Review of Houston Cougars in the 1960s

Jacobus, Robert D. Houston Cougars in the 1960s: Death Threats, the Veer Offense, and the Game of the Century. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2015. Pp. xxiv+366. Bibliography and index. $29.99 clothback. Reviewed by Alex Parrish The 2006 Disney biopic Glory Road narrates the unprecedented championship run of the 1965-1966 Texas Western Miners basketball team,…

The Redeem Team: Sport and Redemption Narratives

By Alex Parrish “There is something in us, as storytellers and as listeners to stories, that demands the redemptive act, that demands that what falls at least be offered the chance to be restored.” – Flannery O’Connor[1] “… [Redemption] is ingrained in American Nationalism; it is foundational to American cultural identity.” – Chris B. Geyerman[2] The Olympic…

Review of Remembering Yankee Stadium

By Alex Parrish Frommer, Harvey. Remembering Yankee Stadium: An Oral and Narrative History of “The House That Ruth Built”. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press, 2016. Pp. xiv+226. 14 black and white photographs and index. $17.95 paperback. The New York Yankees are one of the most successful and recognizable sports teams in the world. Some of the most…

Review of Sport and Religion in the Twenty-First Century

Reviewed by Alex Parrish Schultz, Brad, and Mary Lou Sheffer, eds. Sport and Religion in the Twenty-First Century. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2016. Pp. xi+260. Bibliography, index, and contributor biographies. $95 hardback. Spend any time in the South during the fall, and you will likely hear the old cliché, “football is religion down here.” This…