Legends Never Die: Athletes and Their Afterlives in Modern America

Available
Product Details
Price
$66.00
Publisher
Syracuse University Press
Publish Date
Pages
216
Dimensions
6.0 X 9.0 X 0.63 inches | 1.08 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9780815635062
BISAC Categories:

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About the Author
Richard Ian Kimball is associate professor of history at Brigham Young University. He is the author of Sports in Zion: Mormon Recreation, 1890-1940.
Reviews
Focuses on case studies of famous athletes who died young, examining especially the post-World War II generation and arguing that 'modern sports help Americans to suppress the fears associated with their own mortality.' Chapters trace the afterlives of such athletes as Lou Gehrig, George Gipp, Bonnie McCarroll, Lane Frost, Benny Paret, Dale Earnhardt, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Ted Williams.-- "American Literature"
Kimball shows readers that sports are far more complex than just understanding the achievements of the athletes. . . . Recommended.-- "Choice"
Against all the laws of nature, certain sports heroes pull off the extraordinary stunt of running faster, jumping higher, hitting a ball farther after they die. In a word, athletes-think George Gipp (the Gipper), Lou Gehrig, Dale Earnhardt-achieve immortality, the same elusive stuff Achilles sought on the battlefields of Troy. How and why the immortalization process happens-media coverage, Hollywood, family activism-is the question this captivating project answers. Richard Ian Kimball spotlights Joe DiMaggio, Bonnie McCarroll, Benny Paret, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams and many other notables, all to uncover the mythmaking behind the legend.-- "Foreword Reviews"
Beautifully written, solidly researched, and a pleasure to read. Kimball tends to a difficult subject in a straightforward, conversational style and raises questions worthy of debate. . . .By examining reactions to the shocking deaths of American sports heroes, Kimball illuminates the role of sports in addressing wider social and cultural anxieties the fallen have left behind.-- "Journal of Sport History"
This is a fascinating and engaging study with relevance to the fields of sport studies, history, and American studies. . . . It will have great potential to attract a broader readership as well given its popular subject matter and readability.-- "Travis Vogan, author of Keepers of the Flame: NFL Films and the Rise of Sports Media"