Sports in American Life: A History

The third edition of author Richard O. Davies' highly praised narrative of American sports, Sports in American Life: A History, features extensive revisions and updates to its presentation of an interpretative history of the relationship of sports to the larger themes of U.S. history.

Updated include a new section on concussions caused by contact sports and new biographies of John Wooden and Joe Paterno.

• Features extensive revisions and updates, along with a leaner, faster-paced narrative than previous editions
• Addresses the social, economic, and cultural interaction between sports and gender, race, class, and other larger issues
• Provides expanded coverage of college sports, women in sports, race and racism in organized sports, and soccer's sharp rise in popularity
• Features an all-new section that tackles the growing controversy of head injuries and concussions caused by contact sports

Richard O. Davies is Distinguished Professor of History, Emeritus, at the University of Nevada, Reno. His books include Rivals! The Ten Greatest American Sports Rivalries of the 20th Century (Wiley, 2010), Sports in American Life: A History (Wiley, 2007, 2012), Betting the Line: Sports Wagering in American Life (2001), and Main Street Blues: The Decline of Small-Town America (1998). Davies was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame in 2013 and continues to pursue an active retirement.