Out of bounds : sports, media, and the politics of identity /

The editors and authors of this book, whose backgrounds lie for the most part in the academic domain of film and cinema studies, present a collection of essays that delve into the role and relevance of sports in cultural studies. The authors explore topics associated with sport and cultural identity that center around gender, race, class, social mobility, and the overall politics and sociocultural struggles of identity. Throughout the nine well-constructed and referenced essays, sport is presented through the lenses of the media industry. Sports ranging from baseball and basketball to the areas of the World Wrestling Federation and professional prizefighting are offered, tracing selected sports roots, paths, growth problems, and place in contemporary popular culture as well as their role in the process of defining social identities. As the essays reveal, media representation of sports significantly contributes to the contested process of identity construction. Recommended for those upper-division undergraduate and graduate students interested in cultural and sports studies. M. L. Krotee University of Minnesota