It’s not just a game anymore. Sports today, at both the amateur and professional level, is big business, and more and more people are becoming involved in the exciting careers and financial opportunities that sports entertainment offers.In this comprehensive overview of the sports industry Phil Schaaf traces the global evolution of sports entertainment, dissects current trends, and forecasts the likely evolution of sports as a major international enterprise.Divided into two parts, Schaaf begins with a historical overview of the forces that shaped teams, leagues, and sporting events from 1896 to 1975. Focusing on such diverse personalities as Jack Dempsey, George Halas, Babe Ruth, and Joe Louis, Schaaf illustrates how the star power of big-name athletes and the marketing savvy of promoters and business interests defined and cultivated the structure of sports entertainment that we know today. He also discusses the critical impact of such historical events as the integration of baseball, postwar euphoria, and acceptance of radio and television in the formation of the contemporary sports scene.The second part of the book begins in 1976 as the modern professional athlete starts to enjoy newfound legal leverage in labor matters and the "stadium game" becomes a major component of today’s successful sports enterprises. Schaaf addresses criticisms that deals to build expensive new sports facilities represent corporate welfare at its worst, and he examines the real costs an