Overview

Those who avidly followed the on-court acrobatics and off-court celebrity of the ""Dream Team"" in Barcelona in 1992 would hardly recognize what passed as Olympic basketball fifty-six years earlier, when the United States first played the game in the 1936 Olympics. In those early days of men's Olympic basketball, many teams lacked basic skills, games were played in the pouring rain, only seven players could suit up, and the rules allowed only two substitutions and no time-outs. How this slow, low-scoring sport became the breakneck game that enraptures millions worldwide is the story of American Hoops. In this fascinating history of Olympic basketball on the world stage and behind the scenes, Carson Cunningham presents a kaleidoscopic picture of the evolution into the twenty-first century of one of America's most popular sports. From clashes between celebrated egos and thrilling action on the court to the intense rivalries of the cold war and technological advances in everything from television to off-court sports equipment, American Hoops follows the fortunes of Olympic basketball in the United States and internationally as it developed and emerged as one of the most challenging and entertaining sports in the world. Cunningham traces how the modifications made by the International Olympic Committee and the International Basketball Federation have transformed the game of basketball over the years, from the Berlin to the Beijing Olympics. His book offers a remarkable view of the changing world through the prism of Olympic sport.

Full Product Details

Author:   Carson Cunningham
Publisher:   University of Nebraska Press
Imprint:   University of Nebraska Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 3.30cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.735kg
ISBN:  

9780803243590

ISBN 10:   0803243596
Pages:   528
Publication Date:   01 July 2012
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

List of Illustrations List of Tables Acknowledgments Introduction 1. American Hoops Help Establish the International Standard in Berlin 2. U.S. Basketball Advances the Game in Postwar London 3. Cold War Basketball's Opening Salvo in Helsinki 4. The Russell Model Revolutionizes the International Game in Melbourne 5. Basketball Accelerates as Robertson, Lucas, and West Run through Rome 6. In Liberal, Postwar Tokyo, Teamwork, Television, and a Cold War Tilt for Gold 7. Haywood Shines as Satellites, Cable, and Shoes Mature in Mexico City 8. Mayhem in Munich  9. Trademark Speed Returns in Montreal, Then Politics Intrude in Moscow 10. Air Jordan Arrives and The General Delivers in Los Angeles 11. Oddities in Seoul Open the Lane for the Dream Team 12. Basketball Bedlam in Barcelona 13. From Underrated Greatness in Atlanta to the Gap Closed in Athens 14. Reclamation in Beijing Notes Index

Reviews

Cunningham has produced a comprehensive history that insightfully chronicles the evolution of the United States Olympic basketball team in a changing world. --Chad Carlson, International Journal of the History of Sports --Chad Carlson International Journal of the History of Sports

Author Information

Carson Cunningham is a visiting assistant professor of history at DePaul University and the author of Before the Curse: The Chicago Cubs’ Glory Years, 1870–1945.

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