The Renegade Sportsman: Drunken Runners, Bike Polo Superstars, Roller Derby Rebels, Killer Birds and Other Uncommon Thrills on the Wild Frontier

A face-first dive into America's sporting underbelly.

A lifelong sports fan, Zach Dundas asks: What happened to the fun, loud-mouthed, down-and-dirty sporting culture he always loved? Has it been replaced with performance-enhancing drugs, fat paychecks and billion dollar arenas? Of course not.

With a renegade's eye and a fan's resolve, Dundas scours the underground to find the games, fans, and athletes you won't find in the sports pages. He tracks a bicycle race across Iowa designed to confuse and downright torture its participants, chases a gaggle of runners wearing red cocktail dresses in Portland, and screams obscenities in Chicago with the rowdy fans of the DC United soccer team, and through these and other harrowing and hilarious adventures, he begins to reconnect with the thrill of sporting as he discovers a vibrant, beautiful, and thriving element of American culture-simmering right below the surface.

"Ever have the desire to run several miles down a city street after chugging a beer? Or ride a bike through cow patches and cornfields in the pitch black of night? These may not sound like appealing forms of physical activity, but their participants are no less passionate than those who take part in more traditional sports, as freelance writer Dundas finds out in this entertaining read. With the belief that 'our relationship with sports could use a makeover,' Dundas sets off across the country to reconnect with the subculture far from sold-out stadiums and million-dollar athletes. He takes us along with the Hash House Harriers, who will traverse any road that 'presents some sort of challenge to the mildly intoxicated runner.' Whether it's hanging with overly boisterous soccer fans, taking a dip into the sport of fencing, or learning about falconry (hunting with trained birds), Dundas, with a good sense of humor, makes your ordinary sports seem, well, ordinary. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

A lifelong sports fan, Zach Dundas asks: What happened to the fun, loudmouthed, down-and-dirty sporting culture he always loved? With a renegade's eye and a fan's resolve, Dundas scours the underground to find the games, fans, and "athletes" not found in the sports pages.