Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Great Game: A Tale of Two Footballs and America's Quest to Conquer Global Sport

The Great Game: A Tale of Two Footballs and America's Quest to Conquer Global Sport

Martinez, Andrés

Hardcover

FootballSports GeneralSoccer

ISBN13: 9798881801823
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Published: Apr 2 2026
Pages: 304
Weight: 1.39
Height: 0.95 Width: 6.41 Depth: 9.06
Language: English

A captivating exploration of how America's complicated and ever-evolving relationship with the world can be seen through the two footballs of the world--American football and soccer--and the interaction between them.

The United States is the only major nation on earth that can't compete against others in its favorite spectator sport because no one else plays it. But as the world's game of football keeps growing in popularity in the United States and the nation prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the two footballing worlds are converging.

In The Great Game, Andrés Martinez looks at how a generation of sporting billionaires, tech and media conglomerates, women players propelled by Title IX, computer game enthusiasts, and immigrants have sought to end America's sports isolationism--not by continuing to expand the reach of their games, but by turning their country into an unexpected power in the other, international, football. It's a story of America's changing cultural customs and demography, as well as a tale of shifting business philosophies driven by technology. Sport has become an ever more massive industry, its economic value soaring thanks to its unique ability to still bring together audiences in the tens of millions on a regular basis and a growing appreciation for its soft yet impactful branding power.

The Great Game is a fascinating examination of the evolving state of US sporting interests, as those with money, power, and celebrity seek to prevail in a global sport, eager to extend their reach, set the rules of play worldwide, and connect Americans to the outside world like never before.

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