After a major boom in investment and public interest, professional and college sports appear to be faltering under intense criticism. In his insightful account, Weiss—drawing a useful distinction between games (played for the sake of the players) and sports (performed for audiences)—punctures numerous long-standing myths about the origins of sports (Abner Doubleday didn't invent baseball, he standardized the rules) and shows how financial considerations have always motivated public sporting events. Dividing participants into capitalists and laborers, the author explains the steep inflation in player salaries and tells why club franchises are shuffled from city to city; she also explores university sports' close ties with the professional system and takes up drug abuse, gambling, and fan disillusionment. Especially interesting are discussions of whether amateurism helps or hinders sports, and the offering of some possible futures for American sports. Among the more disturbing revelations is the reason why Astroturf is used when grass is known to be safer, and why rest periods have been shortened: money. A well-balanced book that will alert readers to the realities behind the hype and encourage them to learn the facts before counting on future glory as sports stars. Extensive source list. Index not seen. (Nonfiction. 12+)
Pub Date: April 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-395-57444-7
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1993
BOOK REVIEW
Another in this excellent series that shows every sign of becoming a standard, essential book. Confronted with the USSR's staggering diversity, Andrews bravely wades in to survey history, physical and cultural geography, economics, religion, and daily life, plus modern cultural and scientific accomplishments, in meaty—but not numbing—detail. He binds an often colorful narrative (``Stalin's wretched childhood left his heart and soul as twisted and broken as his withered limb'') with recurring themes, most notably that of a continual ``corrosive combination of ideological obsession and inadequate leadership'' that has shown signs of easing, at last, under Gorbachev. His protestations to the contrary notwithstanding, Andrews comes down very hard on the Soviet brand of communism, but he carefully documents what he has to say. Readable, comprehensive, and eminently useful. Frequent boxed asides (not just charts and anecdotes but also jokes, poetry, and song lyrics) add both information and atmosphere; a list of films and pop recordings supplements the fine bibliographical essay. To include 60 b&w photos, maps, and index (not seen). (Nonfiction. 14+)
Pub Date: May 15, 1991
ISBN: 0-06-020034-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1991
The causes of extinction, the importance of genetic diversity, and efforts to alter conditions that threaten nearly 20% of all species on earth in the next 20 to 30 years. While the examples mentioned here are intriguing, the organization of this entry in the ``Environmental Issues'' series is confusing. Under ``Diversity,'' Patent discusses the causes of extinction—habitat destruction, killing for profit, pollution—and then goes on to discuss keynote species, corn that never dies, improving tomatoes, and domesticating the kouprey (a kind of wild ox). Statements like this one lack sources: ``One of the best examples of why it is to the advantage of humans to keep wild species from disappearing is the discovery of teosinte...its value to agriculture is estimated at $6.82 billion annually!'' A disappointment from this usually reliable author. Photos and drawings not seen. Glossary; further reading; places to write for information; index. (Nonfiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-89490-268-7
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Enslow
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1991
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