Kategoria BISAC: Sports & Recreation >> Olympics & Paralympics

Ceded to the United States under the terms of the Treaty of Paris after the Spanish-American War of 1898, Puerto Rico has since remained a colonial territory. Despite this subordinated colonial experience, however, Puerto Ricans managed to secure national Olympic representation in the 1930s and in so doing nurtured powerful ideas of nationalism.

By examining how the Olympic movement developed in Puerto Rico, Antonio Sotomayor illuminates the profound role sports play in the political and cultural processes of an identity that developed within a political tradition of autonomy rather...

The Balkan Games resulted on the one hand from the growth of modern European sport and the unsatisfactory performances of the Balkan athletes at national and international level, and on the other hand, from a desire to bring the Balkan peoples together in peace and concord. The Games were initiated in Athens in 1929 and increasingly became an integral part of the political, cultural and social life of the area. The common global reality is that when an athletic event is staged, attempted friendship seldom receives priority. In the 1930s, however, the Balkan Games provided a rare example of...

"People think speaking truth to power is easy, but if it was easy everyone would do it. This book does it. . . . It speaks truth to the powers that be, from Brazil to the US to FIFA to the IOC. It hits you like an uppercut that rattles your brain and sets it straight. I cannot recommend this book highly enough." John Carlos, 1968 Olympic medalist

The people of Brazil celebrated when they learned that in the space of two years their country would host the world's two largest sporting events: the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. Now they are protesting in numbers the country...

Running for My Life is not a story about Africa or track and field athletics. It is about outrunning the devil and achieving the impossible faith, diligence, and the desire to give back. It is the American dream come true and a stark reminder that saving one can help to save thousands more.

Lopez Lomong chronicles his inspiring ascent from a barefoot lost boy of the Sudanese Civil War to a Nike sponsored athlete on the US Olympic Team. Though most of us fall somewhere between the catastrophic lows and dizzying highs of Lomong's incredible life, every reader will find in his...

The limited shelf life of Olympic athletes collapsed in 1980 for Rowdy Gaines and about 280 other elite U.S. athletes when President Jimmy Carter announced America would boycott the Games in Moscow.

Instead of distinguishing his country on an international stage, the world's fastest swimmer found himself instead languishing in the lifeguard chair at his hometown pool.

Author Dainon Moody details a story of Gaines' resurrection during an earlier era when sponsorships eluded star swimmers. Rather than cashing checks for wearing...

Displaying the most impressive throws, compelling armbars, dominant pins, and decisive chokes, judo is a particularly powerful sport and martial art that can bring opponents into submission in highly effective ways. With determination and perseverance, such tremendous power could be yours. Designed with safety considerations in mind, judo allows people of all ages to be involved in a long-term fitness activity with opportunities for continuous improvement. Judo is a way of life that promotes physical and mental harmony, encourages the development of self-confidence and leadership...

Johnny Quinn shares his "wild dream" of playing in the NFL being crushed after getting cut 3 times and losing $2.6 million in contracts. At age 30, when most professional athletes are considered "over the hill," Johnny was competing in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia on the Bobsled team.

This book ushers readers through the valleys of life to the thrills of rocketing down icy mountains at 80 mph with no seat belt. Discover how the author overcomes failure on the road to achieving greatness.

From an NFL failure to a U.S. Olympian, Johnny's 'what's next' attitude led him to a...

What really is what we now call "sport"?

Although ubiquitous, it remains a little-understood phenomenon, and - always above reproach - can enjoy a favorable or otherwise indulgent public opinion.

However, in sports almost nothing is as it seems. The book therefore uses a rigorous analysis of the sociological, anthropological and historical aspects that characterize the sport among the less known but definitely more interesting, to denounce the great mystification.

From the free form of amusement, in fact, over the course of time it becomes a tool of propaganda and...

From the moment I am born, I am like no-one else around me. I am a fish out of water. Even in the pool.'

Leisel Jones is rightly regarded as one of the greatest breaststrokers ever. At just fifteen, she won two silver medals at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000; she went on to win gold at Athens and Beijing, and at London 2012 became the first Australian swimmer to compete at four Olympics.

For the first time, Leisel candidly describes what it's like to be thrust into the limelight so young. She reveals the constant pressure she was under - from coaches, from the...