false 1270311 3 <b>The definitive book about soccer. With a new foreword for the American edition.</b> <br/><br/> There may be no cultural practice more global than soccer. Rites of birth and marriage are infinitely diverse, but the rules of soccer are universal. No world religion can match its geographical scope. The single greatest simultaneous human collective experience is the World Cup final. <br/><br/> In this extraordinary tour de force, David Goldblatt tells the full story of soccer's rise from chaotic folk ritual to the world's most popular sport-now poised to fully establish itself in the USA. Already celebrated internationally, <i>The Ball Is Round</i> illuminates soccer's role in the political and social histories of modern societies, but never loses sight of the beauty, joy, and excitement of the game itself. 1259238 2006 The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer total:70|5:32|4:24|3:10|2:4|1:0| 70 294 203 23 2 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Jul 03 11:08:52 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 11:13:42 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Sep 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat May 16 22:40:14 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 07:41:21 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Mon Jan 21 13:00:59 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 21 13:14:50 -0800 2008 Like most Americans, I grew up with an indifference (some would say ignorance) to the passions of global football. For a variety of reasons, within the past two years I have found the sport to be one of the most fascinating expressions of athletic art and have, in my own way, become a devotee of the...

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It's simultaneously both too much and too little: too much focus on the big picture and cause-and-effect, and too little focus on the individual lives and stories that humanize h...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jun 02 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 02 16:20:03 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 02 16:22:48 -0700 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Mon Nov 23 08:29:27 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 23 08:33:29 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Sep 16 08:44:10 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 27 19:34:33 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 16 08:44:10 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 27 01:04:42 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 05:10:45 -0800 2009 2 0 false false Thu Aug 06 19:02:24 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 06 19:02:39 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sat Aug 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 07 16:39:36 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 30 07:21:29 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 13 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 02 14:47:32 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 14 06:23:55 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Fri Jun 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed May 13 20:48:36 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 27 12:00:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Mar 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Feb 04 10:34:24 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 18 08:07:02 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Oct 05 13:58:14 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 05 13:59:49 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Wed Jul 23 22:37:01 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 23 22:37:01 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Mon Nov 17 17:57:18 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 17 17:58:32 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Jan 08 13:17:29 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 08 13:17:29 -0800 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1270311