UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., June 8 -- Pennsylvania State University issued the following news release:
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Sports in the United States look very different than they did when the nation was founded 250 years ago, according to Mark Dyreson, professor of kinesiology and of history at Penn State. But one thing has remained constant - sport has played a vital role in shaping and reflecting the country's culture and values, he said.
Dyreson has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed articles and several books on the history of sport and culture in the modern world. In this Q&A, he discussed the history of sports in the U.S.; how baseball, football and basketball emerged, evolved and became popular; the relationship between sports an...