The gradual transformation of the British aristocratic sporting tradition into a popular one in America is a principal theme of Sportsmen and Gamesmen. John Dizikes locates the distinction between sportsmen and gamesmen in different attitudes toward rules. Beginning with Andrew Jackson, the personification of American democracy, for whom the traditional code of conduct was a vital part of the sporting spirit, he finds a diversity of views in the next generation of American sportsmen, some accepting, other modifying or rejecting, the old sporting code, which came, in the changing conditions and values of nineteenth- century American life, to seem irrelevant, almost un-American. These sporting portraits vividly depict the process of creating a distinctive American sporting culture.

"It's a pleasure to meet some of the less familiar sporting and gaming figures that Mr. Dizikes introduces in his volume. . . . Not only do these figures give [him] the chance to wheel out lively anecdotes about once-famous, now-forgotten horse races, boxing matches, sailing tests and other contests, but they also allow him to explore obscure corners of popular history."—New York Times

"Dizikes displays broad knowledge of a subject that crosses several different sports, generations, and cultures. . . . [He is] an inspiring writer who approaches the subject with vigor and a strong sense of direction. His book admirably makes the connection between sport and society at large, and, in so doing, should provide interesting and thought-provoking reading for a wide range of American historians."—American Historical Review

"Dizikes uses a collection of biographical vignettes on various individuals, such as John Cox Stevens, Richard Ten Broeck, and Hiram Woodruff, to explore his themes. Sports historians will be familiar with most of the people examined, but Dizikes makes us more aware of their contributions to nineteenth-century sport than can currently be gleened from historical studies."—Journal of Sport History

"This scholarly but very readable study is almost certain to get attention. . . . Sports fans are sure to delight in the book's final chapter, which wryly sums up the evolutions of American attitudes on the playing field."—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Our history as a sports-minded culture is scholarly and entertainingly depicted in John Dizikes' Sportsmen and Gamesmen, which assesses the emergence of sports in the 19th century from the time of Andrew Jackson to the turn of the century. . . . [His] writing is clear and full of insights into American sport, both then and now, and, along the way, he retells some great stories about men (and some women) and horses and the games we play."—Philadelphia Inquirer

About the Author

John Dizikes is Professor of History and American Studies at the University of California-Santa Cruz. He is the author of several books, including Yankee Doodle Dandy: The Life and Times of Tod Sloan.