This history of sports and athletic activities in America covers a time span from the close of the sixteenth century to the present time. It is divided into three major sections. The first, "Colonial and Early American Sport," narrates the early moral and ethical attitudes of the Puritans and follows the changes in attitudes and introduction of new recreational pastimes to the period immediately preceding the Civil War. In the second part, "American Sport in Transition," the emergence of organized sport, college athletics, and women's involvement in leisure time athletics are described. In the final section, "Sport in Twentieth Century America," the growth of professional sport, the increasing participation of blacks in sports, and the implications of the Olympic Games and the amateur spirit are discussed. (JD)