This book offers original interpretations of the 'built environments' that shape sport in U.S. society. The volume details the complex political, economic, social, and cultural issues that shaped the construction of the nation's most iconic modern buildings - the new American secular cathedrals.

1. Prologue - Cathedrals of Sport: Mapping New Territories Mark Dyreson 2. Setting the Scene - Bridging the Gap between Knowledge and Practice: When Americans Really Built Programmes to Foster Healthy Lifestyles, 1918-1940 Roberta J. Park 3. Far More Than Commercialism: Stadium Building from Harvard's Innovations to Stanford's 'Dirt Bowl' Ronald A. Smith 4. If We Build It Will They Come? The Plans for a National Stadium and American Olympic Desires Mark Dyreson 5. 'Ivy-Coloured Glasses': The Myth of Wrigley Field Gregg Twietmeyer 6. Stadiums, Boosters, Politicians and Major League Baseball's Reluctance to Expand: An Exploration of Post-Second World War US Trends Michael Lomax 7. From 'The Finest Ballpark in America' to 'The Jewel of the Waterfront': The Construction of San Francisco's Major League Baseball Stadiums Maureen M. Smith 8. If They Built It? Stadium Dreams and Rustbelt Realities in Cleveland Philip Suchma 9. Civil Rights and Sports Landmarks: Discrimination, Jobs and Activism in the Construction of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium Robert Trumpbour 10. Epilogue - Cathedrals of Sport: Reflections on the Past, Present and Future Robert Trumpbour