The Locker Room Mirror: How Sports Reflect Society

As the clever title suggests, this book takes as its thesis the notion that sports and its attendant problems--corruption, sexism, racism, substance abuse--are but a reflection of deeper ills within society at large. Aaseng ( True Champions ; Navajo Code Talkers ) admits in his preface that one volume can offer only an overview of some very complicated issues, but as such it is a useful introduction. He covers a lot of territory quickly, offering in each chapter fine historical perspective on specific problems, followed by an analysis of their more contemporary manifestations. He is particularly on target concerning issues of sex discrimination, an area of special concern as gender equality becomes a battle cry in college athletics around the country. On the negative side: in his zeal to cover so much ground in a limited amount of space, he often lumps together dissimilar phenomena to make a point. For example, in his chapter on violence in sports, he equates ballplayers being pelted with debris by fans with the fear of gang violence that led an L.A. high school to cancel a basketball game. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)