The Most Expensive Game in Town

The Most Expensive Game in Town PDF Author: Mark Hyman
Publisher: Beacon Press
ISBN: 0807001376
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 177

Get Book

Book Description
Building on the eye-opening investigation into the damaging effects of the ultra-competitive culture of youth sports in his previous book, Until It Hurts, Mark Hyman's new book looks at the business of youth sports, how it has changed, and how it is affecting young Americans. Examining the youth sports economy from many sides--the major corporations, small entrepreneurs, coaches, parents, and, of course, kids--Hyman probes the reasons for rapid changes in what gets bought and sold in this lucrative marketplace. Just participating in youth sports can be expensive. Among the costs are league fees, equipment, and perhaps private lessons with a professional coach. With nearly 50 million kids playing organized sports each year, it is easy to see how profitable this market can be. Hyman takes us to tournaments sponsored by Nike, Gatorade, and other big businesses, and he talks to parents who sacrifice their vacations and savings to get their (sometimes reluctant) junior stars to these far-off, expensive venues for a chance to shine. He introduces us to videos purporting to teach six-month-old babies to kick a ball, to professional athletes who will "coach" an eight-year-old for a hefty fee, to a town that has literally staked its future on preteen sports. With its extensive interviews and original reporting, The Most Expensive Game in Town explains the causes and effects of the commercialization of youth sports, changes that the author argues are distorting and diminishing family life. He closes with strong examples of individuals and communities bucking this destructive trend.

The Youth Sports Crisis

The Youth Sports Crisis PDF Author: Steven J. Overman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN:
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 254

Get Book

Book Description
This provocative critique of the youth sports movement examines the various issues surrounding children in sports and provides a plan for reform based on a change in philosophy and practice. Many American children spend more than 20 hours a week in organized sports, forgoing free time and unstructured recreational activities for the rigors of training and competition. This book offers a comprehensive critique of the youth sports movement, pitting the reality of adult-run sports programs against the needs and interests of children. It examines whether the tradeoff of "normal play time" for structured sports activities teaches discipline and leads to stronger character development, or if the pressures of the game, the physical strain of practicing, and the general overscheduling of children's lives have eroded the benefits associated with playing sports. Educator and former coach Steven J. Overman contends that youth-based sports programs require a radical change for the well-being of the young participants. The book explores the various problems in organized sports, including stress on the family, physical health hazards, violence, emotional duress, elitism, and hyper-competitiveness. Incorporating the perspectives of coaches, athletes, parents, physicians, and social scientists, the narrative scrutinizes the role of adults as promoters and coaches and concludes with a discussion of current and needed reforms.

Child's Play

Child's Play PDF Author: Michael A. Messner
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 0813571472
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 267

Get Book

Book Description
Is sport good for kids? When answering this question, both critics and advocates of youth sports tend to fixate on matters of health, whether condemning contact sports for their concussion risk or prescribing athletics as a cure for the childhood obesity epidemic. Child’s Play presents a more nuanced examination of the issue, considering not only the physical impacts of youth athletics, but its psychological and social ramifications as well. The eleven original scholarly essays in this collection provide a probing look into how sports—in community athletic leagues, in schools, and even on television—play a major role in how young people view themselves, shape their identities, and imagine their place in society. Rather than focusing exclusively on self-proclaimed jocks, the book considers how the culture of sports affects a wide variety of children and young people, including those who opt out of athletics. Not only does Child’s Play examine disparities across lines of race, class, and gender, it also offers detailed examinations of how various minority populations, from transgender youth to Muslim immigrant girls, have participated in youth sports. Taken together, these essays offer a wide range of approaches to understanding the sociology of youth sports, including data-driven analyses that examine national trends, as well as ethnographic research that gives a voice to individual kids. Child’s Play thus presents a comprehensive and compelling analysis of how, for better and for worse, the culture of sports is integral to the development of young people—and with them, the future of our society.

Sociology of Sport

Sociology of Sport PDF Author: George Harvey Sage
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197622712
Category : Sports
Languages : en
Pages : 511

Get Book

Book Description
"Now in its twelfth edition, Sociology of Sport offers a compact yet comprehensive and integrated perspective on sport in North American society. Bringing a unique viewpoint to the subject, George H. Sage, D. Stanley Eitzen, Becky Beal, and Matthew Atencio analyze and, in turn, demythologize sport. This method promotes an understanding of how a sociological perspective differs from commonsense perceptions about sport and society, helping students to understand sport in a new way"--

Elite?

Elite? PDF Author: Adam D. Metz
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1532603797
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 212

Get Book

Book Description
Beyond an occasional sports-inspired sermon illustration, sports are generally regarded as having little relevance to the Christian faith. More often, they are viewed as a welcome and safe reprieve from politics and religion. Quietly, however, as they avoid the discerning eye of the church, sports are slowly overtaking families and overwhelming parents. Under the labels "elite," "select," and "travel," a new experience of sports has taken root in American culture demanding financial burdens, time commitments, and heightened pressures never before seen. Community leaders from various public sectors have criticized many recent trends in youth sports, but, alas, where has the church been? This new "elite" expression of youth sports is quickly building an intimidating front against the church. As church attendance declines, "elite" youth sports participation is on the rise. This book ventures into the challenging, controversial, and powerful world of youth sports. Young people participate in sports more than just about any other activity, and the church has neglected its role in providing a voice of discernment for what participating in sports should look like. Christians are desperately in need of a manifesto for helping them wrestle with the complex, exciting, and often exhausting world of youth sports.

The Bahamas

The Bahamas PDF Author: Gaylord Dold
Publisher: Rough Guides
ISBN: 9781858288284
Category : Bahamas
Languages : en
Pages : 446

Get Book

Book Description
The Rough Guides series contain full color photos, three maps in one, and arewaterproof and tearproof. They contain thousands of keyed listings and brightnew graphics.

Introduction to Physical Education, Fitness, and Sport

Introduction to Physical Education, Fitness, and Sport PDF Author: Daryl Siedentop
Publisher: Human Kinetics
ISBN: 1492594547
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 544

Get Book

Book Description
The ninth edition of Introduction to Physical Education, Fitness, and Sport is as robust and instrumental as ever for students preparing for careers in the various physical activity fields. And the latest version of this long-running and seminal text is chock-full of new material for budding teachers, coaches, fitness professionals, recreation leaders, and program leaders. This book covers a broad spectrum of careers and professions, including those in physical education, health, dance, fitness, sport, recreation, athletic training, and athletic administration. The authors provide an overview of the respective professions and offer a deep dive into individual careers. In addition, the text explores the role of public policy across local, state, and federal levels, noting how various physical activity professions are affected by regulations. New content in this edition includes the following: Five new chapters cover dance education, recreational leadership, health education, contemporary physical education curriculum models, and exemplary physical education programs. Updated content on how economic, racial, and ethnic disparities affect physical activity and physical activity professions will help students anticipate real-life issues. New evidence, data, and information throughout the text will help students understand the issues, problems, and programmatic solutions in the various fields as they prepare to meet and solve those problems. The expanded and updated physical education chapters reflect current trends and developments. The new chapters on dance education, recreational leadership, and health education broaden the book’s scope as they show the role these allied physical activity professions play in the larger efforts to promote and support physical activity as a way to create a healthy citizenry. All chapters throughout the text have been updated to reflect the most current information on the topics. And the book’s web-based ancillaries, which include a range of instructor tools, have also been revised and expanded. Introduction to Physical Education, Fitness, and Sport is organized into six parts: Part I provides a thorough understanding of the health issues related to physical inactivity and of the evolution of physical activity programs. Parts II, III, and IV focus on concepts, programs, professions, and barriers to overcome in physical education, fitness, and sport, respectively. Part V delves into the allied physical activity professions of dance and dance education, recreation, and health education, exploring the concepts, professions, and issues in each area. Part VI tackles the subdisciplines of kinesiology that support physical activity, such as exercise physiology, sport pedagogy, sport and exercise psychology, sport philosophy, biomechanics, and more. Introduction to Physical Education, Fitness, and Sport will help students make more informed career choices, understand the professional issues they will face, and be in a better position to develop high-quality programs and make those programs widely available. Ultimately, this book will help new generations of physical activity professionals provide positive solutions to the problems that exist in their fields and to make lifelong impacts on their students.

Food Town, USA

Food Town, USA PDF Author: Mark Winne
Publisher:
ISBN: 1610919440
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 210

Get Book

Book Description
Look at any list of America's top foodie cities and you probably won't find Boise, Idaho or Sitka, Alaska. Yet they are the new face of the food movement. Healthy, sustainable fare is changing communities across this country, revitalizing towns that have been ravaged by disappearing industries and decades of inequity. What sparked this revolution? To find out, Mark Winne traveled to seven cities not usually considered revolutionary. He broke bread with brew masters and city council members, farmers and philanthropists, toured start-up incubators and homeless shelters. What he discovered was remarkable, even inspiring. In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, once a company steel town, investment in the arts has created a robust new market for local restaurateurs. In Alexandria, Louisiana, "one-stop shopping" food banks help clients apply for health insurance along with SNAP benefits. In Jacksonville, Florida, aeroponics are bringing fresh produce to a food desert. Over the course of his travels, Winne experienced the power of individuals to transform food and the power of food to transform communities. The cities of Food Town, USA remind us that innovation is ripening all across the country, especially in the most unlikely places.

The Saturday Evening Post

The Saturday Evening Post PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Periodicals
Languages : en
Pages : 650

Get Book

Book Description


Town Journal

Town Journal PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 910

Get Book

Book Description