Taking over a century’s worth of yearbooks from his alma mater, Salinas High School, as a historical archive, acclaimed sociologist Michael A. Messner discovers a not-so-distant time when all the cheerleaders were boys and nearly equal attention was paid to boys’ and girls’ sports. In the process, he explores the changing meanings of high school athletics.
 

MICHAEL A. MESSNER is professor emeritus of sociology and gender studies at the University of Southern California.  He is the author of such works as Power at Play and Taking the Field. This is his twentieth book.