Modern sports emerged from a background of traditional sports in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These sports were a product of the industrial revolution, the scientific revolution and urbanization. This lively and clear survey provides a wide-ranging overview of the history of modern sports, covering such topics as:
- how the major modern sports came about and how they spread throughout the world with the help of enthusiastic individuals, sports organizations, the YMCA and the Olympic movement.
- discussions of some of the most popular modern world sports including: soccer, basketball, baseball, cricket, table tennis, tennis, formula one racing, golf, swimming, skiing, volleyball, track and field, boxing, judo and cycling. These are among the most popular, although there are some 300 sports in the world.
- the history of both western and non-western sports in depth, as well as the increasing globalization of sports today.
- the challenges facing the world of sports today, such as commercialization and the use of performance-enhancing drugs.