The riveting story behind NBA giant Yao Ming, the ruthless Chinese sports machine that created him, and the East-West struggle over China’s most famous son.The NBA’s 7‘6" All-Star Yao Ming has changed the face of basketball, revitalizing a league desperate for a new hero while becoming a multimillionaire pitchman for Reebok and McDonald’s. But his journey to America—like that of his forgotten foil, 7‘1" Wang Zhizhi—began long before he set foot on the world’s brigh...

Hockey rules in Branko Stimac's new hometown, where its star players get the royal treatment. Any other sport -- like soccer, where Branko excels -- is considered second-rate. This means the sacrifices Branko's Croatian immigrant father made so he can play in Canada go unnoticed, as does Branko's stellar goalkeeping.When Branko makes it onto the Edmonton Select team as the second-string keeper, he keeps the accomplishment to himself, sure that no one in his home town will care. But...

Using the new C3 Framework for Social Studies Standards, Figure Skating in the Global Citizens: Olympic Sports series explores the sport through the lenses of History, Geography, Civics, and Economics. Text and photos look at the history, basic philosophies, and geography of figure skating. Content includes information on multiple Olympic events in the category. As they read, students will develop questions about the text, and use evidence from a variety of sources in order to form conclus...

Using the new C3 Framework for Social Studies Standards, Skating in the Global Citizens: Olympic Sports series explores the sport through the lenses of History, Geography, Civics, and Economics. Text and photos look at the history, basic philosophies, and geography of speed skating. Content includes information on multiple Olympic events in the category. As they read, students will develop questions about the text, and use evidence from a variety of sources in order to form conclusions. Da...