Sports and the Game of Life

[Nancy Milliken]

I cannot help but notice that so many of the sports books mentioned in our text have a theme of the main character trying to stand up against the more negative aspects of organized sports. Is this part of the game of life? Is what we see in organized sports a representation of life.... business, the anything goes for success mentality? And it seems that the football players really take the worst of it...being depicted as young men who get away with horrible things because of their elevated status as football players.
And while I am being negative, where are the girl sports books? In both lists (textbook and the list in our assignment) there were only two girl sports books....Bend It Like Beckham and Dairy Queen (both really good ones!!) The nonfiction list in the text at least had a few more about women athletes.

[Barb Miller]

Wow, Nancy, you've got me thinking about what you said about organized sports teams being like corporate America...hmmm. I tend to agree. It is frustrating to see the elite status conferred upon athletes, as if they are the end all. It's fine that they are good in their fields, but the whole incredibly inflated salaries for athletes is so out of proportion to what they do, especially when compared to humanitarians.

[Diane Caro]

I just want us to be familiar with these titles so we can share them with our students who have an interest in women athletes and athletics.

[Nancy Milliken]

I will look these up. Thanks for the suggestions! The only one I knnew about in your list wass Let Me Play.

[Diane Caro]

I can think of two girl's basketball book right off the top of my head:
In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle and Counting Coup: A true story of basketball. Oh, I also remember Tabitha King's (yes, Stephen's wife) wrote a novel One on One. There's also a nonfiction book about Title IX entitled Let Me Play. What about Million Dollar Baby and A League of Their Own?