University of Arkansas Press Rivals: Legendary Matchups That Made Sports History

This title features unforgettable fans, teams, and athletes. The sixteen original essays in this collection cover influential and famous rivalries from a variety of sports, including track and field, golf, boxing, basketball, tennis, ice skating, baseball, football, soccer, and more. The essays are diverse, but together they illustrate what is common to any rivalry: equally matched opponents that often have decidedly different backgrounds, styles, and personalities. These differences may center on race and culture, political and societal ideologies, personality, geography, or religion - a singular mix intensified by fans and the media. From highly publicized and emotionally charged individual competitions to bitterly fought team contests, ""Rivals"" illuminates what one-of-a-kind opponents and the passion they inspire tell us about ourselves and our society. Review "Rivalries kick sports up a satisfying notch, as almost all fans have a big game or big match they look forward to on a regular basis. These 16 essays by academics in recreation-related fields-no beat sportswriters here-are all naturally on the scholarly side, yet they are accessible in their examination of famous rivalries and what stoked them (parity in skills, polarities in team or athlete personalities that enable fans to bestow a meaning greater than sports on their contests, and, yes, media hype, to name a few factors). Some will quibble with the choices: why not Dempsey-Tunney, Army-Navy, 1950s-era Yankees-Dodgers? Does anyone on this side of the Atlantic truly hang on the outcome of the Davis and Ryder Cups? But no one can dispute the importance of Ali-Frazier, Bird-Johnson, Navratilova-Evert, Ohio State-Michigan, Yankees-Red Sox, and most other picks.VERDICTReader interest may flag when the editors, both professors at the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism at George Mason University, move out of the mano a mano realm and into team rivalries, but this book will be appreciated by a wide audience. Recommended for many sports buffs."--Library Journal (Jim Burns, Jacksonville P.L., FL)"Scholars and fans should welcome this collection and hope for a sequel."--Journal of Sport History, Spring 2011 From the Inside Flap The sixteen original essays in this collection cover influential and famous rivalries from a variety of sports, including track and field, golf, boxing, basketball, tennis, ice skating, baseball, football, soccer, and more. The essays are diverse, but together they illustrate what is common to any rivalry: equally matched opponents that often have decidedly different backgrounds, styles, and personalities. These differences may center on race and culture, political and societal ideologies, personality, geography, or religion?a mix intensified by fans and the media. From highly publicized and emotionally charged individual competitions to bitterly fought team contests, Rivals illuminates what one-of-a-kind opponents and the passion they inspire tell us about ourselves and our society. From the Back Cover The sixteen original essays in this collection cover influential and famous rivalries from a variety of sports, including track and field, golf, boxing, basketball, tennis, ice skating, baseball, football, soccer, and more. The essays are diverse, but together they illustrate what is common to any rivalry: equally matched opponents that often have decidedly different backgrounds, styles, and personalities. These differences may center on race and culture, political and societal ideologies, personality, geography, or religion--a mix intensified by fans and the media. From highly publicized and emotionally charged individual competitions to bitterly fought team contests, Rivals illuminates what one-of-a-kind opponents and the passion they inspire tell us about ourselves and our society. About the Author David K. Wiggins is professor and director of the School of Recreation, Health,