Spring announcements issue Publisher’s Weekly: “A lively, literary exploration into one of America’s most exalted cultural figures — the athlete.”
“A brief but enlightening history of the athlete as a cultural icon.
From the shamanistic athletic rituals of Paleolithic hunters to the exploits of today’s millionaire sports superstars, athletes have fascinated and transfixed us for centuries. This is true, writes Amidon …for both a universal and a particular reason. At their best, “athlete[s] ha[ve] always been able to transport us out of our daily lives,” to stop time for an instant and allow us to suspend disbelief. At the same time, the athlete has always held the ability “to represent the ethos of his era.” In rich yet concise prose, Amidon explores this universalist nature of the athlete, including the godlike efforts of the Greek warriors of the ancient Olympics; the tragic heroics of the Roman gladiator; and the romantic image of the jousting knight errant to the civilized amateur ideal of the Victorian era. In his discussion of the modern era, the book’s most accomplished section, Amidon emphasizes how class, race and gender worked to initially limit who could become an athlete—working-class competitors, for instance, were explicitly barred from the first modern Olympics—and how those excluded overcame such barriers. Women athletes now hold sway in the public imagination more than they ever have. The black American athlete has moved from being an occasional patriotic icon (Joe Louis) to a political rebel (Muhammad Ali) to a cultural avatar (Michael Jordan). Though he occasionally lapses into questionable comparisons—the early-era baseball player, reflecting the industrialization of work, as a working-class Joe who worked overtime (like everybody else) if a game went into extra innings—Amidon’s broad historical sweep fascinates with its facts and challenges with its commentary.
A cultural history of sports that says as much about all of us as it does about athletes.”
“an intriguing meditation on why the athlete remains such an important cultural figure” Dierdre Wollard, Pursuitist.
“If you’ve ever swung a bat or thrown a ball or screamed your lungs out during a close game, you’ll enjoy this fascinating exploration of the evolution of sport and its hero/athlete who captivates us.” Men’s Health
Coming June 5th, 2012
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[...] when they falter. Ours is just the latest in a long chain of cultures to venerate the athlete. In Something Like The Gods, writer Stephen Amidon takes the long historical view to discover why the athlete remains an [...]