Sarantakes, Nicholas Evans. Fan in Chief: Richard Nixon and American Sports, 1969-1974. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2019. ix+349. Appendix, notes, timeline, bibliographical essay, sources, and index. Reviewed by Russ Crawford Nicholas Evans Sarantakes has written a comprehensive analysis of President Richard M. Nixon’s interaction with the sporting world in Fan in Chief. It is…
Kenny, Kevin. Patty Berg: Pioneer Champion of Women’s Golf. North Carolina: McFarland, 2019. Pp. 205. Appendix, Chapter Notes, Bibliography, and Index. $45.00 softcover. Reviewed by Erica J. Zonder In November 2019, the Ladies Professional Golf Association’s (LPGA) season-ending event, The CME Group Tour Championship, was won by Korean golfer Sei Young Kim. First place was…
Segrave, Kerry. 2019. Women and Bicycles in America, 1868-1900. Jefferson, NC: McFarland Publishing Company, 2020. Pp. 230. 146 photos, notes, bibliography, index. $55.00 paperback. Reviewed by Leslie Heaphy In Women and Bicycles in America, 1868-1900, author Kerry Segrave examines the growing bicycle craze in the late-nineteenth century and its effect women. Although the tricycle started…
Krell, David, editor. The New York Yankees in Popular Culture: Critical Essays. Jefferson, North Carolina. McFarland & Company, 2019. Pp. 239. Index, introduction, notes. $29.95 paperback. Reviewed by Bob D’Angelo. Comedian Joe E. Lewis is generally credited with the quip that “Rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for U.S. Steel.” Gay Talese, writing in…
By Zev Eleff Seward Simons, Jr.’s hijinks changed football forever. It possibly saved it from extinction. A hundred years ago, on November 20, 1919 some fifty-thousand spectators filled Harvard Stadium. Most left very satisfied with the Crimson’s 10-3 triumph over its rival, Yale. Still, two young Harvard fans departed despondent, along with a bemused band…
Toussaint, Jean-Philippe. Shaun Whiteside, trans. Soccer. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2019. Pp 100. Notes. $12.95 paperback, eBook, pdf, $39.95 cloth. Reviewed by Patrick Salkeld Belgian novelist, filmmaker, and photographer Jean-Philippe Toussaint offers his readers a highly-detailed, often complex, and thought-provoking journey in his latest book, Soccer (translated by Shaun Whiteside). Unlike other soccer memoirs…
Crippen, Kenneth R. and Matt Reaser, eds., The All-America Football Conference: Players, Coaches, Records, Games and Awards, 1946-1949. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2018. Pp. 361. Index. $45 softcover. Reviewed by Richard A. Macales Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay Packers’ coach for whom the Super Bowl Trophy is named, did not win a championship in his…
Sweet, David A. F. Three Seconds in Munich: The Controversial 1972 Olympic Basketball Final. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2019. Pp. 225. Bibliography, illustrations, index, and source notes. $29.95 hardback. Reviewed by Nicholas Evan Sarantakes The President of the United States was livid. Richard Nixon was meeting with his chief of staff, H.R. “Bob” Haldeman, and…
King-White, Ryan, ed. Sport and the Neoliberal University: Profit, Politics, and Pedagogy. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2018. Pp. 242. Notes, index, and 3 figures. $37.95 paperback, EPUB, and PDF. $34.95 Kindle. Reviewed by Jorge Iber Given California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signing the Fair Pay to Play Act into law, a review of…
Cooky, Cheryl and Michael Messner. No Slam Dunk: Gender, Sport and the Unevenness of Social Change. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2018. Pp. 314. Notes, index, and 19 tables. $42.95 paperback, EPUB, and PDF. $39.95 Kindle. Reviewed by Cat Ariail Are we finally approaching a much anticipated watershed in women’s sport? This summer, the…
White, Derrick E. Blood, Sweat, and Tears: Jake Gaither, Florida A&M, and the History of Black College Football. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2019. Pp. 303. Abbreviations, bibliography, endnotes, epilogue, illustrations, and index. $30 hardback. Reviewed by Bob D’Angelo. Jake Gaither coached his last college football game fifty years ago, but his impact…
Watkins, Brandi. Sports Teams, Fans and Twitter: The Influence of Social Media on Relationships and Branding. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2019. Pp. 115. Bibliography and Index. $85.00 hardcover, $80.50 e-book. Reviewed by Brett L. Abrams The fan-team relationship, a cornerstone in the lives of many people and the bedrock of a sports teams’ survival.…
