Level Playing Field for All?

Written in accessible prose that will make it available to broader audiences, Leanne Doherty's Level Playing Field for All? Female Political Leadership and Athletics promises to initiate a conversation about the growing role of participation in athletics as a potential calling card for political candidates, particularly women. This book is especially relevant, as athletes and sports culture will likely garner greater attention, as more and more candidates hail from non-traditional careers for politicians and have varied levels of experience, if any, in formal governance. -- Nikol G. Alexander-Floyd, Rutgers University-New Brunswick, and author of Gender, Race, and Nationalism in Contemporary Black Politics By analyzing the intersection of gender, sports and public policy, this well-researched book offers a unique and engaging account of factors central to understanding political leadership. Professor Doherty fills a gapping hole in the literature with this creative and timely account of women's quest for institutional and social power. -- Ronnee Schreiber, San Diego State University Leanne Doherty argues forcefully that amateur and professional athletic experience are now criteria in candidates' self-assessments and self-presentations and, by extension, in voters' decision-making. Her book surveys the political economics of sport, offers analyses of campaign websites, and provides a policy analysis of the battles that now define Title IX. In so doing, she delineates the ways in which sports gives or constrains access to power for men and for women. -- MaryAnne Borrelli, Connecticut College