Anatomy of Competition in Sports (eBook)

Christopher B. Doob is professor emeritus of sociology at Southern Connecticut State University. He is the author of a number of books, including Racism: An American Cauldron (1998), Sociology: An Introduction (1999), and Social Inequality and the Social Stratification in US Society (2013).

PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction - Pro Athletes’ Uncommon CareersThe Advent of Pro Team Sports’ Affluent AgePlayers’ ChallengesPro Players’ Uncommon ExperiencesChapter 1 - MLB: Separation AnxietyFrom The BeginningThe Campaign for MLB DiversityThe Journey and Its ChallengesThe DraftJoining a Minor-League TeamMoving UpPitfallsShooting Down the CompetitionPlayers Caught in the Media CircusOutside the LagoonPlayers’ PerformanceHittingPitchingFieldingClosing the CareerChapter 2 - NFL: A Collision Cocktail Spiked With Size, Strength, Speed, And SkillThe Organization of a Highly Organized GameAfrican Americans’ Integration of the NFLFactors Contributing To Young Footballers’ DevelopmentZeroing In On Going ProPreparing For the Upcoming Campaign Experiencing Competition in the NFLThe Day of the GameRugged Realities of NFL GamesCasualties of a Collision SportDestructive Psychological Impacts of A Pressure-Ridden GamePositions and PersonalitiesLeaving the GameChapter 3 - NBA & WNBA: Trees In BlossomThe Development and Growth of a Pair of Modern LeaguesFrom All White to a Decisive Black MajorityThe Background for Making the NBACollege as One and Done or Close To ItThe Draft and Surrounding EventsToo Many Candidates for Too Few SlotsPlaying In the NBAKey Elements of the GameScoring and Its Contribution to the TeamThe Discreet Decline of ReboundingThe Impact of AssistsDefenses: Their Understated ValueThe WNBA and Its AchievementsThe Development of WNBA PlayersThe End of the LineChapter 4 - NHL: Intricacy on IceThe Birth of the National Hockey LeagueMobilizing Boys toward the NHLCollege or the Pros?On The NHL’s DoorstepImportant Challenges on Joining a NHL TeamEffectiveness in Training CampUnrelenting Performance DemandsTeam ExpectationsNeed To Satisfy Team TrustOn-Going Controversy about Fighting in the NHLDeploying the CombatantsThe Front LineThe DefenseA Final CommentChapter 5 - MLS: New Kid on the Global PitchThe Down-And-Slowly-Up History of American Pro SoccerThe Measured Development of Elite American Soccer PlayersA Look at MLS Academies’ Foreign CompetitionThe Combine and DraftMLS and Its Stringent AgendaThe MLS Preseason and Its ChallengesVarious Difficult Issues: Salaries, Foreign Players, InjuriesMLS and Ranging IncomesThe League’s ImportsPerformance Interrupters: Injury and Illicit DrugsThe Impact of ConcussionsAdditional Injuries and Responses To ThemPED Use in MLS: Making Too Much Out Of It?The Divided PitchForwards, Especially StrikersMen in the MiddleThe Deep DefendersThe Long Road AheadChapter 6 - Atypical Pros and Their Competitive RealityDisabled Athletes in Pro SportsModern White Players in the NBAGays and Lesbians in the ProsThe Lonely Life of NFL KickersTwo-Sport ProsA Final CommentaryChapter 7 - Life after Game Days: A Wrenching Experience? Wrapping UpThe Brutal AftermathWork after PlayFormer Point Guards and Catchers and Other Would-Be Coaches and ManagersSports Jocks on the Tube and ElsewhereNotesSelected BibliographyIndexAbout The Author