Laffey, Wade A

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Loyola Marymount University

Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiryand PracticeVolume 10 | Issue 3 Article 133-1-2007More Than Just a Game: Sports in American LifeSince 1945, by Kathryn JayWade A. LaffeyFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/ceThis Book Review is brought to you for free with open access by the School of Education at Digital Commons at Loyola Marymount University andLoyola Law School. It has been accepted for publication in Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice by the journal's editorial board andhas been published on the web by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons at Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. Formore information about Digital Commons, please contact digitalcommons@lmu.edu. To contact the editorial board of Catholic Education: A Journalof Inquiry and Practice, please email CatholicEdJournal@lmu.edu.Recommended CitationLaffey, W. A. (2007). More Than Just a Game: Sports in American Life Since 1945, by Kathryn Jay. Journal of Catholic Education, 10 (3).http://dx.doi.org/10.15365/joce.1003132013Catholic teachers would benefit from reading the stories of the Catholic tra-dition and Weigel’s reflections for their own ministry of mentoring. Bradden R. Kluesner teaches physical education at St. Charles Borromeo School in Port Charlotte, FL.MORE THAN JUST A GAME:SPORTS IN AMERICAN LIFE SINCE 1945KATHRYN JAYCOLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2004$29.95, 304 pagesReviewed by Wade A. LaffeyThe complete education of a child includes the concept of sport as a purpose-ful physical activity. Increasingly in modern times, sport has transcended amere physical diversion to become part of the social fabric of America—mir-roring ethical norms, standards of justice, and behavioral tendencies.In More Than Just a Game: Sports in American Life Since 1945, Jaytracks the ascent of both amateur and professional sports in the collectivepsyche of Americans following the end of the Second World War. Using anarrative tone, Jay follows the progress of sports through time, sharing ananecdote about women’s golf and recounting the image of Vince Lombardi.The on-field successes and failures are not of paramount interest here; theemphasis is rather on how the popularity of sports has impacted society andhow changes in societal norms have affected the nature of sports. Greatteams, players, and coaches are remembered, but the impact of cable televi-sion, Title IX legislation, and the Black power movement on athletics is alsoconsidered in this modern history. Jay does not follow an exact chronology, but considers various topics andissues in sports relevant to a general time period. For example, professionalbaseball receives much attention from the author during the late 1940s and1950s, during which baseball popularity may have reached its zenith in termsof the percentage of the public interested. During later years, as other sportsbecame more popular, baseball stories appear less frequently. BOOK REVIEWS 389Jay focuses on the moments that change the sport or the culture forever.A good example of this is the account of the famous “Battle of the Sexes”tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. This exhibition,made-for-television event, had little impact on the game of tennis, but King’swin over the aging Riggs nevertheless sent a message to American society.Her victory did not demonstrate that women could compete with men since therewas no doubt that reigning champion Jimmy Connors would have dispatchedKing easily. But the match did show that King, and by extension, the women sherepresented, could concentrate and win under extreme conditions. (p. 164)Money is a consistent theme. Jay points out the enormous differences inbudgeting for men’s and women’s sports at major universities before theNCAA and the U.S. government decided to enforce federal Title IX legisla-tion that demanded equal treatment. Michael Jordan’s rise to fame and for-tune, while initiated by his basketball talent, really is more attributable to hisshrewd endorsements and television spots, particularly involving his Nike AirJordan shoes. These examples also demonstrate how people treat these issuesin sports today; women’s collegiate sports are as popular as ever and it is com-monplace to see athletes reap millions by sponsoring various products.Jay also shows how American society affects the athletic culture as well.The author recounts how Southern football teams resisted racial integrationlong after their sponsoring universities had done so. Changing culturalnorms and convincing proof that African American athletes could competeled to the teams’ integration. Similarly, the cultural impact of women play-ing professional sports was eased by the fact that many women had to workto replace men fighting as soldiers during World War II. “The idea of femaleballplayers was more accepted during the war since 5 million women joinedthe labor market between 1941 and 1945” (p. 15). Jay argues that societal pressures or short-minded members of the mediacan also have the negative effect of putting down athletes. The difficultiesJackie Robinson had in his first year with the Brooklyn Dodgers are welldocumented, but Jay additionally communicates the mean-spirited treatmentof homosexual athletes by the general public and press. The author remindsthe reader about cheating scandals and the use of illegal drugs, all of whichare as controversial now as they have been in past years.For the casual reader and fan of sports in general, this book makes forentertaining reading. Jay spins interest in a topic, makes an observation, andthen segues to the next sport or athlete. Jay’s breadth of examples involvinggames, personalities, and issues is wide and varied enough to interest mostsports enthusiasts. A person could open up the book at any point and start390 Catholic Education/March 2007reading. The author evokes many great images and moments in sports overthe last 60 years and meshes them into one tale of an American ethos ofsport. The educator of American history will find these stories excellent forcapturing the soul of the nation in the late 20th century while providingrhetorical questions on the nature and meaning of sport.While Jay admits in her introduction that “[s]ome of this information isnot new” (p. 2), one could argue that most of the content in this text is noth-ing new to the reader. This is especially true considering the vast amount ofresearch and books available on this subject as well as the constant inunda-tion of sports by ESPN and other sports media in this country. Jay has artful-ly compiled these moments and issues, but does not really draw any new con-clusions—at least none that most people likely to read this book have seen.This, however, is probably not the author’s intent. While Jay is critical of abuses in sports over the years, she is careful notto overextend, letting the reader draw his or her own conclusions. “Even astelevised spectacle, even as a prepackaged entertainment to sell consumergoods, sports offer moments of transcendence and a sense of powerful pos-sibility” (p. 242). Jay decides to err in favor of sports being a positive thingoverall. Television has increased sports’ exposure, but the same problemsexist and the games go on. Wade Laffey is principal of St. Joseph Catholic School in Enid, OK.CRITICAL ISSUES IN RELIGIOUSEDUCATIONOLIVER BRENNAN, ED.VERITAS HOUSE, 2005$12.44, 124 pagesReviewed by Jocelyn Pierre-AntoineCritical Issues in Religious Education is a book that takes into considerationthe cultural context of today’s society and provides a new perspective on reli-gious education. A series of three experts in religious education investigateBOOK REVIEWS 391

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