A History of American Sports in 100 Objects

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.

Author: Cait Murphy
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 10/11/2016
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.85lbs
Size: 9.30h x 7.40w x 1.40d
ISBN: 9780465097746

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/0001
Booklist 09/01/2016 pg. 42
Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2016
Choice 04/01/2017

About the Author
Cait Murphy is an editor at McKinsey & Company. She previously worked for Fortune, the Economist, and the Asian Wall Street Journal. A mediocre athlete, she is the author of Crazy, about the 1908 baseball season. She lives in New York City.