Award Date
1-1-2004
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
History
First Committee Member
Hal K. Rothman
Number of Pages
289
Abstract
During the twentieth century, sports that evolved in the American West transformed the landscape of American sport. Driven by combinations of technology, media, and human personalities, sports such as surfing, skateboarding, and mountain biking redefined the meaning of sport and eliminated the traditional limits to the "playing field." As surfing, skateboarding, and mountain biking evolved, wartime technologies accelerated their progress. Those technologies democratized access to contemporary sports in two ways. Materials such as polyurethane eased the physical requirements of carrying equipment and catching waves. Contemporary sports also expanded access because they focused on individualized competition and participation, eliminating the need for other players as a prerequisite to participation. As contemporary sports evolved in the West, they gradually eclipsed the participatory dominance of traditional team sports.
Keywords
Century; Cowboys; Modern; Mountain Biking; Post; Skateboarding; Sport; Surfing; Skateboarding; Transformation; Twentieth; Twentieth Century
Controlled Subject
Recreation
File Format
File Size
6297.6 KB
Degree Grantor
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Language
English
Permissions
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Repository Citation
Sproul, David Kent, "Post-modern cowboys: The transformation of sport in the twentieth century" (2004). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 2621.
http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/rwgb-7n85
Rights
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