By Russ Crawford From June 24-30, women from six nations are meeting in Langley, British Columbia to contend for the title of world champion in American football. Australia, Britain, Canada, Finland, Mexico and the United States have sent teams to showcase the best female football players in their respective countries. At the time of writing,…
By Doug Wilson This post originally appeared on Doug Wilson’s Baseball Bookshelf. It was one of the most intriguing matchups in baseball history. Ernie Banks and Leo Durocher–thrown together in the same clubhouse. Rarely have two more disparate characters been coupled outside of a lousy television sitcom. Smiling Ernie Banks, the perpetually glass-is-half-full line drive…
Conine, Chad S. The Republic of Football: Legends of the Texas High School Game. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2016. Pp. 288. Index, and 20 Photos. $24.95 hardcover. Reviewed by Jorge Iber Before proceeding with this brief essay, it is necessary for this reviewer to own up that he is not a native-born Texan; though,…
By Cat Ariail In early 1949, Catherine Meyer, still coach of the United States women’s track and field team despite the criticisms of her performance at the 1948 London Olympics, began to look toward the 1951 Pan American Games, slated for Buenos Aires, Argentina, and 1952 Olympics, which were to be held in Helsinki, Finland. …
By Zachary R. Bigalke Editor’s Note: This post is based on the experiences of one of our contributors, Zachary R. Bigalke, at the 2017 NASSH Convention. At the 2017 North American Society for Sport History (NASSH) Convention, held over Memorial Day weekend at Cal State University, Fullerton, there was a slew of research that advanced historical…
Iber, Jorge. Mike Torrez: A Baseball Biography. Jefferson, North Carolina. McFarland & Company, Inc., 2016. Pp. viii+260; Notes, Index, Bibliography, Photographs. $29.95 softcover, $9.95 ebook. Reviewed by Doug Wilson One lousy pitch. That’s all they’ll ever remember. It’s an unfortunate aspect of sport that a man can perform better than average for 10 or 15…
Kevin E. Simpson, Soccer under the Swastika: Stories of Survival and Resistance During the Holocaust. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2016. xxix + 368 pp. 27 photos and illustrations, notes, bibliography, index, $40.00 hardback. Reviewed by Patrick Salkeld. I am a trained US historian with an emphasis on soccer, but much of my research spans…
By Adam Criblez There have been some great shooters in the past. . . . But here again, when I played years ago, if you shot a shot outside and hit it, the next time I’m going to be up on top of you. I’m going to pressure you with three-quarters, half-court defense. But now…
Pearson, Greg. Maybe Next Year: Long Suffering Fans and the Teams That Never Deliver. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, Inc., Publishers, 2016. Pp. 264. 66 Photos. Index, $35.00 paperback. Reviewed by Jorge Iber As a long suffering fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Dolphins (an odd combination, to be sure), this reviewer met the…
Liberti, Rita and Maureen M. Smith, eds. San Francisco Bay Area Sports: Golden Gate Athletics, Recreation, and Community. Fayetteville, AR: University of Arkansas Press, 2017. Pp. xviii +352. Notes, contributors, and index. Paperback $24.95. Reviewed by Cat Ariail With the Golden State Warriors seemingly poised to capture the NBA Finals, an achievement that would consolidate…
Sport in American History 