Just for Fun: The Story of AAUWomen's Basketball FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Prior to the 1972 passage of Title IX, women's basketball was a minor sport in the United States. It was played by companies such as Cook's Goldblume Beer and the Sunoco Oilers and colleges such as Iowa Wesleyan and Wayland Baptist, as part of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). But during the two generations of the mid-twentieth century, women's basketball improved and became more popular throughout the country. AAU All-Star teams dominated women's international basketball until the emergence of subsidized national teams in the 1960's." "The women who played on these AAU teams helped to lay the foundation for women's athletics today. Until nearly the last quarter of the century, skilled women basketball players had only one option after high school: the AAU." This is the history of these gifted women, their coaches, and their teams - their records, motivations, and personal stories. Extensively illustrated, Just for Fun is the first book to thoroughly explore the complex history of the Amateur Athletic Union's women's basketball program and to bring to light the four decades of women's basketball all but forgotten in the current success of women's athletics.
SYNOPSIS
This is the first book on the little known story about the early beginnings of women's organized basketball in the U.S. Prior to Title IX, women's basketball was a minor sport. It was played by rural country girls for companies such as Cook's Goldblume Beer and Sunoco and small colleges such as Iowa Wesleyan and Wayland Baptist as part of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). But during the two generations of the mid-twentieth century, women's basketball improved and became more popular throughout the country. AAU All-Star teams dominated women's international basketball until the emergence of subsidized national teams in the 1960s. This is the history of these gifted women, their coaches, and their teams-their records, motivations, and personal stories. The book is illustrated with many period photographs.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Sue Gunter
"JUST FOR FUN is a wonderful tribute to a forgotten era of women's basketball. Dr. Ikard has painstakingly researched how a very important part of women's basketball came to exist, and has made it an exciting and fun read . . . a testament to what the Amateur Athletic Union has done for the game, and vice versa." — former head coach LSU Lady Tigers
Home
