Sign-In
Cart
Fight Songs: A Story of Love and Sports in a Complicated South
Hardcover
Publisher Price: $25.95
ISBN13: 9781949467697
Publisher: Blair
Published: Sep 7 2021
Pages: 308
Weight: 1.35
Height: 1.20 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.20
Language: English
A wry and witty commentary on college sports and identity in the complicated social landscape of the South.
Ed Southern, lifelong fan of the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons, the smallest school in the NCAA's Power 5, set out to tell the story of how he got tangled, in vines of history and happenstance, with the two giants of his favorite sport: the Crimson Tide and the Clemson Tigers. He set out to tell how a North Carolina native crossed the shifty, unmarked border between Tobacco Road and the Deep South. He set out to tell how the legendary Paul Bear Bryant, from beyond the grave, introduced him to his wife, a Birmingham native and die-hard Alabama fan.
While he was writing that story, though, 2020 came along.
Suddenly his questions had a new and urgent focus: Why do sports mean so much that so many will play and watch them in the face of a global pandemic? How have the South's histories shaped its fervor for college sports? How have college sports shaped how southerners construct their identities, priorities, and allegiances? Why is North Carolina passionate about college basketball when its neighbors to the South live and die by college football? Does this have anything to do with North Carolina's reputation as the most progressive southern state, a state many in the Deep South don't think is really southern? If college sports really do mean so much in the South, then why didn't everyone down south wear masks or recognize that Black Lives Matter, even after the coaches told us to?
Fight Songs explores the connections and contradictions between the teams we root for and the places we plant our roots; between the virtues that sports are supposed to teach and the cutthroat business they've become; between the hopes of fans and the demands of the past, present, and future.
Also in
Sports General
It's Better to Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness
Wickersham, Seth
Hardcover
A Walk in the Wood: Meditations on Mindfulness with a Bear Named Pooh
Parent, Nancy
Parent, Joseph
Hardcover
Fast Guide to the RULES OF GOLF: A Handy Fast Guide to Golf Rules 2021-2022 (Pocket Sized Edition)
Golfwell, Team
Paperback
52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time
Streets, Annabel
Hardcover
I Hate Running and You Can Too: How to Get Started, Keep Going, and Make Sense of an Irrational Passion
Leonard, Brendan
Paperback
The Ultimate Survival Medicine Guide: Emergency Preparedness for Any Disaster
Alton, Joseph
Alton, Amy
Paperback
Long Range Shooting Handbook: The Complete Beginner's Guide to Precision Rifle Shooting
Cleckner, Ryan M.
Paperback
How to Think Like a Horse: The Essential Handbook for Understanding Why Horses Do What They Do
Hill, Cherry
Paperback
Harvey Penick's Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings from a Lifetime in Golf
Penick, Harvey
Hardcover
Create Forever Teammates: How Connections and Relationships Are Winning Steps in Life and Sports
Touhey, Patrick
Hardcover
2021: THE YEAR IN LEADERSHIP: The Stories of Faith, Athletics, Business, and Life Which Inspired Us All
Dodd, Brian
Paperback
Raise a Fist, Take a Knee: Race and the Illusion of Progress in Modern Sports
Feinstein, John
Hardcover
The Long Way Home: How I Won the 1,000 Mile Iditarod Footrace with Persistence, Patience, and Passion
Ripmaster, Pete
Hardcover
Friday Night Lights (25th Anniversary Edition): A Town, a Team, and a Dream
Bissinger, H. G.
Paperback
Getting to Neutral: How to Conquer Negativity and Thrive in a Chaotic World
Staples, Andy
Moawad, Trevor
Hardcover
The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of Dna's Double Helix
Markel, Howard
Hardcover
Harder Than I Thought, Easier Than I Feared: Sports, Anxiety, and the Power of Meditation
Hansen, Billy
Paperback
The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance
Gallwey, W. Timothy
Paperback
Tour Du Mont Blanc: Real Ign Maps 1:25,000 - No Need to Carry Separate Maps
McCluggage, Andrew
Paperback
The Plant-Based Athlete: A Game-Changing Approach to Peak Performance
Frazier, Matt
Cheeke, Robert
Hardcover
Quadrivium: The Four Classical Liberal Arts of Number, Geometry, Music, & Cosmology
Ashton, Anthony
Sutton, Daud
Lundy, Miranda
Hardcover
55 Corrective Exercises for Horses: Resolving Postural Problems, Improving Movement Patterns, and Preventing Injury
Ballou, Jec Aristotle
Hardcover
Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever
Rosser, Kareem
Paperback
Scoreboard Soccer: Creating the Environment to Promote Youth Player Development
Baird, David
Paperback
Create Forever Teammates: How Connections and Relationships Are Winning Steps in Life and Sports
Touhey, Patrick
Paperback
Soled Out: The Golden Age of Sneaker Advertising: [A Sneaker Freaker Book]
Freaker, Sneaker
Hardcover
'I Can't Watch Anymore': The Case for Dropping Equestrian from the Olympic Games
Taylor, Julie
Paperback
Valley of Giants: Stories from Women at the Heart of Yosemite Climbing
Delaunay Miller, Lauren
Paperback
The Barcelona Complex: Lionel Messi and the Making--And Unmaking--Of the World's Greatest Soccer Club
Kuper, Simon
Hardcover
How to Read Nature: Awaken Your Senses to the Outdoors You've Never Noticed
Gooley, Tristan
Hardcover
Fifty Places to Practice Yoga Before You Die: Yoga Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations
Helmuth, Diana
Santella, Chris
Hardcover
Voices from the Pandemic: Americans Tell Their Stories of Crisis, Courage and Resilience
Saslow, Eli
Hardcover
The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding: The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revised
Schwarzenegger, Arnold
Paperback
The Sky Atlas: The Greatest Maps, Myths, and Discoveries of the Universe
Brooke-Hitching, Edward
Hardcover
The Reason for the Darkness of the Night: Edgar Allan Poe and the Forging of American Science
Tresch, John
Hardcover
Where Did the Universe Come From? and Other Cosmic Questions: Our Universe, from the Quantum to the Cosmos
Lewis, Geraint
Ferrie, Chris
Hardcover
Physical Therapy for Horses: A Visual Course in Massage, Stretching, Rehabilitation, Anatomy, and Biomechanics
Kleven, Helle Katrine
Hardcover
The Ultimate Horse Behavior and Training Book: Enlightened and Revolutionary Solutions for the 21st Century
Tellington-Jones, Linda
Paperback
Science of Strength Training: Understand the Anatomy and Physiology to Transform Your Body
Current, Austin
Paperback
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman
Feynman, Richard P.
Paperback
Connection Training: The Heart and Science of Positive Horse Training
Weston, Hannah
Bedingfield, Rachel
Paperback
More Better Happier: A psychologist's letter to his kids, disguised as leadership
Richardson, Jason
Paperback
The Brain in Search of Itself: Santiago Ramón Y Cajal and the Story of the Neuron
Ehrlich, Benjamin
Hardcover
A Man Walks Into a Barn: Navigating Fatherhood in the Flawed and Fascinating World of Horses
Oldfather, Chad
Paperback
The New Black West Hc: Photographs from America's Only Touring Black Rodeo
Hasbun, Gabriela
Hardcover
Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves
Nestor, James
Paperback
Rethinking Fandom: How to Beat the Sports-Industrial Complex at Its Own Game
Calcaterra, Craig
Paperback
Geoff Teall on Riding Hunters, Jumpers and Equitation: Develop a Winning Style
Teall, Geoff
Paperback
Pocket Flyers Paper Airplane Book: 69 Mini Planes to Fold and Fly
Blackburn, Ken
Lammers, Jeff
Paperback
We Will Win the Day: The Civil Rights Movement, the Black Athlete, and the Quest for Equality
Moore, Louis
Paperback
Mathletics: How Gamblers, Managers, and Fans Use Mathematics in Sports, Second Edition
Winston, Wayne L.
Nestler, Scott
Pelechrinis, Konstantinos
Paperback
Carbon Queen: The Remarkable Life of Nanoscience Pioneer Mildred Dresselhaus
Weinstock, Maia
Hardcover
An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives
Richtel, Matt
Paperback
Fit to Ride in 9 Weeks!: The Ultimate Exercise Plan: Achieve Straightness, Suppleness, and Stamina in the Saddle
Sansom, Heather
Paperback
The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography
Singh, Simon
Paperback
California Sports Astounding: Fun, Unknown, and Surprising Facts from Statehood to Sunday
Cisco, Dan
Paperback
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: How to Know What's Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake
Novella, Steven
Paperback
Darwinian Racism: How Darwinism Influenced Hitler, Nazism, and White Nationalism
Weikart, Richard
Paperback
Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors
Finney, Carolyn
Paperback
Making Your Own Luck: From a Skid Row Bar to Rebuilding Indiana University Athletics
Glass, Fred
Paperback
The Stickler's Guide to Science in the Age of Misinformation: The Real Science Behind Hacky Headlines, Crappy Clickbait, and Suspect Sources
Bouchard, R. Philip
Paperback
Life Is Simple: How Occam's Razor Set Science Free and Shapes the Universe
McFadden, Johnjoe
Hardcover
Wilhelm's Way: The Inspiring Story of the Iowa Chemist Who Saved the Manhattan Project
Waldof, Teresa Wilhelm
Paperback
Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles (Revised September 2020)
Fleming, Charles
Paperback
The Sawbones Book: The Hilarious, Horrifying Road to Modern Medicine: Paperback Revised and Updated for 2020 NY Times Best Seller Medicine and Science
McElroy, Justin
McElroy, Sydnee
Paperback
Black Cowboys of Rodeo: Unsung Heroes from Harlem to Hollywood and the American West
Cartwright, Keith Ryan
Hardcover