[Clemente Angelo Lisi]A History of the World Cup 1930-2006(pdf){Zzzzz}

There is no sporting event more popular than the World Cup. For one month every four years, hundreds of millions of people around the planet turn their attention to the tournament. People call in sick to work. Fans pack into bars to watch games or stay home for days at a time glued to their TV sets. Even wars stop. Nothing else seems to matter.

The first World Cup, won by Uruguay in 1930, featured just 13 teams. Today, the tournament includes 32 nations, and the final alone is watched by an estimated global audience that exceeds one billion viewers. Without a doubt, soccer—or football—is the planet's pastime, and the World Cup is the ultimate sporting event.

In A History of the World Cup: 1930-2006, reporter Clemente Lisi chronicles this international phenomenon, providing vivid accounts of individual games: from the tournament's origins in 1930 to modern times. The book also highlights the players and coaches who left their mark on the competition over the past six decades, including Diego Maradona, Juste Fontaine, Franz Beckenbauer, Mario Kempes, Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, and, of course, Pelé.

Though other histories of the World Cup largely ignore the U.S.'s contribution to the competition, this volume highlights the progress of the American teams over the last several decades. And while the scope of this book allows American fans to more thoroughly enjoy a history of the World Cup—the book will be of interest to any fan of the sport. Featuring a glossary of terms, statistics for each competition, photos, and profiles of the most memorable—and controversial—figures of the sport, A History of the World Cup provides a fascinating read for fans of the game.

Publisher: Scarecrow Press (July 19, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 081085905X
ISBN-13: 978-0810859050

Editorial Reviews
Review
This accessible, informative volume is a fine addition to the sports-history literature. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers, all levels. (February 2008 CHOICE, (Vol. 45, No. 6))

From the first World Cup won in 1930 by Uruguay to Italy's 2006 victory, New York Post reporter Lisi's thorough history introduces novices and fans to the world's biggest sporting event. Also includes short biographies of prominent players. An appendix details the matches, plus a list of records. (July 5, 2008 Library Journal)

This history traces the development of the World Cup from its origins in 1920 up to 2006. The aim is to recount its history to an American audience that is unfamiliar with the tournament's past, describing the major players and specific games throughout this period....The appendix lists statistics from 1930 to 2006. (Reference and Research Book News, November 2007)

Clemente Lisi, a sports journalist, who has published widely-including via the Internet-has done a tremendous job in gathering all the pertinent facts associated with the World Cup into one volume. Starting with the first ever World Cup, in 1930, staged in Uruguay, the author takes the reader through all the successive championships, finishing his story in 2006 with the memorable Italy v. France final at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. He provides the reader with all the background detail associated with the selection process for hosting the tournaments; the changing rules of the event and the mediatization and commercialization of the event. . . . [A] splendid publication. (Sport in History, March 1, 2009)
About the Author
Clemente Lisi started his journalism career as a freelance sports writer for the Scripps Howard News Service. His work has also appeared in magazines like Soccer Digest and websites such as Goal.com. Lisi is currently a news reporter at the New York Post.