‘The State is divided. It’s not life or death, it’s more important.’So says a poster on Dennis Cometti’s wall – and that’s what David Whish-Wilson and Sean Gorman found when they interviewed 40 fans of the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers.The book features James Baker, Julie Bishop, Fedele Camarda, Maria Camporeale, Kevin Croon, Jesse Dart, Ron Elliott, Les Everett, Alison Fan, Glenis Freemantle, Maria Giglia, Mark Greenwood, Gaby Haddow, Julie Hoffman, Adrian Hoffman, Greig Johnston, Justin Langer, Deanne Lewis, Dennis Lillee, Lesley the Voodoo Lady, Luc Longley, Alsy Macdonald, Carla Mackesey, Ross McLean, Shaun McManus, Clive Mercer, Ian MacRae, Kia Mippy, Peter Mudie, Jeff Newman, Gillian O’Shaughnessy, Melissa Parke, Parsi, Janet Peters, John Prior, Matt Quinn aka Mr Q, Kim Scott, Glen Stasiuk, Bill Sutherland, Bevan Taylor, David Wirrpanda.

'What a strike from Mike Sheron - what a thronker!' screamed Dan Walker, now the host of Football Focus. And with that description of the kind of ferociously struck shot that would knock over a pig if it caught it full in the face, the cult of the Thronker - and eventually this book - was born. Glorifying everything that is weird and wonderful about the beautiful game, Dan Walker's Football Thronkersauruscontains hilarious stories and facts that will answer almost any football question you could possibly think of, from which outfield player went 20 years without scoring a goal, to which player had to watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factorybefore every game? The Thronkersaurushas these, and plenty more, covered. Laced with a load of Dan's daft stories from inside the world of broadcasting and his football-crazy childhood, the Thronkersaurusis the ultimate celebration of football, its ridiculous characters and its incredible history.

New Orleans has long been a city fixated on its own history and culture. Founded in 1718 by the French, transferred to the Spanish in the 1763 Treaty of Paris, and sold to the United States in 1803, the city's culture, law, architecture, food, music, and language share the influence of all three countries. This cultural mélange also manifests in the city's approach to sport, where each game is steeped in the city's history. Tracing that history from the early nineteenth century to the present, while also surveying the state of the city's sports historiography, New Orleans Sports places sport in the context of race relations, politics, and civic and business development to expand that historiography--currently dominated by a text that stops at 1900--into the twentieth century, offering a modern examination of sports in the city.

What does it mean when a hit that knocks an American football player unconscious is cheered by spectators? What are the consequences of such violence for the participants of this sport and for the entertainment culture in which it exists? This book brings together scholars and sport commentators to examine the relationship between American football, violence and the larger relations of power within contemporary society. From high school and college to the NFL, Football, Culture, and Power analyses the social, political and cultural imprint of America’s national pastime. The NFL’s participation in and production of hegemonic masculinity, alongside its practices of racism, sexism, heterosexism and ableism, provokes us to think deeply about the historical and contemporary systems of violence we are invested in and entertained by. This social scientific analysis of American football considers both the positive and negative power of the game, generating discussion and calling for accountability. It is fascinating reading for all students and scholars of sports studies with an interest in American football and the wider social impact of sport. Chapter 14 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

TAKE THIS SUPER BOWL AND SHOVE IT. At least that's what Oakland Raiders' fan Craig Parker thinks. A card-carrying member of Raider Nation, Parker adds a new chapter to the written history of the Silver and Black. Writing from the too often dismissed perspective of the dedicated fan, Parker gives voice to the hopes, fears, prejudices, and fantasies of not only the usual suspects in the Black Hole, but also of the ordinary folks at home on the couch. Against the backdrop of the nearly triumphant 2002 season, Parker gloats over victories, agonizes over defeats, and exchanges insults with opposing fans (The Denver Donkies?). He recounts in detail the greatest wins in Raider history, and provides imaginative but sincere excuses for the biggest losses (The "Immaculate Deception"). Ever the paranoiac, he explains Raider Mystique and the rule changes adopted by the NFL to counter it. Boston Heraldsportswriter George Kimball states: "Parker, in any case, writes very well, has a sharp eye for detail, and remembers more than just about any sportswriter I could name." From Parker's viewpoint, Raiders football is not just a game; it's a way of life. Family loyalty is the cardinal virtue: respect Al Davis, love all current Raiders, and honor the memory of the past. Parker maintains an edgy but positive attitude throughout the book. He extols the Raiders' dedication to excellence, their emphasis on teamwork, and their amazing ability to overcome adversity brought on (mostly) by forces outside the organization. In Parker's world, even in defeat, the Raiders honor the game of football and their dedicated followers. This book is a must read for Raider fans, as well as other football fans seeking comfort in numbers. It justifies being a fan. It reminds us of our darkest thoughts, our wildest fantasies. It brings back the glorious past, and it raises our hopes for the future.