The Ball: Discovering the Object of the Game

Bounce takes us to the far reaches of the globe and the deep recesses of our ancient past to answer a child's question: "Why do we play ball, anyway?"
Inspired by the curiosity of his sport-obsessed 8-year-old son, anthropologist John Fox sets off on a global adventure to explore the untold history of our favorite ball games, their origins and evolution, and how a simple invention like the ball has come through time to stake an unrivaled claim on our passions, our money, and our lives.
From the jungles of Mexico to the farm country of Ohio and from the courts of the ancient Pharaohs to the virtual playing fields of Second Life, Bounce puts us center court for the gritty, ritualistic, violent, bizarre, primal drama of ball games as we've played them across the centuries.
Part history, part travelogue, and part sportscast, Bounce spins tales of the ball as actor and instigator, tapping our human urge to hit, kick, throw and tackle.
In the end, Bounce removes us from the scandals, corruption, and commercialism of today's sports world to uncover the true reasons we play ball and help us reclaim our deep human connection to the games we love.