One Game At A Time Why Sports Matter

Published Dec. 25, 2013 by AK Press.

ISBN:
978-1-84935-136-2
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5 stars (1 review)

1 edition

Review of 'One Game At A Time Why Sports Matter' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I loved this book so unexpectedly much. It is a delightfully philosophical and down to earth critique of and defense of sports.

Hern pushes back on the idea that sports are a different and lesser kind of cultural product - as opposed to, perhaps, music or painting. Like all of our cultural products, sports both reflect and create our society. And we should take that seriously. He also argues that "a generalized disrespect for sports, athletes, physicality, and even materiality is not just a class thing it's also bound up with race, gender, sexuality, and lots else - creating a clusterfuck of bodily loathing, fear, guilt, shame, distrust, and misapprehension."

The book uses sports to talk about all of those things and more - race, gender, sexuality, capitalism, authenticity, violence, pain, cultural appropriation, the commons. It is amazing how much he managed to pack into a relatively short book.

A …