Boost your sports IQ Based on the popular radio segment "Sports Shorts," talk show host and "Sports Princess" Kate Delaney offers a book chock-full of fascinating, little-known sports facts. Did you know that a young girl bouncing a super ball gave her father the idea for the biggest game in the National Football League, the Super Bowl? Ever wonder what the dogs get after running over 1,000 miles through some of the toughest terrain in Alaska in the Iditarod? Whether you're a fan of baseball, golf, horse racing, or sports across the board . . . or simply hate being left out of the conversation at the cocktail party or barbeque, LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD gives men and women an arsenal of interesting sports facts to impress your friends. It's also fun and easy to read.

This daring collaborative effort showcases dialogues between international scholars engaged with the United States from abroad. The writers investigate the analytic methods and choices that label certain talk, images, behaviors, and allusions as "American" and how to read the data on such material. The editors present the essays in pairs that overlap in theme or region. Each author subsequently comments on the other's work. A third scholar or team of scholars from a different discipline or geographic location then provides another level of analysis. Contributors: Andrzej Antoszek, Sophia Balakian, Zsofia Ban, Sabine Broeck, Ian Condry, Kate Delaney, Jane C. Desmond, Virginia R. Dominguez, Ira Dworkin, Richard Ellis, Guillermo Ibarra, Seyed Mohammad Marandi, Giorgio Mariani, Ana Mauad, Loes Nas, Edward Schatz, Manar Shorbagy, Kristin Solli, Amy Spellacy, and Michael Titlestad.