This text examines the many meanings that school sports have taken on in North Carolina, linking athletic programs at state universities, public high schools and other educational institutions to social and economic shifts in the state and drawing conclusions about American society in general.

Tracing the development of varsity athletic programs in North Carolina's public high schools, women's colleges, African American institutions, and state universities, Grundy explores the close and frequently controversial links between competitive athletics and formal education, and uses the history of sports to examine shifting ideas about gender, race, class, and culture.