{"product_id":"wartime-basketball-douglas-stark-9780803245280","title":"Wartime Basketball: The Emergence of a National Sport During World War II","description":"\u003ci\u003eWartime Basketball\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of basketball's survival and development during World War II and how those years profoundly affected the game's growth after the war. Prior to World War II, basketball--professional and collegiate--was largely a regional game, with different styles played throughout the country. Among its many impacts on home-front life, the war forced pro and amateur leagues to contract and combine rosters to stay competitive. At the same time, the U.S. military created base teams made up of top players who found themselves in uniform. The war created the opportunity for players from different parts of the country to play with and against each other. As a result, a more consistent form of basketball began to take shape. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The rising popularity of the professional game led to the formation of the World Professional Basketball Tournament (WPBT) in 1939. The original March Madness, the WPBT was played in Chicago for ten years and allowed professional, amateur, barnstorming, and independent teams to compete in a round-robin tournament. The WPBT included all-black and integrated teams in the first instance where all-black teams could compete for a \"world series of basketball\" against white teams. \u003ci\u003eWartime Basketball\u003c\/i\u003e describes how the WPBT paved the way for the National Basketball League to integrate in December 1942, five years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Weaving stories from the court into wartime and home-front culture like a finely threaded bounce pass, \u003ci\u003eWartime Basketball \u003c\/i\u003esheds light on important developments in the sport's history that have been largely overlooked. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Douglas Stark\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0803245289\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780803245280\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Nebraska Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/01\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 384\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.56lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.29h x 6.23w x 1.24d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2016 pg. 98","brand":"Douglas Stark","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43947200839935,"sku":"9780803245280","price":34.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_4b313327-58c8-4d69-89d1-47427afb91c6.jpg?v=1681517321","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/wartime-basketball-douglas-stark-9780803245280","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}