Game Plan

How deep is the importance and influence of organized sports in Alberta? Discover key episodes and players in the history of Alberta's organized sports and read how sport shaped the lives of individuals as well as of communities of indigenous people, settlers, and immigrants. Read new perspectives on well-known sports stories along with tales of lesser-known games that remained on the margins of most histories for reasons of race, class, and gender. Whether a spectator, supporter, scholar, or fan, readers will be informed and delighted by the research contained in this sport history. Patterns and layers of sport history emerge as almost-forgotten stories of Alberta's marginalized populations surface. Sport is for everyone: professionals and amateurs, children and women, natives and immigrants, spectators and reporters-no one is left out. Sport is about more than the activity: it is about community, history, culture, and a sense of belonging. In Game Plan, Karen Wall delves deep into the importance and influence of sport in Alberta-from aquatics to wrestling. A superb display of words and images underpins this first comprehensive history of sport in Alberta, depicting its evolution and reflecting its historical realities. Game Plan touches on more than just the heroic achievements of winning and the economic growth provided by professional sport: it reveals the spirited heart of individual players, their teams, and their organizations. Whether a spectator, supporter, scholar, or fan, readers will be informed and delighted by the details and personal anecdotes in this sport history. "Sport has been viewed as a secular religion and as a frivolous diversion. It can be both, and many other things, depending on who is playing, watching, or organizing." From the Conclusion Karen L. Wall has a PhD in Recreation & Leisure Studies and Canadian Studies from the University of Alberta and is an Associate Professor in the Communication Studies Program at Athabasca University. Now living in Edmonton, she has also taught at the University of Alberta and at Red Deer College. 60 B&W illustrations, map, notes, bibliography, index # 2 on the Edmonton Journal's Bestsellers list for the week on December 07, 2012 "The typographic sophistication of this book is among the best in the competition; the leading and margins are appropriately generous, and the unorthodox shoulder heads succeed in piquing the viewer's interest." The Alcuin Society, Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada, 2012 "This interior design does such a wonderful job of capturing the energy and excitement of sport. The overall quality and content of the photography is excellent throughout. I love the way the part titles introduce each new section with elegant, modern type decisions and the circular motif, which repeats in new and surprising ways without feeling overwhelming." AAUP's Book, Jacket, and Journal Show, Jury Comments, 2013 "This impressive book is the first comprehensive history of sport in this province. It covers virtually every sport played in Alberta, giving the history and development of each and examines their place in our society. The book really contains two sections. One deals with the formal histories of various sports, and the second analyses them in relationship to their social and political impact." Hugh Dempsey, Alberta History, Summer 2013 "Game Plan makes an extremely valuable contribution to sport history in Alberta and in Canada. I highly recommend it as a fine example of how a region's extensive history of sport can be constructed and communicated in an engaging fashion. Game Plan is a worthwhile purchase both as a reference work and as a resource for readers and researchers interested in regional history or in sport's role in cultural and societal development." Fiona A.E. McQuarrie, Leisure/Loisir, 37:2 (2013) "Throughout the text, Wall demonstrates a well-developed and nuanced approach to situating sport within broader social and cultural the