Human Game: Winners and Losers

How did sports grow from primeval playground games into the worldwide business we know today? This reflection on athletics and their increasingly central role in contemporary society examines their metamorphosis from purely social activities into disciplines combining technology, economy, medicine, communication, fashion and art. The increasing spread of sports culture has altered habits and ways of dressing all over the world, marking us all as members of the tribe of athletes (never mind the infighting between Nike and Adidas or high-tech and retro factions). This powerful compilation of research, analysis and visuals looks into the influence of sports, sports celebrities and sportswear in fields as varied as film, fashion, art, advertising and architecture. Designed by acclaimed graphic firm "Hola", the book is organized under themes such as Speed, Protection, Functioning, Lightness, Sensuality, Resistance, Tradition, Mutation, Unisex and Entertainment. Media phenomena considered include Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, Mike Tyson and Venus and Serena Williams alongside fashion forces like Nike, Reebok, Adidas and Puma, with illustrations of the ways in which garments are transformed and specific trends become cult objects. Their influence on high-end fashion is seen in the work of Giorgio Armani, Prada, Stella McCartney and Lagerfeld for Chanel. And then there is the work of contemporary artists like Matthew Barney, Uri Tzaig, Douglas Gordon, Angela Bulloch and Annika Larson, pieces that both engage with and analyze these trends, approaching sport as a symbolic territory. This look into the connections between athletics and our social, political and cultural life begins to parse the meaning of our culture's biggest obsession.