Contest is a riotous excursion through the contemporary sportscape. Gary Genosko uncovers the cultural and political qualities of the world of sports from its gaudiest moments-the professional spectacle of Super Sunday and Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition-to its obscure nooks and crannies, like figure-skating psychoanalyst Ernest Jones. The exploration ranges from hockey ("Disciplining Road Hockey," "Athletes as Pets") to sports' relationship with design ("Furniture and Sport"); from bodybuilding ("A Portrait of Jesus as a Young Schwarzenegger") to bike messengers; from gymnastics ("Olympian Cuteness") to memorabilia. Genosko's exhilarating approach employs an idiosyncratic mix of cultural studies, contemporary theory, and a lifetime of collecting sports cards as he celebrates the heroic amateurs and the radical losers who are the real stars of Contest.

Gary Genosko is an independent writer, editor and cultural critic. He is the author of McLuhan and Baudrillard: The Masters of Implosion (Routledge 1999), Undisciplined Theory (Sage 1998), and Baudrillard and Signs: Signification Ablaze (Routledge 1994); and the editor of The Guattari Reader (Blackwell 1996), among other works. He teaches social and political theory at Lakehead University, and has written extensively on the life and work of activist-intellectual Félix Guattari.

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Contest is a joy. When Genosko takes us along to the ring, the arena or the pool his passion for the games is right there. A given in a sports book, maybe - but the joy comes when he leaps from boxing to philosophy, from the blueline to nationhood. I loved it. - David Gutnick, CBC RadioWith his engaging brand of sharp intelligence and infectious wit, Gary Genosko stakes a valid claim for sports writers in the realm of cultural theorists. Whether he's taking on the malevolent cuteness of Olympic gymnastics, or taking on task pesudo-intellectual readings of SI's Swimsuit Issue, Genosko is one writer who's not going to pipe down (as so he aptly puts it) while the dumb inherit the earth - Teri Bostian, Senior Editor, SportsJones.comA sinewy romp through the atatomy of sports; a fulfulling read for discerning sporting minds.