American Hoops: U. S. Men's Olympic Basketball from Berlin to BeijingThose who avidly followed the on-court acrobatics and off-court celebrity of the OC Dream TeamOCO in Barcelona in 1992 would hardly recognize what passed as basketball fifty-six years earlier, when the United States first played the game in the 1936 Olympics. In those early days of menOCOs Olympic basketball, many teams lacked basic skills, games were played in the pouring rain, only seven players could suit up, and the rules allowed only two substitutions and no time-outs. How this slow, low-scoring sport became the breakneck game that enraptures millions worldwide is the story of American Hoops.In this fascinating history of Olympic basketball on the world stage and behind the scenes, Carson Cunningham presents a kaleidoscopic picture of the evolution into the twenty-first century of one of AmericaOCOs most popular sports. From clashes between celebrated egos and thrilling action on the court to the intense rivalries of the Cold War and technological advances in everything from television to sports equipment off the court, American Hoops follows the fortunes of Olympic basketball, in the United States and internationally, as it developed and emerged as one of the most challenging and entertaining sports in the world.Cunningham traces how the modifications made by the International Olympic Committee and the International Basketball Federation have transformed the game of basketball over the years, from the Berlin to the Beijing Olympics. His book offers a remarkable view of the changing world through the prism of Olympic sport." |
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Contents
1 | |
2 US Basketball Advances the Game in Postwar London | 29 |
3 Cold War Basketballs Opening Salvo in Helsinki | 61 |
4 The Russell Model Revolutionizes the International Game in Melbourne | 89 |
5 Basketball Accelerates as Robertson Lucas and West Run Through Rome | 119 |
6 In Liberal Postwar Tokyo Teamwork Television and a Cold War Tilt for Gold | 150 |
7 Haywood Shines as Satellites Cable and shoes Mature in Mexico City | 174 |
8 Mayhem in Munich | 202 |
9 Trademark Speed Returns in Montreal Then Politics Intrude in Moscow | 233 |
Other editions - View all
American Hoops: U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball from Berlin to Beijing Carson Cunningham No preview available - 2010 |
American Hoops: U. S. Men's Olympic Basketball from Berlin to Beijing Carson Cunningham No preview available - 2012 |
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