Fast Break Sports is a comprehensive study of the joint history of sports and the media from the early instances of athletic competition to today's multi-billion dollar industry replete with million-dollar players, marketing, advertising, and merchandising deals. Beginning with historical analyses of sports' beginning and early depictions, the book explains the ways in which athletics have always held an important role in various societies throughout the course of human existence. It discusses how sports was, and is, used to represent the most noble and powerful characteristics of human behavior and interaction. In addition, the book addresses topics and issues such as racial barriers in professional sports, the role of amateur athletics, agents, endorsements, advertising, and sports films. Fast Break Sports presents the idea that sports and media are inseparable and interdependent, and that they will continue to be connected as long as athletic competition exists and can be recorded. It is an ideal tool for educating students on the history of sports and its corresponding media coverage. Fast Break Sports can be used in courses on the business of sports, sports history, and sports advertising and media.