From basketball's origins in Canada to modern China--with stops in Iowa,Italy, Arizona, and Angola--Big Game, Small World: A Basketball Adventureably tracks the international growth and popularity of basketball. AlexanderWolff simply (and convincingly) explores basketball's reach as a driving forceand saving grace.Some countries mimic the NBA to the last detail, while the game provides asymbol of freedom and opportunity in more restrictive countries. Interviews withplayers, coaches, and local legends provide insight into how the sport hasevolved, and what it means, in their respective countries. Perhaps mostimportantly, we see that, like soccer, basketball is a part of the socialfabric, played everywhere by children, sometimes with little more than the rocksDr. James Naismith had. Although Wolff covers much ground, he covers it quickly;details beyond the game are relatively sparse, as though he had a tightschedule. Still, the book is thoughtfully prepared, the interviews engaging, andWolff a sure-handed writer.So why the drive in small countries to play basketball? As a Lithuanian noted: "In Lithuania today, if you have money, you have no reputation, because yourmoney is black [market] money. If you have reputation, you are teacher,scientist, artist--but you have no money. Only basketball player has moneyand reputation." True, this observation applies to many sports worldwide,but Big Game, Small World stands as part of the proof. --MichaelFerch
Customer Review: A wonderful journey
This is an essential read for anyone interested in basketball history and all those, such as myself, who are excited by the increasingly international dimensions of the game. Wolff starts his journey in Princeton, the home of pure, fundamentals-driven b-ball, and visits many disparate corners of the globe, examining the local idiosyncrasies of the game through colorful anecdotes, a bit of philosophizing, and a great sense of humor. One of the things that caught my interest was hearing the names of former American hoopsters now playing overseas. Ever wonder what happened to Richard Dumas, the former Phoenix Sun who looked like a budding superstar in the 1993 NBA finals against the Chicago Bulls? You'll find out in this book. Another fascinating thing that caught my attention is the way in which hoops is so affected by politics in many countries. Wolff looks at how hoopsters had to literally dodge landmines to make it to their games in the former Yugoslavia and in present day Angola. His chapter on Africa is outstanding; it left me convinced that Africa is the real untapped reservoir of future NBA superstars. Another place in which b-ball and politics are inextricably entwined is China, where the state is finally loosening its hold over sports. In Bhutan, the monarch is literally the hoopster in chief. Wolff relates the interesting story of how hoops came to this tiny, Himalayan kingdom. These are just a few of the great stories contained within this book. Besides numerous international sojourns, Wolff also writes on the game closer to home, with some great chapters set in Philly, Peoria, Kansas City, and Washington D.C. I can't say much more other than to give this book my highest recommendations!
Customer Review: Comprehensive and Fascinating
This may be the most far-reaching basketball book I have ever read. Wolff chronicles the game's impact and value in such disparate locations such as a modernizing China, the backwaters of Eastern Europe, and even within Bill Bradley's aborted 2000 presidential campaign! Since the author visits such a long list of out-of-the-way places, you would expect his prose or reporting to suffer as the book progresses. Rather, Wolff keeps the story light and full of offbeat humor, while using his sharp skills to sniff out a story. For example, the author learns much about the Phillippines' national league and even meets the country's greatest player. Yet he is not satisfied with basketball's role in the country until he wanders the streets and unearths the tale of a local's fight to build a community court. The story is broken down into epsiodes, as Wolff devotes each chapter to one of his stops. This makes it easy, should a particular subject or country interest you, to read the book slightly out of order. Yet the author does tie together many of his threads, and makes Big Game, Small World an informative look at the ways the game of basketball is shaping (and being shaped by) the world, as well as doubling as a minor commentary on many countries' natures and traditions.