Product Description
Not only was John Wooden a great basketball coach, he was a master teacher. In fact, he was a great coach because he was a master teacher. What Wooden has learned from others in the classroom and perfected on the practice court are fundamental principles of effective teaching, which are conveyed in You Haven't Taught Until They Have Learned: John Wooden's Teaching Principles and Practices. Co-author Swen Nater, one of Wooden's former players at UCLA, provides insightful first-hand accounts on the many life lessons he learned from Wooden that he has applied to his life since becoming a teacher himself.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent study on Wooden's teaching methodology.......2007-02-11
If you've read a lot of Coach Wooden's books, you may be familiar with his wisdom, maxims and his wonderful pyramid of success; this book studies the methodology of his teaching and how he applied his wisdom to the successful transfer of knowledge and skills. If you're a teacher, buy this book!
Timeless Insights about Teaching and Learning.......2006-05-28
Ron Gallimore and Swen Nater combine their incredible knowledge about teaching and basketball to deliver a new and insightful look at the teaching practice of John Wooden. The book is a wonderful balance of personal stories from Nater and insights about teaching and learning from Gallimore that demonstrate just how incredibly wise, intentional, and gifted The Coach was and is. This book demonstrates the hard work, preparation, courage, and commitment to continuous learning that defines quality teaching. A must read for every teacher and coach.
Swen Nater's book: You WILL learn!.......2006-03-23
Swen Nater knows John Wooden - that much is clear. Clear too, is what a great teacher John Wooden was and, continues to be. This is a book any teacher can learn from. Sure it is great for coaches, but when a teacher is looking for guidance on how to handle varying student potential within their class, is it better to treat everyone the same - or to treat each individual differently, according to their personality, talent, ability, commitment etc. as Wooden did? Swen does a great job of interjecting his own life's experience into the priniciples Wooden taught. And he uses those of "Alcindor", Wicks, Walton, Allen and others to make the stories fit the lesson. This is textbook material, or should be required reading for aspiring or experienced teachers - 5 Stars plus!
Book Description
A private war is being waged on city playgrounds and in high school gyms in the never-ending search for the next big player, and the potential millions in sales that player could bring to the major athletic shoe companies by endorsing their products. For every legitimate spokesman like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant (the respective endorsers for Nike and Adidas) there are dozens of teenage kids all over North America who are lavished with brand new sneakers, expensive clothes, new athletic gear, or free trips in an attempt to gain their athletic shoe brand loyalty. And that's just where this sordid story begins.
Download Description
A private war is being waged on city playgrounds and in high school gyms in the never-ending search for the next big player--and the potential millions in sales that player could bring to the major athletic shoe companies by endorsing their products. Far from the glamour of the NBA or the NCAA Final Four, the sport has changed into a high-stakes war of greed and includes such tactics as expensive gifts, pampered perks, grade fixing, standardized-test fraud, and kickback recruitments. For every legitimate spokesman like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant (the respective endorsers for Nike and adidas) there are dozens of teenage kids all over America who are lavished with brand new sneakers, expensive clothes, new athletic gear, or free trips (parents included) in an attempt to gain their athletic shoe brand loyalty. And that's just where this sordid story begins.
Customer Reviews:
i dont like what they say about my friend myron piggie.......2003-11-13
Hi my name is quin and I live in Missouri. I dont like what they say about myron piggie. he is a good man. otherwise the book was pretty good. i recommend it for college basketball fans.
Interesting delve into amateur athletics ..........2003-04-27
However not always balanced, SOLE is a page turner for sports fans that enjoy the stories off the playing arena.
Wetzel and Yaeger provide interesting cases and a great work of journalism, however the line between reporting and storytelling is often blurred.
The best way to enjoy this book is to come away entertained, informed, but not disillusioned.
A Classic Hoops Book!!!.......2001-06-02
Buy this book. Love it.
A great look at how the big corporate money of the shoe industry has tainted high school level and college basketball, not to mention all of those who are involved in it.
A surprising aspect of the book is the names of villians who you would not believe; Billy Packer, Dickie V, George Raveling, and Roy Williams are a few who are found "guilty" of killing the game that I love.
This book will expose you to the negative underworkings of the great game of college basketball.
It explores the seamier side of sports........2001-02-24
I knew that high school and in some cases elementary school athletes in sports like basketball and football that are extremely gifted can get free perks, but I didn't think it would go as far as it did. The fact is there is a lot of fingerpointing at the athletes, but very little at the others involved in the game. Let's face it, no one would care about these sports if there wasn't a relatively high standard of quality players available. Everyone involved in the game makes money off the players, from the coaches,universities,athletic apparel companies,broadcasters, etcetera, you name it. It's about time that college athletes and high school athletes receive fair market value for the money they generate. The point is many schools would be probably be in a lot worse financial shape if it weren't for basketball and football. Yes, it exposes the greed behind the players, but it's human nature at work. I don't agree with the tactics employed by the agents and companies involved to get players, but I do understand the motivation for doing so. If they don't get these players, some other competing agent or company likely will get their services. It's no different than when univerisities engage in recruiting practices, and some of these universities can get put on probation for recruiting violations. All in all, this was a realistic look at what goes on in youth basketball. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone who wants to explore the dark side of amateur basketball. An excellent companion book to this would be the book Money Players, which looks at things from the NBA perspective.
Outrage, a complete lack of ethics..........2000-06-19
I've suspected for decades that the college recruiting process was (is), to a certain extent, corrupt.
To even the casual observer of college basketball, at the upper echelon of Division I, there is (has been) an uneven playing field. It's as if some colleges have had the top five picks in the annual draft for several years in a row.
On the surface the uneven playing field seems impossible to explain, but books like "Sole Influence" begin to shed light of the corruption that mars college basketball -- the search for the next Michael Jordan.
In a series of anecdotes, the authors provide case studies of how, especially, Nike and Addidas have made a mess of AAU basketball, especially in large urban centers.
It's difficult, almost impossible, to get first hand information, especially from big-name college coaches -- few go on the record. What "Sole Influence" reveals, seems to me, is the tip of the iceberg.
The most shocking revelations surround the role played by George Raveling, the former head coach at Washington State, Iowa and USC. Thankfully, Raveling made himself available to the authors and provides candid comments which, while attempting to rationalize his role in this sorry mess, tend to indict him as one of the prime offenders.
The book, although poorly edited, contains much food for thought and is worthy of reading and reflection by serious college basketball fans.
The authors include a good index, but omit footnotes and a bibliography of sources. Also, a complete list of names of persons interviewed for the book would have been appreciated. To the layman, many of these "characters" are complete strangers.
The authors have included capsule introductions to the book's key "characters," which are especially helpful for those of us unfamiliar with the shoe company corruption of AAU basketball.
I agree with those who've commented about the book's excessive repetition, as the authors do a thorough job of indicting the shoe companies.
The authors do provide some implied remedies for the problems they've documented. Whether these recommendations are feasible, given the hunger for dollars, is questionable and discouraging.
Again, this title is recommended for college basketball fans who care about the integrity of the game. The book makes me wonder to what extent college basketball has integrity.
Average customer rating:
- FRIDAY NIGHT LETDOWN
- Ok quick read but it's more tabloid than it is journalism
- Fantasictlickious Book
- friday night lights
- heartbeat of America..
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Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream
H. G. Bissinger
Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
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ASIN: 030681529X |
Amazon.com
Secular religions are fascinating in the devotion and zealousness they breed, and in Texas, high school football has its own rabid hold over the faithful. H.G. Bissinger, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, enters into the spirit of one of its most fervent shrines: Odessa, a city in decline in the desert of West Texas, where the Permian High School Panthers have managed to compile the winningest record in state annals. Indeed, as this breathtaking examination of the town, the team, its coaches, and its young players chronicles, the team, for better and for worse, is the town; the communal health and self-image of the latter is directly linked to the on-field success of the former. The 1988 season, the one Friday Night Lights recounts, was not one of the Panthers' best. The game's effect on the community--and the players--was explosive. Written with great style and passion, Friday Night Lights offers an American snapshot in deep focus; the picture is not always pretty, but the image is hard to forget.
Book Description
The classic, best-selling story of life in the football-driven town of Odessa, Texas, with a new afterword that looks at the players and the town ten years later.
Return once again to the timeless account of the Permian Panthers of Odessa--the winningest high-school football team in Texas history. Odessa is not known to be a town big on dreams, but the Panthers help keep the hopes and dreams of this small, dusty town going. Socially and racially divided, its fragile economy follows the treacherous boom-bust path of the oil business. In bad times, the unemployment rate barrels out of control; in good times, its murder rate skyrockets. But every Friday night from September to December, when the Permian High School Panthers play football, this West Texas town becomes a place where dreams can come true. With frankness and compassion, H.G. Bissinger chronicles a season in the life of Odessa and shows how single-minded devotion to the team shapes the community and inspires--and sometimes shatters--the teenagers who wear the Panthers' uniforms.
Customer Reviews:
FRIDAY NIGHT LETDOWN.......2007-09-26
I came into this one with high expectations, especially since I lived in Odessa for a short time in 1986 on a job assignment. Talk about a bleak and desolate place...But I was truly amazed at the hubub around the Panthers. I think that was Gary Gaines first year. I remember the dead-red build up before the Lee game. Saw it all firsthand as a very temporary transplant.
The book was a dissapointment. Okay, but not great. Maybe he should have just written a book about Boobie. He didn't talk nearly enough about the games, for instance. Probably half the book is devoted to off the field issues. Racism, favortism, school system, ect. The rest is Boobie, Boobie, Boobie. Could have been so much better. A letdown beacause it came off as some kind of expose piece.
Ok quick read but it's more tabloid than it is journalism.......2007-06-22
Ok book nothing outstanding. The writing I'd give about a 3. Pretty much college sophomore level. Negatively biased against almost everything generally considered good. A real hatchet job on just about everyone. The author bashes teachers, schools, colleges, parents, parenting, fans, churches, the school board, the coaches, he even spends a chapter bashing Bush #1 and the Republicans. He throws in some gratuitous scatalogical jokes about Bush. He goes out of his way to paint everyone in as poor a moral light as possible. In one case he beats up on a character but to obtain contrast later needs to paint that character in a good light so that he can paint someone else in a poor light.
I read the whole book in a few days at the beach. It's just an average book - not so bad that you put it down but nothing special. I can see the appeal especially to liberal boomer white America. It's the other white American that's bad in this book. You know the one that's not you or me. I figure the author must have won the Pulitzer by sullying some other sacred cow because honestly his writing just isn't that good. The metaphors he uses were unoriginal and were strangely forced in several cases. Read it if you got nothing better to do but I would think you should find better books on the subject of high school football.
Fantasictlickious Book.......2007-06-06
Drew Oliver
Friday Night Lights
H.G. Bissinger
Da Capo Press
©2003
416 Pages
"You saying I can't play football, all I know how to do is play football!" One of the famous quotes from Boobie Miles when he finds out that he can't be the star halfback he wanted. Back in Texas the Permian Panthers was in for a good football season, maybe even take state. With the star running back Boobie hurt, can they still pull it together? The answer to that and all the others is in the text of H.G. Bissinger's book Friday Night Lights. Friday Night Lights is a story about a football team playing their way to the state championship. My favorite part of the book would have to be the last game at state where they were getting completely pounded on but at the very end the Panthers were making an amazing come back. I think this is my favorite part because it is just so glorious and suspenseful and I just know exactly what that feels like. It seems that one big message just keeps coming up. It seems that the book is trying to tell you that you should never give up. To never let anyone hold you back, never let them stop you in believe what you strongly believe, just always try, just never give up. Friday Night Lights was pretty much an all around good book. Every part was exciting and really made you not want to atop reading. The only part that was kind of bad, but more of just a bummer, was the ending but only because I didn't wand it to end that way. But I guess it had more of meaning ending that way. I think all of you out there that like a good sports book that you should definitely go and pick Friday Night Lights up.
friday night lights.......2007-06-04
i thought that this book was just ok. it was just a meteocre book for me. yes, it is a good representation of big town fame and spotlight in a small town. it just did not hit the spot for me thats it.
heartbeat of America.........2007-05-30
a fabulous book about the Permian Panthers of Odessa, TX and the MOJO magic that permeates thoughout the city. H.G. Bissinger has found the heartbeat of America in high school football as he writes in fascinating detail the story of the 1988 Permian Panthers. It could be any high school across American as the tradition, passion and politics of local high school football reign over a city that would seemingly have no identity without it's high scool football team. A wonderful book.
Book Description
Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Fourth Edition, the new edition of the best-selling sport and exercise psychology book on the market, continues to provide a thorough introduction to the key concepts in the field. Written by internationally respected authors, it provides students and new practitioners with a comprehensive view of sport and exercise psychology, bridges the gap between research and practice, conveys principles of professional practice, and captures the excitement of the world of sport and exercise.
A supreme effort has been made to meet the increasing needs of professors, practitioners, and students. To further improve the total learning experience, the new edition features
• an online study guide that provides an interactive learning experience for students;
• thoroughly updated material that reflects the latest research and practice in the field to keep students aware of recent findings and hot topics in the field; and
• more contemporary practical examples, case studies, and anecdotes to help students understand various theories and concepts.
Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Fourth Edition, allows students to gain an understanding of the field while learning how to apply sport and exercise knowledge. The book contains seven parts that may be studied in any sequence. Part I introduces students to the field, detailing its history, current status, and the various roles of sport and exercise psychologists. Part II focuses on personal factors that affect performance and psychological development in sport, physical education, and exercise settings. In part III, the authors focus on two major classes of situational factors that influence behavior: competition and cooperation, and feedback and reinforcement. Part IV focuses on group interaction and processes, while part V discusses how psychological techniques may be used to help people perform more effectively. Part VI addresses the various roles psychological factors play in health and exercise. The final section, part VII, deals with main topics of psychological development and well-being that are important to both society and sport and exercise psychology, including childrenÂ's psychological development through sport participation, aggression in sport, and moral development and good sporting behavior in sport and physical activity contexts.
The online study guide is a trend-setting addition that will allow the subject of sport psychology to come alive to its users. The study guide is written to work directly with the text; mentions of the study guide appear in each chapter to encourage readers to take advantage of the study guideÂ's learning tools. Audio clips feature esteemed experts in the field discussing key course concepts that they have studied and refined during their professional careers. Video clips provide students with a realistic look at how sport psychologists interact and communicate with athletes to improve athletic experiences. These multimedia formats help students understand the research and practice of sport psychology in todayÂ's society. This online study guide also features more than 90 individual and small-group learning activities that may be printed and handed in or e-mailed to instructors for assessment. These activities require students to
• use actual sport and exercise psychology instruments to assess their skills,
• determine how to respond to real-life scenarios (with short answers or essays),
• review and design research studies and experiments,
• search the Internet for relevant information, and
• apply and test their understanding of sport and exercise psychology principles and concepts.
Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Fourth Edition, also supplies in-depth learning aids to help students think more critically about applying the material. These aids include chapter objectives and summaries, informative sidebars, key terms, key points, and discussion questions in each chapter. Even the design, artwork, and photos have been updated to make the material more interesting and accessible to readers. To accommodate a variety of preferences and teaching styles, chapters are written so that they stand alone and can be taught either in or out of order.
In addition to the inclusion of the new online study guide for students, the instructor ancillaries have also been improved. Updates have been made to the presentation package containing more than 900 PowerPoint slides, the test bank of more than 800 questions, and the instructor guide. These resources may all be found at the bookÂ's Web site.
Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Fourth Edition provides a powerful learning tool for understanding human behavior in sport and exercise settings. This new edition continues to ensure that future researchers and practitioners in the field are well equipped and enthused about the possibilities and challenges they will encounter.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent undergraduate sport psychology textbook!.......2001-03-17
I used this book in my undergraduate and on-line graduate course in sport psychology since the first edition. This text does a good job of explaining theories and and describing sport psychology applications. Weinberg and Gould have developed a well organized, resourceful, and easy-to-read book that my students have enjoyed reading. College professors, this book has excellent ancillary materials.
Way of success.......2000-01-18
Suceeding in sport is not made by hazard.... it needs specific aptitudes that Mr WEINBERG et Mr GOULD explained very well in their booK. Please to the readers:can you give me the e mail ftom Mr Weinberg and Me Gould. I want to join them. Thank you. MICHEL REQUET
Book Description
"Bob's message is a must for all parents and coaches. He challenges adults to understand their effect on youngsters, and that kids' needs have to be met first." Bob Trupin, Westport, CT This is not just another book touting improved sportsmanship and better coaching to remedy the violence in youth sports today. Just Let the Kids Play is the first book to identify the youth sports systems as the cause of the problem, and offers practical ways to rebuild them so they better serve the physical and emotional needs of children. First-round NBA draft pick, part-time NBA scout and youth coach Bob Bigelow joins journalists Tom Moroney and Linda Hall to put youth sports under harsh review. They explain the controversial belief that elite traveling teams at young ages should be abolished and replaced with equal playing time, team parity and shortened seasons, among others. Focusing on soccer, basketball, baseball and hockey, they highlight ten programs nationwide where these principles are working, and offer ways to integrate them into existing programs without sacrificing a child's chances for success. Soccer moms and hockey dads will discover that it really is possible to sleep in on Saturdays without sacrificing their child's future!
Customer Reviews:
Yes, Let them play!.......2006-07-28
Kids need to play and books like this that emphasize this concept are, in my opinion, much needed. Kids also need protection from those who would take advantage of them, whcih is why I also recommend: "Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Your Nonprofit Corporation" by Ms. Cellaneous, The Unknown Attorney.
Nail it to the youth sports church door! (more please).......2005-12-16
I've recommended this to everyone I know in the youth sports world, although few are receptive to it, believing that "just let the kids play" is an archaic or maybe even extinct idea. After reading the book, I contacted the author and have exchanged phone calls and e-mail messages with him. I wish he'd write a followup so we could get this debate in the open more. If enough parents and administrators got thinking about it, maybe we could rescue youth sports from its present insanity. Even if you don't agree with Bob Bigelow's proposed solutions, please read this book and consider how we can do what's best for the kids. I have friends who are youth sports organization administrators and traveling team coaches and they want what's best for the kids, I just wish they'd stop and think about if there are other ways. This book would give them that perspective.
Must read for Sports Parents.......2005-08-15
This book has a message for anyone raising kids involved in organized sports - the leagues have changed since you were a kid. Many leagues wash out kids at young ages through unrealistic expectations, focus on winning at all costs, brutal schedules and cuts of kids who want to play. If you worry about the cost of competitive sports to your kid, this is a good book to read. The adults in your childrens' leagues need to have childrens' best interests at heart. Author Bob Bigelow, former NBA player and author states he probably would have been cut if he started as a kid today in a competitive basketball league. Whether you agree or disagree with the authors' points, you will probably find some ideas to ponder in this book.
Right on The Mark!!!!!!.......2005-02-06
I read this book quite a while ago and found myself nodding in agreement throughout the book. Finally someone who "gets it" THANK YOU!!...My younger son has been on travel teams (elite teams) since the age of 7..He is now almost 14..I have sat through hundreds of game,driven countless miles in an SUV to games that were as far away as 2 1/2 hours.. watched my son receive 40 thorphies,..seen practices where I was sure they must be training college players not 8 year olds.. seen coaches kicked out of a game by referees for bad behavior, seen parents behave in ways that I could never imagine...and I see children that are becoming "entitled" through youth sports...This book is right on the money...I feel sad for our youth...and I hope that this book begins to have people qeustion
youth sports and begin to offer some balance in youth sports...We have lost a lot when we lost -->pick up games, sandlot games..etc-children coming together to play sports that was not adult driven...
"Propaganda Junk" response........2004-06-07
To the "Propaganda Junk" author: You are exactly the type of parent/coach this book was written for. If you don't "get it" then you are a part of the problem.
I have been a recreational and club soccer team coach for 12 years. I have a son playing for a college team on full scholarship. I have a 10 year old who is develping into quite a player as well. By all measures, both my boys are great players. They learned about the game from me under the same types of good attitude and common-sense philosophies discussed in this book.
Sure, kids should be exposed to competition at early ages. The earlier, the better, in my opinion! But they should be exposed to the KID version of competition (fun) as opposed ot the adult version ("win at any cost"). Why some people don't get this is just mind boggling.
There are very sound physiological and psychological reasons behind placing fun over competition at early ages. Most of the reasons have to do with the onset of puberty when that competitive spirt really comes alive in these young people. Until this happens, it's should be just for fun with the intent of keeping them involved with sports for the long term. Burning them out on a sport by age 12 is self-defeating, really sad and should be considered child abuse in my humble opinion.
This book gives some very handy suggestions on how to deal with obnoxious parents and overbearing coaches. It's also causes you to reflect on what you are taeching your own kids. No, it's not a prize winning book. It probably won't do a whole lot of good because the author is preaching to the chior. The people that most need to read it would never read such a book. But it did me some good and I'll pass it's suggestions along whenever I get a chance.
Perhaps it could have been written and organized a little better but it's still a good value and well worth reading.
Book Description
Irvin Muchnick â a widely published writer and nephew of the late, legendary St. Louis wrestling promoter Sam Muchnick â has produced a book unlike any other on the astonishing growth of professional wrestling and its profound impact on mainstream sports and society. In Wrestling Babylon, he traces the demise of wrestling’s old Mafia-like territories and the rise of a national marketing base thanks to cable television, deregulation and a culture-wide nervous breakdown. Naturally, the figure of WWE’s Vince McMahon lurks throughout, but equally evident is the public’s late-empire lust for bread, circuses, and blood. As this book demonstrates, the more cartoonishly unreal wrestling got, the more chillingly real it became.
What truly distinguishes Wrestling Babylon, however, is Muchnick’s ability to show how professional wrestling has become the ur-carnival for a culture that feeds on escapist displays of humiliation, revenge, fantasy characters, and sex. His People magazine article on Hulk Hogan blew the lid off the drug abuse of the sport’s signature superstar. His award-winning Penthouse profile of the ill-starred Von Erich clan was the first to connect the dots between wrestling, televangelism, and MTV-style production values. His never-before-published investigation of the death of Jimmy âSuperflyâ Snuka’s girlfriend suggests the cover-up of a murder. The book’s appendix â a comprehensive listing of the dozens of wrestlers who died prematurely over the last generation, with little or no attention â is both a valuable resource for wrestling historians and a shocking document of the ruthless way sports entertainment eats its own.
Customer Reviews:
Quick read.......2007-09-09
This covers various scandals in the sport, and seems complete (ends before the Benoit deaths). It is readable for fans and non-fans alike. It ends with a chronological list of deaths of wrestlers under the age of 50 (and its a fairly long one). Could be more detailed.
Disappointing.......2007-08-29
I purchased this book after reading a slew of positive reviews. I was hoping it would be an extension of Mike Mooneyham's excellent book.
It was not. The stories were interesting, and the writing was good, but I was left wanting more details. It's essentially a collection of articles that Irv wrote for various publications. The very nature of an article would suggest that it's short, and I think he missed a golden opportunity to expand on the stories.
He's a talented writer, but this book felt lacking to me.
Very dated.......2007-08-27
Well, Irwin Muchnick (nephew to promotor Sam Muchnick but of no relation to writer Phil Mushnick) has collected some of his past magazine columns and combined them into a not-so-tell-all book about matters we pretty much know all about already. The majority of these articles are about steroids in wrestling. There's a section on the Snuka groupie death, sex in wrestling, and maybe the best section, the rise and fall of the Von Erichs. Lastly in the book is a (incomplete) listing of wrestlers who have died under the age of fifty but the book was set for publishing prior to Sherri Martel's passing and the Benoit murders. The most damaging part of this book is the dependence on the steroid articles. Also hurtful is the extreme dated-ness of the articles, it's nothing more than a collection of old articles thrown together in one cover. It would have helped if Irwin would have given some kind of decent update on the articles and mabe written something fresh and original to include.
Overall, lacksidasical (sp?), dated, and not terribly interesting anymore. Save your money and borrow it from a library or read it in the bookstore.
writters ego.......2007-07-21
i purchased this book to get an inside look of wrestling. after reading throught the writers $10 and $20 words i found nothing of interest. the writer (irvin muchnick) wrote this book at a level that most readers do not enjoy reading. to put this simple he had about three paragraphs of info on wrestling and surrounded it by alot of minutia. if there was a way i could get a refund i would try to get it.
Give Me a Break...........2007-06-06
This is the most pathetic waste of trees I have ever had the misfortune of reading. All the writer seems to care about is how horrible wrestling is, yet he is fixated on it. I find it interesting that someone who writes a so-called expose (some expose...almost every revelation is old news and common knowledge) on wrestling uses his uncle Sam, who was involved with wrestling in St. Louis, to sell the book. How hypocritical.
Book Description
"It is a basketball rivalry that simply has no equal. Duke vs. North Carolina is Ali vs. Frazier, the Giants vs. the Dodgers, the Red Sox vs. the Yankees. Hell, it's bigger than that. This is the Democrats vs. the Republicans, the Yankees vs. the Confederates, capitalism vs. communism. All right, okay, the Life Force vs. the Death Instinct, Eros vs. Thanatos. Is that big enough?"
The basketball rivalry between Duke and North Carolina is the fiercest blood feud in college athletics. To legions of otherwise reasonable adults, it is a conflict that surpasses sports; it is locals against outsiders, elitists against populists, even good against evil. It is thousands of grown men and women with jobs and families screaming themselves hoarse at eighteen-year-old basketball geniuses, trading conspiracy theories in online chat rooms, and weeping like babies when their teams -- when they -- lose. In North Carolina, where both schools are located, the rivalry may be a way of aligning oneself with larger philosophic ideals -- of choosing teams in life -- a tradition of partisanship that reveals the pleasures and even the necessity of hatred.
What makes people invest their identities in what is elsewhere seen as "just a game"? What made North Carolina senator John Edwards risk alienating voters by telling a reporter, "I hate Duke basketball"? What makes people care so much?
The answers have a lot to do with class and culture in the South, and author Will Blythe expands a history of an epic grudge into an examination of family, loyalty, privilege, and Southern manners. As the season unfolds, Blythe, the former longtime literary editor of Esquire and a lifelong Tar Heels fan, immerses himself in the lives of the two teams, eavesdropping on practice sessions, hanging with players, observing the arcane rituals of fans, and struggling to establish some basic human kinship with Duke's players and proponents. With Blythe's access to the coaches, the stars, and the bit players, the book is both a chronicle of personal obsession and a picaresque record of social history.
Customer Reviews:
Great Fun!.......2007-04-10
Even Duke fans won't be able to put down this entertaining analysis of the Duke-Carolina rivalry. Find out what's behind the bad blood between the two schools.
Even Duke fans find it difficult to put down.......2007-01-19
I actually bought this book as a Christmas present for my husband who is a big Duke fan. I am the Tar Heel fan in the family and thus you see the method in my madness. However, he started reading it on Christmas day before all the wrapping paper was cleaned up and could not put it down for hours. He did make a number of comments disagreeing with various premises of the book, but it certainly kept his attention. I've just started the book and particularly enjoy the references to the author's family (I knew his father years ago) but it does bog down a bit in detailing the games during the season. Still, for any of us who have lived in Chapel Hill and been infected with the Tar Heel "bug" it is a 'must read.'
To Hate Like This Is to Be Happy Forever: A Thoroughly Obsessive, Intermittently Uplifting, and Occasionally Unbiased Account of.......2007-01-19
Great book, great price, great shipping.
Great fun if you're a Carolina fan.......2007-01-11
I don't give a d*mn about Duke University
'Cause I'm from Car-o-lina!
Ah, if only the song were true. What a salutary effect it would have on my blood pressure if it were! But, like nearly every other North Carolina fan in the world, I do give a damn about Duke University. I give a damn frequently, vociferously, and ferociously. I often give quite a bit worse than a damn when the rodenty visage of Coach K appears on my television. Where does such vituperation come from? Why should a smallish Southern research university inspire such hatred in me and my fellow members of Tar Heel nation?
These are the questions that Will Blythe explores in To Hate Like This Is to Be Happy Forever, his thoroughly biased account of the UNC/Duke basketball rivalry from a fan's perspective. Blythe is clever and self-deprecating, and the book is fun to read, but I suspect that my enjoyment stemmed mainly from the fact that Blythe falls on the same side of this rivalry that I do. Blythe was born and raised in Chapel Hill, NC, and is a passionate and knowledgeable lover of Tar Heel basketball. He makes no secret of the fact that he lives and dies by Heels, and I couldn't help liking someone who shares my feelings in that regard. Blythe is also a good play-by-play writer; his accounts of specific games were gripping and suspenseful even though I remembered the results of most of them. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that the games he describes took place during Carolina's run to the national championship in March of 2005. Blythe's narrative gave me a great opportunity to relive my favorite moments of the season--Remember that torturous loss to Duke on the last possession? Remember that nerve-wracking game against Villanova in the Sweet Sixteen?--and to remember how much I miss Ray Felton, Sean May, and the other stars of the championship team.
But the book is not only about basketball. Blythe spends some time talking about his father's recent death and analyzing his relationship with his dad. He also occasionally gets sidetracked into philosophical discussions about the nature of hatred and its role in the life of the modern sports fan. Perhaps it's just the rabid fan in me, but I found these sections of the book to be less successful. I might even go so far as to say they were a bit boring. Forget your family, man, forget your philosophizing, and give me the basketball! Blythe is much more entertaining when he's indulging his hatred of Duke than when he's probing its depths.
This was a fun read, peppered with clever digs at the Duke students, players, and coaches, but I can't imagine that it would be very interesting for anyone who's not a partisan in the war between the Tar Heels and the Blue Devils. It would probably even be somewhat insufferable to that portion of the population who feel that this rivalry is already over-hyped by the media.
Laughingly great read.......2007-01-11
My wife informed me this was the first book I've read in years where she witnessed me laughing out-loud. Quick read! I've already passed it from my dad to my brother since Christmas.
Average customer rating:
- Was expecting more
- Great start on the subject
- A Serious Economic & Sociological Analysis of Game Playing
- n00bs read this!
- Eh...alright
|
Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games
Edward Castronova
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Second Life: The Official Guide
ASIN: 0226096270 |
Book Description
From EverQuest to World of Warcraft, online games have evolved from the exclusive domain of computer geeks into an extraordinarily lucrative staple of the entertainment industry. People of all ages and from all walks of life now spend thousands of hours—and dollars—partaking in this popular new brand of escapism. But the line between fantasy and reality is starting to blur. Players have created virtual societies with governments and economies of their own whose currencies now trade against the dollar on eBay at rates higher than the yen. And the players who inhabit these synthetic worlds are starting to spend more time online than at their day jobs.
In Synthetic Worlds, Edward Castronova offers the first comprehensive look at the online game industry, exploring its implications for business and culture alike. He starts with the players, giving us a revealing look into the everyday lives of the gamers—outlining what they do in their synthetic worlds and why. He then describes the economies inside these worlds to show how they might dramatically affect real world financial systems, from potential disruptions of markets to new business horizons. Ultimately, he explores the long-term social consequences of online games: If players can inhabit worlds that are more alluring and gratifying than reality, then how can the real world ever compete? Will a day ever come when we spend more time in these synthetic worlds than in our own? Or even more startling, will a day ever come when such questions no longer sound alarmist but instead seem obsolete?
With more than ten million active players worldwide—and with Microsoft and Sony pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into video game development—online games have become too big to ignore. Synthetic Worlds spearheads our efforts to come to terms with this virtual reality and its concrete effects.
“Illuminating. . . . Castronova’s analysis of the economics of fun is intriguing. Virtual-world economies are designed to make the resulting game interesting and enjoyable for their inhabitants. Many games follow a rags-to-riches storyline, for example. But how can all the players end up in the top 10%? Simple: the upwardly mobile human players need only be a subset of the world's population. An underclass of computer-controlled 'bot' citizens, meanwhile, stays poor forever. Mr. Castronova explains all this with clarity, wit, and a merciful lack of academic jargon.”—The Economist
“Synthetic Worlds is a surprisingly profound book about the social, political, and economic issues arising from the emergence of vast multiplayer games on the Internet. What Castronova has realized is that these games, where players contribute considerable labor in exchange for things they value, are not merely like real economies, they are real economies, displaying inflation, fraud, Chinese sweatshops, and some surprising in-game innovations.”—Tim Harford, Chronicle of Higher Education
Customer Reviews:
Was expecting more.......2007-05-27
To be honest I was expecting more on this book.It didnt tell all the info I wanted to know and the author focus too much on 2D games like Everquest and not so much in 3D games like Second Life.In most of the book the author is a little superficial in his analysis,he could go deeper.However the book is good for people who wanna have a general idea about on line games,specially Everquest,World of Warcraft and Star Wars.
Great start on the subject.......2007-05-07
Best book discussing online worlds that I've read.
The author's background in economics makes for an interesting perspective. He goes to great lengths to point out where and how virtual worlds cross over into the "real" world.
He doesn't, however, take things quite as far as I expected. For instance, he doesn't suggest that any interaction, social or otherwise, if conducted online might well be considered as having occurred in a virtual world. And he doesn't spend any effort exploring online to offline gestural equivalence.
But I don't think he can be faulted. There's enough material in this area to fill several volumes. What he does cover, he makes accessible, interesting, and relevant.
[...]
A Serious Economic & Sociological Analysis of Game Playing.......2007-03-19
This book survey's the landscape of online game playing and its impact on business, law, politics, social behavior, etc. If you are looking for a comprehensive analysis, Synthetic Worlds provides a thoughtful and accessible option.
Oddly, for a 300 page book, my version had a very small font size. If you suffer from eye strain, you may want to make sure the type is suitable for you.
n00bs read this!.......2007-02-09
This is a great starting point for the investigation of synthetic economies. Wether you are an econ n00b or a gamer n00b, you'll be at leest semi uber by the end.
Eh...alright.......2006-11-10
it's good for what it is, though the author writes it as a term paper for college "This is what the chapter is about..." exactly like that. Lots of dryness there, lots of facts. It's also mostly focused on the Economy of and existing in MMO, not so much the culture people are thinking of (dating, avatars selection, gender bending, etc.) or how MMO's are ran as a buisness.
Book Description
This sourcebook presents a wealth of material that casts light on the rich tradition of Roman spectacle, with special focus on gladiatorial combat and chariot racing. Drawing on literary descriptions, inscriptions, reliefs, mosaics, and archaeological features, The Roman Games offers a range of political, social, and religious perspectives.Featuring the accounts of eyewitnesses and participants, the book reconstructs the experience of "a day at the games " and the expectations of "the life of a gladiator. "The editor provides historical framework and analytical commentary for each of the entries, as well as a glossary of technical terms and a timeline to give additional context for students and general readers.
Book Description
Arguing about sports is as old as the games people play. Over the years sports debates have become muddled by many myths that do not match the numbers generated by those playing the games. In The Wages of Wins, the authors use layman's language and easy to follow examples based on their own academic research to debunk many of the most commonly held beliefs about sports.
In this updated version of their book, these authors explain why Allen Iverson leaving Philadelphia made the 76ers a better team, why the Yankees find it so hard to repeat their success from the late 1990s, and why even great quarterbacks like Brett Favre are consistently inconsistent. The book names names, and makes it abundantly clear that much of the decision making of coaches and general managers does not hold up to an analysis of the numbers. Whether you are a fantasy league fanatic or a casual weekend fan, much of what you believe about sports will change after reading this book.
Customer Reviews:
Great Topics, Good Value.......2007-03-18
"Who's the best of all-time?" "Who's better than Tom Brady?!" "Kobe is MVP!" When the conversations turn to sports, those types of questions always linger and don't leave my head for a while after a intense discussion...Then again, maybe, my ears are just ringing too hard.
Yet, these authors take a start at answering the myths and bombastic statements that surround sports and people's love and affinities for teams and athletes.
Like "Moneyball" proved, people tend to form their opinions from their own experiences in life, and they refuse to look at statistical evidence to support their theories. Yet, these authors utilize stats to show the holes in the myths such as why payroll and wins are highly coorelated, why quarterbacks should be judged by their Super Bowl rings, or why you can't give a true statistical value to basketball players and teams. The authors give solid evidence to support theories such as when the law of diminishing returns really does enter the picture in terms of productivity, why points are overvalued and why Kevin Garnett is the best player in the NBA, and just how valuable a NFL QB really is.
I still believe in the heart of an athlete and the role that a person has within a team. And, I found that the book doesn't give full due to the values of team chemistry, the effects of injuries, or how much value a role player like Manu Ginobili or Ron Harper can derive from other players on their team. However, the book not only makes a solid effort at answering the myths of sport, but I also realized how bizarre the statements and hype delivered by sports blowhards on TV and Talk Radio really are. That's why I give a thumbs-up to this read. The authors put substance behind the bizarre statements made by blow-hards and so-called experts.
Pick this up, and you'll be surprised at how far you'll be in front of the pack. That's a strong value.
A Very Unique And Entertaining Book.......2007-02-10
If you want an example of taking a unique look at a topic in a way that wins the reader, you have one in "The Wages of Wins".
David J. Berri, Martin B. Schmidt, and Stacey L. Brook did an excellent job of both stating why they disagree with conventional wisdom on several points, and what competitive balance is and how to decide which athletes are the best.
This book does deal with statistics and analysis that many would find boring. The trio of authors did a good job of making it relatively easy to follow. Also, they interject a lot of humor to it, making it even more pleasant to read.
good ideas, not great book.......2006-12-18
very interesting and insightful analysis but unfortunately authors take a cutesy approach to presentation and it falls flat on its face. i believe they think they are taking a freakonomics-like approach but it falls very short of that level of prose as well as economic importance.
bottom line though is the analysis is really interesting - you just have to put up with the writing to get to it.
Good ideas, bad presentation.......2006-11-30
I bought this book after reading the authors blog for a while, and was a bit dissapointed. While they have some interesting ideas, I didn't find their arguments nearly as convincing as they seem to think they are. My big problem was the writing style, the authors repeat themselves often, and the book is full of paragraphs listing off numbers and stats that are in a chart right next to the paragraph.
Wages Of Frustration.......2006-08-21
I really wanted to like this book. In the end however, reading it was strikingly similar to getting my younger sister to describe the latest Harry Potter book.
It is disjointed, unorganized and consistently confusing.
The authors of this book can't make up their minds what to focus on. The number of times they utilize the phrase "we'll get to that later", makes you want to scream to nobody in particular: WHY DON'T YOU GET TO IT NOW?!?!?!
This was a fantastically uneven and dissappointing read. Too bad.
Books:
- A Hand to Guide Me
- A Sourcebook on the Roman Games (Blackwell Sourcebooks in Ancient History) (Blackwell Sourcebooks in Ancient History)
- Affective Communities: Anticolonial Thought, Fin-de-Siècle Radicalism, and the Politics of Friendship (Politics, History, and Culture)
- Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion
- Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.
- America Needs a Buddhist President
- American Cinema/American Culture
- Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business
- Armageddon Averted: The Soviet Collapse, 1970-2000
- Barbaro: The Horse Who Captured America's Heart
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