Download Legends Never Die: Athletes and Their Afterlives in Modern America AudioBook Free
With every touchdown, home run, and three-pointer, star athletes represent an American fantasy that only an elite group blessed with natural talent can perform. However, Kimball concentrates on what goes on once these modern warriors meet their untimely demise. As sportsmen die, legends surge in their place. The premature deaths of famous players not only catch and immortalize their physical superiority, but also jolt their lovers with an unanticipated depth. These athletes avoid the inevitability of aging and decline of skill, with only the primary of their young ones left to be remembered. But early mortality alone does not transform sportsmen into immortals. The living in the end gain the energy to construct the legacies with their fallen heroes. In Legends Never Die, Kimball explores the public myths and representations that surround an array of sportsmen, from Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio to Dale Earnhardt and Bonnie McCarroll. Kimball delves deeper than simply the cultural need for sports and its own players; he examines how each athlete's narrative is shaped by gender relations, faith, and politics in contemporary America. In looking at how Americans respond to the tragic deaths of athletics heroes, Kimball illuminates the key role athletics play in US culture and really helps to explain why star athletes have such cultural electricity. The booklet is posted by Syracuse School Press.
