Recent years have seen a huge explosion in the popularity and commercial viability of women's sports - with new professional leagues for women to play in, new magazines to cover them, and recognition for female athletes that is overtaking that of men. Nike Is a Goddess tells the dramatic story of the rise of women's sports over the last century in a series of original narratives focusing on the great female athletes whose success has changed the game and paved the way for the women and girls of today. From historic boundary breakers like Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Althea Gibson to modern-day superstars like Tara Lipinski, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Rebecca Lobo, from Gertrude Ederle's historic swim across the English Channel to Billie Jean King's victory over Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes, Nike Is a Goddess tells the inspiring stories of women opening up an arena that had been closed to them. Written by top female sportswriters from such publications as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Conde Nast Sports for Women, Women's Sports and Fitness, The Miami Herald, and Sports Illustrated, Nike Is a Goddess pays tribute to the athletes who led the way and serves as inspiration to those who will come after.
Industry Reviews
Calling on female sportswriters from Sports Illustrated, the Miami Herald, the New York Times, and other publications, Smith has assembled a motley collection of 13 essays, each sketching the development of a particular women's sport. Each writer's brief history includes profiles of its early heroines and its present stars. In some, such as Jean Weiss's "Rhapsody in White," on skiing, the writer's familiarity with and love of the sport make for a genuinely interesting piece. Others, such as "The History of Women in Track and Field," by Kathleen McElroy, are as prosaic as their titles, with all the excitement of an encyclopedia article. Even the remarkable Babe Didricksen Zaharias, who turns up in other essays on baseball and golf, seems less than three-dimensional in McElroy's account. What does come across in many of the essays is how WWII opened a window of opportunity, albeit a temporary one, for females to make their mark in traditionally male sports. More important, however, was Title IX, the 1972 federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded educational institutions, which has given a significant boost to female athletic programs. Despite its nonspecific title, the history related here is one seen through American eyes. With some exceptions - Sonia Henie in ice skating, Martina Navratilova in tennis, Nadia Comaneci in gymnastics - when other countries' women athletes are mentioned, it is usually in relation to their American competition. As in men's sports, success is measured not just in Olympic medals and Wheaties box fame, but in the dollar value of product endorsements, e.g., sneaker commercials. In that respect, it seems, the story of women in sports is just beginning. Even with its shortcomings, this collection serves well as a reminder of how brief a time it has been since only "tomboys" developed muscles, sweated, and played to win. (Kirkus Reviews)
