In Body Politic: The Great American Sports Machine, critically acclaimed sportswriter, essayist, and novelist David Shields focuses on race and cultural relations, as observed in the media"s portrayal and myth-building of sports, particularly professional basketball and baseball. Although no sustaining contention ties the chapters of the book together, Shields attempts to explain the place in popular American culture, as created and influenced by TV commentators and the figures themselves, of such known iconic quantities as: Howard Cosell, Phil Jackson, Charles Barkley, and Japanese baseball imports Ichiro Suzuki and Hideke Matsui. Also included are chapters on Howard Schultz, Chairman of Starbucks and a principal owner of the Seattle SuperSonics; the perceived dichotomy between East Coast (hard) vs. West Coast (soft) athletes and teams; baseball players whose careers have ended because of tics that cause them to suddenly flub routine throws; a brief analysis of the most popular American sports films; and the tattoo culture of basketball and racial themes in its advertising. The book mainly consists of Shields"s musings on quotes from and about sports figures, which do not always support the matter-of-fact interpretations he would like us to believe. He (wisely) decrees: "whoever owns the story tells its meaning"--which leaves room for your own judgment and speculation on what was said, and meant, by the sources. Somewhat thin but entertaining nonetheless, Body Politic provides interesting, evocative material and food for thought on what professional sports, and star athletes, are all about. --Michael Ferch