Sports history has emerged as a popular study over the past quarter
century, and scholars have fueled this interest by providing a wealth of
information on baseball and its role in American culture. Despite this
increasing focus on the connection between sports and societal values,
football, the sport that emerged in the late nineteenth century and
merged the values of winning and commercialization with the culture of
higher education, has been left relatively unexplored. This gap in
sports history has left many questions unanswered, including football's
link to American cultural values. Gerald R. Gems has filled this gap in
sports history with his latest title, For Pride, Profit, and Patriarchy:
Football and the Incorporation of American Cultural Values. This
intriguing resource covers a host of issues including the rise of
football, football and feminism, militarism and leadership training, and
multiculturalism in football. A broad and comprehensive analysis of the
ways in which football addressed the cultural and ideological tensions
within American society during its period of development and
consolidation after the Civil War, this study is ideal for everyone from
the football enthusiast to the general reader.