Yale U.
Zernike, Kate
Zimbalist, Andrew
For many years, Murray Sperber, professor of English and American Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, has studied and written about intercollegiate athletics. With the publication of his book
College Sports Inc.: The Athletic Department Ï
s. the University
(Henry Holt, 1990), he achieved national prominence as an expert on this topic, often discussing his work on network television and radio programs, and in major newspapers and journals such as
The New York Times
and
The Chronicle of Higher Education.
With the 1990s publication of his two books on the history of intercollegiate athletics,
Shake Down the Thunder: The Creation of Notre Dame Football
(Henry Holt, 1993), and
Onward to Victory: The Crises That Shaped College Sports
(Henry Holt, 1998), he consolidated his reputation as a leading authority on the subject. Sperber has also worked actively for the reform of intercollegiate athletics, and currently serves as the chair of NAFCAR, the National Alliance for College Athletic Reform.
His newest book,
Beer and Circus: How Big-time College Sports Is Crippling Undergraduate Education
, extends his critique of intercollegiate athletics, and he illustrates its negative impact on all parts of the modern university, particularly on undergraduate education.
Murray Sperber has also participated in the debate on the role of college sports on his campus. His criticisms of his university's policies have attracted national attention and have propelled him into a number of major controversies. Harvey Araton of
The New York Times
recently praised Sperber for his willingness to attack “the increasingly dysfunctional college sports system” at his school and throughout the country.
A Holt Paperback® and
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of Henry Holt and Company, LLC.
Copyright © 2000 by Murray Sperber
All rights reserved.
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Originally published in hardcover in 2000 by Henry Holt and Company
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Designed by Victoria Hartman
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eISBN 9781429936699
First eBook Edition : June 2011
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sperber, Murray.
Beer and Circus : how big-time college sports is crippling undergraduate education / by Murray Sperber.â1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8050-6811-5
ISBN-10: 0-8050-6811-2
1. College sportsâUnited StatesâHistory. 2. College sportsâEconomic aspectsâUnited States. 3. College sportsâMoral and ethical aspectsâUnited States. 4. Universities and collegesâUnited StatesâAdministration. I. Title.
GV351.S63 2000
796.04'3'0973âdc21
00-037021
First Holt Paperbacks Edition 2001