The Power of Sports
Media and Spectacle in American Culture
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The Power of Sports
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Narrated by:
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Kyle Tait
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By:
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Michael Serazio
About this listen
In an increasingly secular, fragmented, and distracted culture, nothing brings Americans together quite like sports. On Sundays in September, more families worship at the altar of the NFL than at any church. This appeal, which cuts across all demographic and ideological lines, makes sports perhaps the last unifying mass ritual of our era, with huge numbers of people all focused on the same thing at the same moment. That timeless, live quality makes sports very powerful, and very lucrative. And the media spectacle around them is only getting bigger, brighter, and noisier.
More importantly, sports are sold as an oasis of community to a nation deeply divided: They are escapist, apolitical, the only tie that binds. In fact, precisely because they appear allegedly "above politics", sports are able to smuggle potent messages about inequality, patriotism, labor, and race to massive audiences. And as the wider culture works through shifting gender roles and masculine power, those anxieties are also found in the experiences of female sports journalists, athletes, and fans, and through the coverage of violence by and against male bodies. Sports, rather than being the one thing everyone can agree on, perfectly encapsulate the roiling tensions of modern American life.
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-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 98
Today, feminism is no longer a dirty word, and women purporting to stand up for women's equality now include high-powered names like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Emma Watson. Hip underwear lines sell granny pants with "feminist" emblazoned on the back. In every bookstore, there are scores of seductive feminist how-to business guides telling women how to achieve "it all".
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic book despite shoddy narration
- By Seth H. Wilson on 05-19-16
By: Andi Zeisler
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Republicans Buy Sneakers, Too
- How the Left Is Ruining Sports with Politics
- By: Clay Travis
- Narrated by: Clay Travis
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 637
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 557
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Story5 out of 5 stars 553
Sports media superstar Clay Travis wants to save sports from the social justice warriors seeking to turn them into another political battleground. Having ruined journalism and Hollywood, far-left-wing activists have now turned to sports. Travis argues it’s time for right-thinking fans everywhere to put down their beers and reclaim their teams and their traditions. In Republicans Buy Sneakers, Too, he replays the arguments he’s won and lays out all the battles ahead. His goal is simple: to make sports great again.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Love or hate him you should love this book
- By Mike on 10-03-18
By: Clay Travis
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You Herd Me!
- I'll Say It If Nobody Else Will
- By: Colin Cowherd
- Narrated by: Colin Cowherd
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 506
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 459
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 457
In this age of billion dollar athletic marketing campaigns, “feel good” philosophy with no connection to reality, and a Sports Media echo chamber that’s all too eager swallow whatever idiotic notion happens to be in vogue at the moment, it’s tough to find people who aren’t afraid to say what they’re really thinking.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great book, Repeats majority of themes from radio
- By Troy on 01-20-14
By: Colin Cowherd
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Sidelined
- Sports, Culture, and Being a Woman in America
- By: Julie DiCaro
- Narrated by: Julie DiCaro
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 32
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 28
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
In a society that is digging deep into the misogyny underlying our traditions and media, the world of sports is especially fertile ground. From casual sexism, like condescending coverage of women’s pro sports, to more serious issues, like athletes who abuse their partners and face only minimal consequences, this area of our culture is home to a vast swath of gender issues that apply to all of us - whether or not our work and leisure time revolve around what happens on the field.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Get Fired Up
- By Amazon Customer on 10-08-21
By: Julie DiCaro
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Buying In
- The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are
- By: Rob Walker
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 155
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 56
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Story4 out of 5 stars 53
Marketing executives and consumer advocates alike predict a future of brand-proof consumers, armed with technology and a sophisticated understanding of marketing techniques, who can effectively tune out ad campaigns. But as Rob Walker demonstrates, this widely accepted misconception has eclipsed the real changes in the way modern consumers relate to their brands of choice. Combine this with marketers' new ability to blur the line between advertising, entertainment, and public space, and you have dramatically altered the relationship between consumer and consumed.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Lets you in on the secret...
- By Jeff on 07-06-08
By: Rob Walker
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Bad News
- How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy
- By: Batya Ungar-Sargon
- Narrated by: Batya Ungar-Sargon
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 181
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 167
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Story5 out of 5 stars 165
Today’s newsrooms are propagating radical ideas that were fringe as recently as a decade ago, including “antiracism,” intersectionality, open borders, and critical race theory. How did this come to be? It all has to do with who our news media is written by—and who it is written for. In Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy, Batya Ungar-Sargon reveals how American journalism underwent a status revolution over the twentieth century—from a blue-collar trade to an elite profession.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Balanced, informative, and insightful
- By J. B. Eibel on 06-06-22
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The Heritage
- Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism
- By: Howard Bryant
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 200
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 174
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Story5 out of 5 stars 176
Today, sports arenas have been transformed into staging grounds for American patriotism and the hero worship of law enforcement. Teams wear camouflage jerseys to honor those who serve; police officers throw out first pitches; soldiers surprise their families with homecomings at halftime. Sports and politics are decidedly entwined. But as journalist Howard Bryant reveals, this has always been more complicated for black athletes, who from the start were committing a political act simply by being on the field.
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2 out of 5 stars
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I guess there’s a reason why this one was so heavily discounted. One sided not really worth listening to.
- By Dwight Henning on 07-17-24
By: Howard Bryant
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The Real Madrid Way
- How Values Created the Most Successful Sports Team on the Planet
- By: Steven G. Mandis
- Narrated by: Charles Constant
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 60
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 54
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 54
Real Madrid is the most successful sports team on the planet. The soccer club has more trophies than any other sports team, including 11 UEFA Champions League trophies. However, the story behind the triumph goes beyond the players and coaches. Generally unnoticed, a management team consisting mostly of outsiders took the team from near bankruptcy to the most valuable sports organization in the world. How did Real Madrid achieve such extraordinary success? Columbia Business School adjunct professor Steven G. Mandis investigates.
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1 out of 5 stars
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awful
- By Jonathan Frye on 11-13-24
By: Steven G. Mandis
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Forty Million Dollar Slaves
- The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete
- By: William C. Rhoden
- Narrated by: William C. Rhoden
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 367
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 315
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Story5 out of 5 stars 312
From Jackie Robinson to Muhammad Ali and Arthur Ashe, African American athletes have been at the center of modern culture, their on-the-field heroics admired and stratospheric earnings envied. But for all their money, fame, and achievement, says former New York Times columnist William C. Rhoden, Black athletes still find themselves on the periphery of true power in the multibillion-dollar industry their talent built. Provocative and controversial, Rhoden's Forty Million Dollar Slaves weaves a compelling narrative of Black athletes in the United States.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Book and Narrator Review
- By Leonor on 12-26-17
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Blockbusters
- Hit-making, Risk-taking, and the Big Business of Entertainment
- By: Anita Elberse
- Narrated by: Renee Raudman
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 104
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 88
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Story4 out of 5 stars 88
What's behind the phenomenal success of entertainment businesses such as Warner Bros., Marvel Entertainment, and the NFL — along with such stars as Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and LeBron James? Which strategies give leaders in film, television, music, publishing, and sports an edge over their rivals? Anita Elberse, Harvard Business School's expert on the entertainment industry, has done pioneering research on the worlds of media and sports for more than a decade. Now, in this groundbreaking audiobook, she explains a powerful truth about the fiercely competitive world of entertainment.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I love the autobook the only thing I have
- By brycesp on 03-31-17
By: Anita Elberse
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With Amusement for All
- A History of American Popular Culture since 1830
- By: LeRoy Ashby
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 33 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 76
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 65
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Story4 out of 5 stars 65
With Amusement for All is the first comprehensive history of two centuries of mass entertainment in the United States, covering everything from the penny press to Playboy, the NBA to NASCAR, big band to hip hop, and other topics including film, comics, television, sports, and music. Paying careful attention to matters of race, gender, class, economics, and politics, LeRoy Ashby emphasizes the complex ways in which popular culture simultaneously reflects and transforms American culture.
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5 out of 5 stars
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So Much Fun!
- By Paul on 11-28-13
By: LeRoy Ashby
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The Filter Bubble
- What the Internet Is Hiding from You
- By: Eli Pariser
- Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 309
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 255
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Story4 out of 5 stars 251
In December 2009, Google began customizing its search results for each user. Instead of giving you the most broadly popular result, Google now tries to predict what you are most likely to click on. According to MoveOn.org board president Eli Pariser, Google's change in policy is symptomatic of the most significant shift to take place on the Web in recent years: the rise of personalization.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Now in the top 3 best books I've ever read
- By Brian Esserlieu on 05-26-11
By: Eli Pariser
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Winners
- And How They Succeed
- By: Alastair Campbell
- Narrated by: Paul Hodgson
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 42
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
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Story4 out of 5 stars 34
Alastair Campbell knows all about winning. As Tony Blair's chief spokesman and strategist, he helped guide his party to victory in three successive elections, and he's fascinated by what it takes to succeed. How do sportsmen excel, entrepreneurs thrive, or individuals achieve the ambitions? Is their ability to win innate?
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5 out of 5 stars
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All Winners Must Know That
- By GoldstarGuru on 06-03-23
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The Rise of the New Puritans
- Fighting Back Against Progressives’ War on Fun
- By: Noah Rothman
- Narrated by: Noah Rothman
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 161
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 150
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 150
The Left used to be the party of the hippies and the free spirits. Now it’s home to woke scolds and humorless idealogues. The New Puritans can judge a person’s moral character by their clothes, Netflix queue, fast food favorites, the sports they watch, and the company they keep. No choice is neutral, no sphere is private. Not since the Puritans has a political movement wanted so much power over your thoughts, hobbies, and preferences every minute of your day. In the process, they are sucking the joy out of life.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great, fast summer read
- By Joseph Spiegel on 07-18-22
By: Noah Rothman
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The End of Work
- Why Your Passion Can Become Your Job
- By: John Tamny
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 4 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 31
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 30
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 30
From the author of Popular Economics comes a surprisingly sunny projection of America's future job market. Forget the doomsday predictions of sour-faced nostalgists who say automation and globalization will take away your dream job. The job market is only going to get better and better, according to economist John Tamny, who argues in The End of Work that the greatest gift of prosperity, beyond freedom from painful want, is the existence of work that is interesting.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Positive... fun all the way... no boring parts
- By Robert J. Marks on 02-20-19
By: John Tamny
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What's My Name, Fool?
- Sports and Resistance in the United States
- By: Dave Zirin
- Narrated by: Aaron Abano
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 29
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 26
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 26
Here Edgeofsports.com sportswriter Dave Zirin shows how sports express the worst, as well as the most creative and exciting, features of American society. Zirin explores how Janet Jackson's Super Bowl flash-time show exposed more than a breast, why the labor movement has everything to learn from sports unions, and why a new generation of athletes is no longer content to "play one game at a time" and is starting to get political.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Interesting read
- By sosnows8 on 08-16-20
By: Dave Zirin
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Death of the Territories
- Expansion, Betrayal and the War That Changed Pro Wrestling Forever
- By: Tim Hornbaker
- Narrated by: Kyle Tait
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 329
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 285
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 280
By creating WrestleMania, jumping into the pay-per-view field, and expanding across North America, Vince McMahon changed professional wrestling forever.
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4 out of 5 stars
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An Enjoyable Listen
- By Casey on 03-21-19
By: Tim Hornbaker
What listeners say about The Power of Sports
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nathaniel Wallace
- 09-27-20
Michael Serazio Should be Read Far and Wide!
Serazio likens the ritualistic nature of sports fandom, and the spectacles those fans attend, to a totemic allegiance quite similar to the allegiance many deeply religious people feel towards their God (or Gods), and the community of believers they are a part of by virtue of their shared allegiance to team and city (not necessarily in that order).
He also provides astute analysis of why trends in sports business, mass media, & pop culture matter far beyond the games themselves and affect people in a myriad of ways regardless of whether they watch sports religiously or couldn't tell you the difference between a field goal and a punt. Serazio succeeds throughout the book in constructing his analysis in large part by drawing from the insightful responses he received from a wealth of interviews of with key figures across the U.S. sporting landscape such as former NBA commissioner, David Stern, and many more.
Kyle Tait does a nice job with his reading of Serazio's book; he enunciates words clearly and succeeds in making the listener feel like the reader understands the book itself and reads it in a way that doesn't distract one's focus from anything other than the text itself.
I wholeheartedly recommend "The Power of Sports: Media and Spectacle in American Culture" with enthusiasm!
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