Sports

On the sports quest and in a hurry? Race to the bottom of this post for a short list of especially good books.

Interested in how librarians decide what book goes where? Interested in being able to just walk confidently to the section that has the books you want? Continue on.

Sports is an art.  
700 arts in general
710 civic and landscape art
720 architecture
730 sculpture
740 drawing and decorative arts
750 painting
760 graphic arts
770 photography
780 music
790 recreation and performing arts (sports goes here)
Okay so far?

Now for the rather odd breakdown of these 790s:

0. 790 recreation in general
1. 791 Public performances : circuses, puppetry, rodeos and .. movies/TV! (791.4)
2. 792 Stage presentations : the texts of plays are in the 800s, but all the theater how-to is here. Along with ballet
3. 793 Indoor amusements : social and folk dancing, crossword puzzles, juggling
4. 794 Indoor games of skill : chess, checkers, and board games, computer games
5. 795 Games of chance : roulette, poker, dominoes, bingo
6. 796 Athletic and outdoor sports, games, and martial arts : very complicated, see below
7. 797 Aquatic and air sports : boating, swimming, parachuting
8. 798 Equestrian sports and animal racing : riding, racing horses or sled dogs
9. 799 Fishing, hunting, shooting

So a lot of stuff has to go in 796. Everything from football to kite flying, but no swimming or skiing. Before you read how the 796 sports are classified according to Dewey you might want to think about all the sports you know and how you might group them. Imagine some sort of super-sorting hat. Finished? Did you distinguish between team and individual sports? Dewey didn't.

Okay, this is the Dewey way, in which baseball is closer to croquet than it is to football and field hockey is unrelated to ice hockey.

0. 796.0 variant games such as wheelchair sports, and organizations, management, coaching
1. 796.1 miscellaneous games : kites, model ships, farmer-in-the-dell
2. 796.2 sports not in any other category and requiring equipment : roller skating, skateboarding
3. 796.3 ball games - and this is broken down into ball thrown by hand, ball kicked by foot, and ball hit by racket or club
4. 796.4 track and field, gymnastics
5. 796.5 hiking, camping, spelunking
6. 796.6 cycling
7. 796.7 driving motor vehicles
8. 796.8 wrestling, boxing, fencing
9. 796.9 winter sports - skiing, skating and ice hockey

Let's zoom in and look at ball games. By the time you get here, 796.3, you still have all sorts of possibilities and a label that is growing longer and longer. Better hope it is not a skinny book you are after or there won't be room for all the numbers.
796.31 small ball is thrown or hit by hand - 796.312 handball
796.32 inflated ball is thrown or hit by hand - 796.323 basketball, 796.325 volleyball
796.33 inflated ball is hit by foot - 796.332 American football, 796.333 rugby, 796.334 soccer and so on
796.34 ball is hit by a racket - 796.342 tennis, 796.343 squash, 796.345 badminton, 796.347 lacrosse
796.35 ball is driven by a club or bat
   796.352 golf
   796.353 polo
   796.354 croquet
   796.355 field hockey
   796.357 baseball
   796.358 cricket

What is the Dewey number for world series games? 796.357646
For traveling medicine shows? 791.1
Dewey lived in a very different world.

Please remember, the biography of a sports person will be found in the section for that sport. But sports fiction will be scattered about in the many fiction sections. We have a lot of great sports fiction - from Frank and Ernest Play Ball to The Iowa Baseball Confederacy. In the children's room these books will be identified by a red label, in the adult room you are on your own.

Here is the promised special list for the questers.

__ Washington Post sports writer John Feinstein has written a couple of sports thrillers for kids: Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery (J PA) and Vanishing Act (J FIC FEINSTEIN)

__ Mike Lupica, the ESPN sports commentator, has published a trio of sports novels: Heat (J PA), Travel Team (JFIC LUPICA) and Miracle On 49 St. (J FIC LUPICA). Both Heat and Travel Team also are available on CD.

__ Dan Gutman is famous for his humorous, action-packed sports novels, including Abner and Me: A Baseball Card Adventure (J FIC GUTMAN), The Million Dollar Putt (J FUC GUTMAN), The MiIllion Dollar Shot (J FIC GUTMAN) and The Million Dollar Goal (J FIC GUTMAN).

__ Local attorney and author Fred Bowen has written several sports novels based on true events, including Full Court Fever, On the Line, and Playoff Dreams (all are J PA).

__ Matt Christopher is perhaps the most popular sports author for kids, writing both novels and non-fiction. Our library has a number of Christopher's books, including: Football Fugitive (J PA), The Dog That Pitched A No-Hitter (J FIC CHRISTO), Baseball Jokes and Riddles (J 818 CHRISTO).