Played on frozen ponds in cold northern lands, hockey seemed an especially unlikely game to gain a global following. But from its beginnings in the nineteenth century, the sport has drawn from different cultures and crossed boundaries––between Canada and the United States, across the Atlantic, and among different regions of Europe. It has been a political flashpoint within countries and internationally. And it has given rise to far-reaching cultural changes and firmly held traditions. The Fastest Game in the World is a global history of a global sport, drawing upon research conducted around the world in a variety of languages. From Canadian prairies to Swiss mountain resorts, Soviet housing blocks to American suburbs, Bruce Berglund takes readers on an international tour, seamlessly weaving in hockey’s local, national, and international trends. Written in a lively style with wide-ranging breadth and attention to telling detail, The Fastest Game in the World will thrill both the lifelong fan and anyone who is curious about how games intertwine with politics, economics, and culture.

More than any other sport, baseball has developed its own niche in America's culture and psyche. Some researchers spend years on detailed statistical analyses of minute parts of the game, while others wax poetic about its players and plays. Many trace the beginnings of the civil rights movement in part to the Major Leagues' decision to integrate, and the words and phrases of the game (for example, pinch-hitter and out in left field) have become common in our everyday language. From AARON, HENRY onward, this book covers all of what might be called the cultural aspects of baseball (as opposed to the number-rich statistical information so widely available elsewhere). Biographical sketches of all Hall of Fame players, owners, executives and umpires, as well as many of the sportswriters and broadcasters who have won the Spink and Frick awards, join entries for teams, owners, commissioners and league presidents. Advertising, agents, drafts, illegal substances, minor leagues, oldest players, perfect games, retired uniform numbers, superstitions, tripleheaders, and youngest players are among the thousands of entries herein. Most entries open with a topical quote and conclude with a brief bibliography of sources for further research. The whole work is exhaustively indexed and includes 119 photographs.

With an exclusive foreword by Usain Bolt, The Fastest Men on Earth tells the fascinating inside stories of the Olympic Men's 100m Champions. It takes just under ten seconds to run, but the results of the Olympic men's 100 metres are etched forever into history. In The Fastest Men on Earth, journalist Neil Duncanson tells the stories of the 25 athletes who've been crowned champions in the event, and earned the coveted title of 'Fastest Man on Earth'. Each chapter explores the fascinating, inspiring, and occasionally tragic lives of these supremely talented sprinters, as well as the intense drama of the record-breaking runs that wrote them into history. Immaculately researched and featuring exclusive interviews with several Olympic champions, including a new conversation with Usain Bolt, The Fastest Men on Earth brings the stories of some of the greatest athletes of all time to life like never before.

Aidan Moran provides the first textbook to combine an explanation of the theoretical foundations of sport and exercise psychology with critical reviews of contemporary research, and practical suggestions for relevant independent research projects.

The first textbook to combine an explanation of the theoretical foundations of sport psychology, critical reviews of contemporary research and practical suggestions for relevant independent research projects.

"It is a grand sport" -- In the beginning -- The "fastest game in the world" -- Jai alai in Cuba -- The question of gambling -- The rise of jai alai -- Troubled jai alai.

This multivolume set is much more than a collection of essays on sports and sporting cultures from around the world: it also details how and why sports are played wherever they exist, and examines key charismatic athletes from around the world who have transcended their sports. Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice provides a unique, global overview of sports and sports cultures. Unlike most works of this type, this book provides both essays that examine general topics, such as globalization and sport, international relations and sport, and tourism and sport, as well as essays on sports history, culture, and practice in world regions—for example, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and Oceania—in order to provide a more global perspective. These essays are followed by entries on specific sports, world athletes, stadiums and arenas, famous games and matches, and major controversies. Spanning topics as varied as modern professional cycling to the fictional movie Rocky to the deadly ball game of the ancient Mayans, the first three volumes contain overview essays and entries for specific sports that have been and are currently practiced around the world. The fourth volume provides a compendium of information on the winners of major sporting competitions from around the world. Readers will gain invaluable insights into how sports have been enjoyed throughout all of human culture, and more fully comprehend their cultural contexts. The entries provide suggestions for further reading on each topic—helpful to general readers, students with school projects, university students and academics alike. Additionally, the four-volume Sports Around the World spotlights key charismatic athletes who have changed a sport or become more than just an outstanding player.

It’s game on in uncovering the many sports-inspired terms, expressions, sayings and images that populate our everyday language! That’s the challenge that this book takes on, using a playbook for each sport. It kicks off with an opening run through the game of football, then it’s out of the gate with wire-to-wire coverage of horse racing. After going for the fences and covering all the bases in the sport of baseball, the ball is kept rolling, despite many a sticky wicket, through the long-running game of cricket. A blow-by-blow account of the sweet science of boxing is followed by play-by-play accounts of 35 more sports that have been added to the roster. At the finish line, the top three sports, are scored on their relative contributions to everyday language, and declared win, place and show. The discussion is enlivened by lots of sports humour and anecdotes along with quotations from sports personalities some of which may sound quite familiar, much like déjà vu all over again.

The T20 World Cup is the apex Tournament of individuals, Twenty 20 cricket; gives supreme matches with outstanding nationalities adjudged in top order against corresponding countries to crown an eventual winner for best Global Twin20. This e-book provides an exhaustive review of the T20 World Cup tournaments since its inception in 2007. Remember the most spectacular and exciting games from the previous 5 versions of the T20 World Cup. Learn about some critical strategic decisions and sport-altering performances by superstar players such as MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Chris Gayle. Lee, etc., that influenced results in these contests. Find out roughly the tales of unlikely successes and surprising victories that have turned the T20 World Cup into an engaging competition. The e-book stresses the alarmingly quick pace of T20 cricket development and how teams have devised methods or even sports plans to play well in a fast and frenetic medium. This book gives detailed statistics and facts, participants, pics of observations on expertise, and appreciation of T20 cricket’s most prestigious event. Get equipped for the electrifying motion of T20 cricket's highest tournament - the World Cup. This book chronicles the adventure of the T20 World Cup from its starting place in 2007 to the current World Cup. Relieve the sensational performances of superstars like Gayle, Kohli, Afridi, and Watson, who've lit up the World Cup over the years. Learn the revolutionary batting strategies, outstanding bowling strategies, and sharp fielding approaches that make T20 cricket an extreme, competitive spectacle. Get insights into the matches that have defined World Cup records, from India's exciting ultimate-over victory in the 2007 very last in opposition to Pakistan to Carlos Brathwaite's four consecutive sixes within the 2016 final to clinch it for the West Indies. With targeted overviews, statistics of every event edition, participant profiles, and beautiful visuals, this book vividly captures the exhilaration and power that makes the T20 World Cup a fan-favored event. Whether you're a passionate supporter or an avid pupil of the game, that is a useful connection with T20 cricket's greatest occasion. Blink and you'll miss it. T20 cricket is the sport's hard-hitting, adrenaline-pumping format that packs all the drama of a nail-biting ODI finale into just 120 balls. With risky shots, high-octane action, and dizzying momentum swings, it's cricket's closest cousin to a rock concert. The T20 World Cup is where the best T20 talents collide for national glory. It's where aficionados from Colombo to Canberra unite in frenzied excitement as the world's top six hitters light up the stage. Where underdog tales and fallen giants abound as the globe's emerging forces attempt to conquer the establishment. Where tactical innovations - mystery spinners to surprise bowling changes - enter battle on the sport's most prominent platform.