN-13: 1497681251

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Sports and games help kids grow strong in mind and body. And they teach kids about life—about competitive pressure, the time crunch for families, and the risks of computer and internet games to consider. Share this book with the kids you care about, so that the games they play will be fun, fair, and life-giving. 32 pages.


Raising the Stakes

Raising the Stakes

Author: T. L. Taylor

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2015-01-30

Total Pages: 333

ISBN-13: 0262527588

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How a form of play becomes a sport: players, agents, referees, leagues, tournaments, sponsorships, and spectators, and the culture of professional computer game play. Competitive video and computer game play is nothing new: the documentary King of Kong memorably portrays a Donkey Kong player's attempts to achieve the all-time highest score; the television show Starcade (1982–1984) featured competitions among arcade game players; and first-person shooter games of the 1990s became multiplayer through network play. A new development in the world of digital gaming, however, is the emergence of professional computer game play, complete with star players, team owners, tournaments, sponsorships, and spectators. In Raising the Stakes, T. L. Taylor explores the emerging scene of professional computer gaming and the accompanying efforts to make a sport out of this form of play. In the course of her explorations, Taylor travels to tournaments, including the World Cyber Games Grand Finals (which considers itself the computer gaming equivalent of the Olympics), and interviews participants from players to broadcasters. She examines pro-gaming, with its highly paid players, play-by-play broadcasts, and mass audience; discusses whether or not e-sports should even be considered sports; traces the player's path from amateur to professional (and how a hobby becomes work); and describes the importance of leagues, teams, owners, organizers, referees, sponsors, and fans in shaping the structure and culture of pro-gaming. Taylor connects professional computer gaming to broader issues: our notions of play, work, and sport; the nature of spectatorship; the influence of money on sports. And she examines the ongoing struggle over the gendered construction of play through the lens of male-dominated pro-gaming. Ultimately, the evolution of professional computer gaming illuminates the contemporary struggle to convert playful passions into serious play.