internet resources Donald G. Frank Sports research Key Web sites to facilitate successful research

his article focuses on key Web sites for • The Library and Giamatti Research Tsports research at national and interna­ Center at Baseball’s Hall of Fame. This is tional levels. As the list of sports is extensive, essentially the national archive for materials some sports are not represented. on baseball. Books, periodicals, photographs, Sports research has become a signifi cant movies, and other materials are available activity at colleges and universities. An exami­ for serious research. The collection of pho­ nation of baseball and steroids, for example, tographs for the 19th and 20th centuries produces articles published in the Journal is extensive. As the photographs have not of Legal Medicine, Journal of the American been digitized, one needs to contact or go Medical Association, Lancet, American Jour­ to the Library and Giamatti Research Center nal of Sports Medicine, Physician & Sports to examine and use these materials. Access: Medicine, Sport in Society, and The Economist. http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/library. Baseball, in particular, has been a topic of • Major League Baseball. Major League serious research in academe, possibly as a Baseball provides current and historical data result of the extensive data and information for players, teams, and leagues, going back available for the 19th and 20th centuries. to 1871. Data on the Negro League players, Research in other sports has also become teams, and leagues are not included. Access: serious and rigorous. http://www.mlb.com. • Negro League Baseball Players Asso- Baseball ciation. The Web site for the Negro League • Baseball Almanac. The Baseball Al­ Baseball Players Association is excellent, manac provides data on players, teams, and providing valuable information on players, leagues. The highlights of all seasons from 1876 teams, and leagues. Biographical informa­ to 2006 are summarized in a “History” section. tion is provided for all players. Histories of A “Baseball Historians and Researchers” sec­ the various teams, leagues, and ballparks are tion facilitates research. Access: http://www. helpful. Unfortunately, statistical data for the baseball­almanac.com. players is limited as these data were not com­ • History of Baseball Web sites. Several piled and archived by the teams and leagues. Web sites focus on the history of baseball, in­ Access: http://www.nlbpa.com. cluding the Baseball Archive, History of Baseball, • Society of American Baseball Re- Historic Baseball, History of the World Series, search. The Society of American Baseball and Graphical History of Baseball. Access: http:// Research facilitates the study of baseball as www.baseball1.com/c­history.html, http:// related to societal conditions. The society www.archaeolink.com/history_of_baseball.htm, provides educational and historical informa­ http://www.historicbaseball.com/baseballhisto­ ry.html, http://www.sportingnews.com/archives Donald G. Frank is a professor at Portland State /worldseries, and http://home.istar.ca/~mbein University, e-mail: [email protected] /baseball.html. © 2007 Donald G. Frank

May 2007 305 C&RL News tion on baseball NBA focuses on current players, teams, and and facilitates re­ conditions. Archival information and data are search via a series not included. The WNBA Web site provides of publications data on players and teams, with archival data and annual con­ going back to the inception of the WNBA ferences at which scholarly presentations are in 1997. Access: http://www.nba.com and discussed. Members of the society are able http://www.wnba.com. to access databases to obtain full­text articles and other documents. A full­text baseball Football encyclopedia is available for research. The • National Football League (NFL). An society maintains an online forum in which excellent “History” section is accessible in scholars discuss numerous issues and top­ the NFL’s Web site in which one is able to ics, including historical details as well as obtain a decade­by­decade chronology of information on patterns and trends. Access: significant activities and events from 1869 http://www.sabr.org. to the current year. Historical information is available on all NFL teams. Statistical data Basketball are available in the “Record and Fact Book.” • Association of Professional Bas- Access: http://www.nfl .com. ketball Research. Basketball research is • Professional Football Researchers facilitated by the Association of Professional Association. Research is supported by a Basketball Research. This Web site provides database of full­text articles, a list of books historical information on players, teams, and on the history of professional football, and leagues, with coverage going back to 1898. A an online forum in which fans and scholars “Historical Basketball Statistical Database” is discuss relevant issues. Access: http://www. extensive and essential for serious research. footballresearch.com. Access: http://www.apbr.org. • Basketball Reference. Basketball Hockey Reference provides statistical data on play­ • Hockey Hall of Fame. The Hockey Hall ers, teams, and leagues. The results of all of Fame Web site provides statistical data and games and data on all players are provided, informative biographies on “every player who going back to the 1940s. Access: http://www. has ever appeared in the NHL.” A “Legends” basketball­reference.com. section focuses on the top players. Access: • Federation Internationale de Bas- http://www.hhof.com. ketball (FIBA). FIBA is the key Web site • Institute for Hockey Research. Sci­ for basketball at the international level. entific studies of hockey are accessible in Information on teams is available for nearly the Institute for Hockey Research Web site. all nations in Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceana, Access: http://www.hockeyinstitute.org. and the Americas. Online forums provide op­ • National Hockey League (NHL). The portunities for dialogues on topics of interest. NHL Web site focuses on current players and Archival data and information are limited. teams, but also provides a “History” section. Access: http://www.fi ba.com. Unfortunately, the historical information • History of Basketball. The History of is more anecdotal than systematic. Access: Basketball is a collection of Web sites provid­ http://www.nhl.com. ing historical information. Access: http://www. archaeolink.com/history_of_basketball. Soccer/football htm. • Federation Internationale de Foot- • National Basketball Association ball Association (FIFA). Soccer/football at (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball the international level is covered by FIFA. Association (WNBA). The Web site of the The FIFA Web site focuses on leagues across

C&RL News May 2007 306 the globe, with an emphasis on current data. man Truck Series. NASCAR’s “History” section A “History of Football” section provides includes a Daytona 500 archive (1959–2002), several informative reports. Information annual as well as decade­by­decade reviews on the World Cup is also provided. Access: (1949–2000), biographies of NASCAR’s “50 http://www.fi fa.com/en. greatest drivers,” a history of the evolution • Major League Soccer. The Major of the stock car, and a summary of “great League Soccer Web site provides data on races” (1989–2003). Access: http://www. players and teams in the United States and nascar.com. includes a “History” section focusing on the • Research Guide for Stock Car Racing. “All­Time Leaders.” Access: http://www. A “Research Guide for Stock Car Racing” is mlsnet.com. accessible at Appalachian State University. The Web site is a gateway to databases; Tennis biographies of important people; social and • History of Tennis. Web sites provid­ historical information; statistical data; stock ing historical information are collected in car organizations; racing series Web sites; the History of Tennis. Access: http://www. museums, libraries, and halls of fame; and archaeolink.com/history_of_tennis.htm. media Web sites. An annotated list of nearly • United States Tennis Association and 150 “Racing Movies” is also included. Access: ATP Tennis. Current activities and events in http://www.library.appstate.edu/reference professional tennis are covered by the United /subjectguides/stockcar.html. States Tennis Association and ATP Tennis. ATP provides a “Results Archive” for all ATP, Collegiate athletics Grand Slam, and ATP Masters Series events, • National Collegiate Athletics Associa- beginning in 1968. Biographical information tion (NCAA). Research on athletics on the is provided for selected players in the ATP. collegiate level needs to include the NCAA. Access: http://www.usta.com and http:// Information and statistical data are provided www.atptennis.com. for all NCAA sports. Key areas focus on Academics and Athletes, Legislation and Golf Governance, Media and Events, and Sports • History of Golf. The History of Golf is and Championships. A “Research” section a collection of Web sites providing historical provides detailed reports on issues such as information. Access: http://www.archaeolink. academic reforms, substance abuse, academ­ com/history_of_golf.htm. ic performance and characteristics, gradua­ • Professional Golf Association (PGA) tion rates, international students, revenues and Ladies Professional Golf Associa- and expenses of intercollegiate athletics pro­ tion (LPGA). Professional golf for men and grams, race/gender demographics, gender/ women in the United States is covered by equity analyses, and the empirical effects the PGA and the LPGA. Unfortunately, these of collegiate athletics. Access: http://www. Web sites provide no archival/historical data ncaa.org. or information. Access: http://www.pga.com • NCAA Sports. NCAA activities and and http://www.lpga.com. events are featured in NCAA Sports. “Sta­ tistics” and “History” sections are available Stock car racing for the various sports. Access: http://www. • National Association for Stock Car ncaasports.com. Auto Racing (NASCAR). The NASCAR Web site provides biographical information on Olympic games key participants (drivers) as well as a “Race • Olympic Movement. The “modern” Archive” going back to 2002 for the Nextel Olympic Games are covered by the offi cial Cup Series, the Busch Series, and the Crafts­ Web site of the Olympic Movement. A data­

May 2007 307 C&RL News base provides comprehensive results cover­ in “Legends and Lore,” data on all Olympic age of the Olympic Summer Games from medalists, a boxing bibliography, and de­ 1896 to 2004 and the Olympic Winter Games tailed physical characteristics (“tale of the from 1924 to 2006. Biographical information tape”) for all “heavyweight champions” is provided for the Olympic athletes. The from John L. Sullivan to the current cham­ “Historical Archives” are extensive, provid­ pion. Access: http://www.ibhof.com. ing access to numerous full­text documents. • World Boxing Association. This as­ More than 20,000 monographs and 250 sociation oversees boxing on national and periodicals are available in the International international levels. Biographical and his­ Olympic Committee Library. Information torical information is limited, but the WBA is also available on the “ancient” Olympic “Monthly Ratings” of boxers in all levels or Games conducted from 776 B.C. to 393 A.D. categories are provided, beginning in 2000. Access: http://www.olympic.org. Access: http://www.wbaonline.com.

Track and fi eld Sports and Society • International Association of Athlet- • Center for the Study of Sport in ics Federations (IAAF). IAAF covers track Society and Centre for the Sociology of and field at the international level. Records Sport. Various centers and institutes focus on are provided for official events in Asia, Africa, the study of sport in society. The Center for Europe, North America, South America, and the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern Oceania. Several IAAF forums provide op­ University and the Centre for the Sociology portunities to discuss relevant issues. Access: of Sport at the University of Leicester are http://www.iaaf.org. representative of these centers and institutes. • USA Track & Field. USA Track & Field Access: http://www.sportsinsociety.org and covers activities and events at the profession­ http://www.le.ac.uk/so/css. al level for the United States. Biographical • North American Society for Sport information and statistical data are available History. Sports research also encompasses for current athletes and for Hall of Fame important societal issues. The North Ameri­ inductees. Access: http://www.usatf.org. can Society for Sport History promotes research on the history of sports and pub­ Cycling lishes the Journal of Sport History. Access: • History of Cycling. The History http://www.nassh.org. of Cycling is a collection of Web sites providing historical information. Ac­ Multi-sport Web sites cess: http://www.archaeolink.com/his­ • ESPN & CBS Sportsline. Some Web tory_of_cycling.htm. sites provide data and information on several • United States Cycling Organization major sports. ESPN and CBS Sportsline are & Union Cycliste Internationale. This site covers the various types of races (road, Internet resources online track, cyclo­cross, BMX), focusing on the participants and results of the races. Access: Internet Resources articles, as printed, http://www.usacycling.org and http://www. are available online at www.ala.org/ala uci.ch. /acrl/acrlpubs/crlnews/internetresources. htm. Boxing A small, but growing, editable collection • International Boxing Hall of Fame. is also available at wikis.ala.org/acrl/index. The International Boxing Hall of Fame pro­ php/Internet_Resources_Wiki. vides biographical information on all induct­ ees, a series of historical essays on boxing

C&RL News May 2007 308 representative, covering baseball, basketball, In addition to the major sports noted above, football, hockey, soccer, tennis, boxing, the Virtual Library of Sport also covers sports automobile racing, collegiate athletics, and such as rugby, cricket, snooker, sailing, and other sports. Coverage focuses on current or darts. Access: http://www.sportsvl.com. contemporary issues and teams. Archival or historical data is limited. Extreme sports such Representative sports blogs as BMX, motocross, inline skating, skate­ • Baseball Analysts. Access: http:// boarding, and snowboarding are covered by www.baseballanalysts.com. ESPN, with a “Results Archive” of the Sum­ • Baseball Blogs. Access: http://www. mer X Games and the Winter X Games going baseballblogs.org. back to 1998. Access: http://www.espn.com • Basketball Blogs. Access: http://www. and http://www.cbssportsline.com. basketballblogs.org. • Sports Network. The Sports Network • Football Blogs. Access: http://www. focuses on current activities and events, but footballblogs.org. also includes an “All­Time Statistics Data­ • Hockey Blogs. Access: http://www. base” for baseball, basketball, and hockey. hockeyblogs.org. This database can be downloaded to one’s • NASCAR Blog. Access: http://www. workstation. The database covers baseball nascarblog.org. from 1871 to 2001, basketball from 1937 to • Soccer Blogs. Access: http://www. 2001, and hockey from 1917 to 2001. Access: soccerblogs.net. http://www.sportsnetwork.com. • Sports Blogs. Access: http://www. • Virtual Library of Sport. The Virtual sportsblogs.org. Library of Sport is an interesting collection of • Tennis Blogs. Access: http://www. Web sites with an international perspective. tennisblogs.org.

May 2007 309 C&RL News