Publisher's Synopsis
Perhaps more than at any other time in our history, sports are reflecting, and even driving, some of the most divisive issues in America. The National Football League reports revenues of more than $13 billion, yet it is mired in a deepening twilight, stemming from a lethal combination of head trauma, racial and labor tension, politics, and greed. NFL athletes - 70 percent of whom are African American - have seen patriotism cheaply monetized by both the owners and the U.S. Department of Defense. Major League Baseball, once the most popular sport in the country and our national pastime, is stagnant. The sport that gave us Jackie Robinson's gallantry and courage is played by a dwindling number of African American players. Of the major sports leagues, only the National Basketball Association serves as a kind of conscience, with outspoken, high-profile black players and white coaches both refusing the a historical edict of "stick to sports." Whether the issues are protest, labor, patriotism, or class division, it is clear that sports are no longer simply fun and games. Rather, they are a hotbed of fractures that define their respective industries and provide allegories for society at large. It is this spirit of sports and societal intersectionality that informs the nine essays - all original - in Full Dissidence. A bold and daring collection, Full Dissidence wisely extends award-winning sportswriter Howard Bryant beyond the final scores on game day and towards the racialized politics in athletics. He writes about corporate assault on civil liberties, the collisions of race and identity, and the kleptocracy that has forced America to ask itself if its beliefs of freedom and democracy are more than just words. Perched firmly at the intersection of sports, politics and pop culture, Full Dissidence speaks to the continued influence of sports in the mainstream in a way that is at once brilliant and arresting.
