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Shows signs of wear. Jacket may be torn, cover may have creases, pages have some writing and highlighting. May have some water damage. May be a former library book. Ships direct from Amazon! Shows signs of wear. Jacket may be torn, cover may have creases, pages have some writing and highlighting. May have some water damage. May be a former library book. Ships direct from Amazon! See less
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The Meaning Of Sports Paperback – May 10, 2005

by Michael Mandelbaum (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 24 ratings
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In The Meaning of Sports, Michael Mandelbaum, a sports fan who is also one of the nation's preeminent foreign policy thinkers, examines America's century-long love affair with team sports. In keeping with his reputation for writing about big ideas in an illuminating and graceful way, he shows how sports respond to deep human needs; describes the ways in which baseball, football and basketball became national institutions and how they reached their present forms; and covers the evolution of rules, the rise and fall of the most successful teams, and the historical significance of the most famous and influential figures such as Babe Ruth, Vince Lombardi, and Michael Jordan.

Whether he is writing about baseball as the agrarian game, football as similar to warfare, basketball as the embodiment of post-industrial society, or the moral havoc created by baseball's designated hitter rule, Mandelbaum applies the full force of his learning and wit to subjects about which so many Americans care passionately: the games they played in their youth and continue to follow as adults. By offering a fresh and unconventional perspective on these games, The Meaning of Sports makes for fascinating and rewarding reading both for fans and newcomers.
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  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    May 10, 2005
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.94 x 8.5 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1586483307
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1586483302
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Delightful." -- Thomas L. Friedman, The New York Times

About the Author

Michael Mandelbaum is the Christian A. Herter Professor of American Foreign Policy; Director of the American Foreign Policy Program at Johns Hopkins, SAIS. He is a former faculty member at Harvard University, Columbia University and the U.S. Naval Academy; his Ph.D. in political science came from Harvard University.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ PublicAffairs (May 10, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1586483307
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1586483302
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.94 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 24 ratings

About the author

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Michael Mandelbaum

Michael Mandelbaum

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Michael Mandelbaum is the Christian A. Herter Professor of American Foreign Policy at The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. and is the director of the American Foreign Policy Program there. He has also held teaching posts at Harvard and Columbia Universities, and at the United States Naval Academy.

His most recent book, written with co-author Thomas L. Friedman, is THAT USED TO BE US: HOW AMERICA FELL BEHIND IN THE WORLD IT INVENTED AND HOW WE CAN COME BACK. Its publication date is September 5, 2011.

He serves on the board of advisors of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a Washington-based organization sponsoring research and public discussion on American policy toward the Middle East.

A graduate of Yale College, Professor Mandelbaum earned his Master's degree at King's College, Cambridge University and his doctorate at Harvard University.

Professor Mandelbaum is the author or co-author of numerous articles and of 13 books: That Used To Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back (2011) with co-author Thomas L. Friedman; The Frugal Superpower: America's Global Leadership in a Cash-Strapped Era (2010); Democracy's Good Name: The Rise and Risks of the World's Most Popular Form of Government (2007); The Case For Goliath: How America Acts As The World's Government in the Twenty-first Century (2006); The Meaning of Sports: Why Americans Watch Baseball, Football and Basketball and What They See When They Do (2004); The Ideas That Conquered the World: Peace, Democracy and Free Markets in the Twenty-First Century (2002); The Dawn of Peace in Europe (1996); The Fate of Nations: The Search for National Security in the 19th and 20th Centuries (1988); The Global Rivals, (co-author, 1988); Reagan and Gorbachev (co-author, 1987); The Nuclear Future (1983); The Nuclear Revolution: International Politics Before and After Hiroshima (1981); and The Nuclear Question: The United States and Nuclear Weapons, 1946-1976 (1979). He is also the editor of twelve books.

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4.2 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • AdeHT
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read! Sports history, psychology, strategy, commentary...all in one!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Reading about sports seems antithetical, but these essays are so well-written, that they bring you right onto the field or court. The chapter on football ("The Spectacle of Violence") has been the subject of many dinner convos when the Superbowl rolls around.
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  • Judith Sabo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Books
    Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Was once married to a sports family and never understood why sports was so important to their lives. All the male members of their family grew up with competitive sports and were expected to excel at baseball, basketball, wrestling, swimming. I had to catch up to the reality of sports in their lives. The book validated what I found out...made me feel OK about all the time I spent in gymnasiums at basketball games, at track competitions, in bleachers for baseball games....my LIFE was sports for several years transporting the son from event to event, then washing smelly uniforms....of the joys of motherhood and sports!!
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  • Nancy Talbot Doty
    2.0 out of 5 stars Meaning of Sports ??
    Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I really felt this was waste of money. As I recall, I purchased it in response to a Bob Edwards interview. I can only say that Edwards is a very skilled interviewer who was able to make this superficial book sound "meaningful". I read a lot about football, baseball and basketball which I already knew--virtually nothing about their "meaning" or significance to society.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Michael Griswold
    3.0 out of 5 stars Is This What Sports Means?
    Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Michael Mandelbaum has produced a very interesting and entertaining read in the Meaning of Sports: Why Americans Watch Baseball, Football, and Basketball and what they see when they do. 301 pages seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye thanks to a very fast paced and free writing style. I truly enjoyed learning about the evolution of the three sports and I thought that his idea of baseball being a remembrance of some previous era in America history, football as the Industrial Age, and basketball as signifying the new economy was a thought provoking way of looking at sports.

    However, the Why we watch sports is an open question because I don’t know many people among the masses who watch sports because it reminds us of war or a past forgotten. I would’ve liked to have heard more on this, instead of this information being buried by page after page of information about the evolution of our sports. I am a sports fan, so I may be more willing than other reviewers to let such things go. Still, I can’t help but believe that readers looking for this book that answers the mysterious appeal of sports will be disappointed.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good description of product
    Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Timely delivery. Good description of product. Very happy buyer.
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  • Steve Kohn
    5.0 out of 5 stars Deepens both understanding and appreciation for the sports we enjoy
    Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2009
    My favorite books might be the ones that give me some insight to the world or, as in this case, some part of it.

    I'd never understood baseball, football or basketball as I do now, especially how they came to have such prominence in American life.

    Fact is, I'd never thought much about them at all. Just played them (organized softball to this day, basketball and football in my youth at the schoolyard) and enjoyed watching them all my life (though only the championship games as an adult). But I see now I was always looking only at pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, scattered on the table, never seeing how the parts fit together. Or even how they fit together with parts of other puzzles. Yes, that's confusing, but read the book to see what I mean. I don't want to tell you more, so you can enjoy the author's countless connections as much as I did.

    I'm in awe of the scholarship that went into this book. And marvel at how it was made it so readable and relevant. George Will has long been my standard for great writing (to include his wonderful book on baseball, "Men at Work"); Mandelbaum is his equal. Mandlebaum's book, in fact, has replaced Will's in my Deserted Island Books list.

    My only kvetch is the title, which really should be "The Meaning of Baseball, Basketball and Football in America: a Historical and Sociological Perspective." But that's way too long, and not very catchy. "The Meaning of Sports" is good enough.

    In my sixth decade, and a lifelong reader, I've enjoyed many fine books on sports. This is my favorite.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kenneth L. Anthony
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting for a non-sports guys
    Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I was assigned to read this book for a graduate American Cultural History class. I did not realize there was this much meaning of sports for society.
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  • Pat Winters
    5.0 out of 5 stars AN EXTRAORDINARY BOOK: FUN TO READ AND PROFOUND, AS WELL
    Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2006
    Of all the books on sports that I've read---well over 100 during the last 25 years---this is far and away the best. It was a Fathers Day present to me, and it was the perfect gift. It is written in a lively, readable style, and truly explains the magnetic pull that these three sports have on their fans. Whether you're a fan, or a sports widow or widower, this is the book to read in order to understand why hundreds of millions of us are so drawn to baseball, football and basketball. It is also extremely perceptive about soccer and hockey. A great gift, and a great pleasure to read and admire. I highly recommend it.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • James E. Townsend
    5.0 out of 5 stars trois sports qui expliquent beaucoup de la culture Americaine
    Reviewed in France on December 25, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Mike Mandelbaum, Professeur de politique internationale à l'Université Johns Hopkins, a écrit beaucoup de livres importants au sujet de la politique internationale. Mais ici il a écrit un petit livre en travail fait par plaisir: comment expliquer l'essentiel du caractère Americain vu des trois sports nés et évolus aux E-U à partir du 19e siècle.. D'abord le Baseball, crée à l'époque agrarienne, puis le Football Americain, perfectionné avec des systèmes d'organizations et équipes spécialisées et militaires, et dernièrement le Basket, pratiqué surtout par les "inner-city"jeunes...Ce livre est un vrai chef-d'oeuvre et très facile à comprendre du point de vue de l'histoire et les moeurs de l'époque. Jim T.
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  • Simba
    2.0 out of 5 stars The Meaning Of Sports: Why Americans Watch baseball, Football, and...
    Reviewed in Italy on March 27, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Ammetto che forse non e' il genere che cercavo.Senza vento.il continuo tentativo di spiegare cio' che e' meno spiegabile , lo rende pesante e ovvio.
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  • D.C.
    2.0 out of 5 stars Not much here
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 11, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Sport is great because it's like a movie but with an unpredictable ends which has not been written already. That's the only thing I take away with me from this book.
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