Izenberg, Jerry. Rozelle: A Biography. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2014. Pp. 312. Notes and Index. $29.95 clothback. Reviewed by Andrew D. Linden In the environment of big-time sport in North America, few off-the-field individuals garner such media coverage as National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell. Over the past few weeks, as teams begin…
By Michael T. Wood, Guest Contributor On 20 July 2015, the United States and Cuba reopened their embassies in Havana and Washington, D.C. This occasion represents another important step in the normalization of U.S.-Cuban relations, and continues a policy shift that began in December 2014. Even though more action is needed on both sides of…
By Kyle D. James, Guest Contributor On July 31st, 2015, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will decide whether Almaty, Kazakhstan, or Beijing/Zhangjiakou, China, will become the host of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. The Boston 2024 Olympic Committee, along with the European cities that have also announced their candidacies, will be watching closely, as this…
The NFL: Critical and Cultural Perspectives. Eds. Thomas P. Oates and Zack Furness. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2014. Pp. 268. Forward, contributors list, and index. Paper: $29.95, cloth: $69.50, e-book: $29.95. Reviewed by Andrew D. Linden Two weeks ago, I flipped through various television channels, eventually landing on the NFL Network. While nearly two months removed…
By Murry Nelson, Guest Contributor It was January 25, 1972, and Ohio State, the defending Big Ten champion and favorite to repeat was to play Minnesota in an early season match-up that some saw as a turning point for the remainder of the Big Ten season. It was, but not for the reasons that most…
Later this week, former college football players will walk across the stage at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois. They will shake the hand of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, put on new hats, and hold the jerseys of their new NFL teams. Outside of the Theatre, the NFL will hold a “Draft…
By Dunja Antunovic, Guest Contributor In the April 8, 2015, edition of CBS News, anchor Scott Pelley begins “If there is one thing more difficult than breaking into the NFL as a player, it’s breaking in as an official. There are only 119. And breaking in as a woman? Impossible. Until today’s announcement.” The camera cuts…
by Jorge Iber, PhD Texas Tech University In a previous blog, I discussed the story of E.C. Lerma, one of the first Mexican American high school football (and basketball and track) coaches in the history of the state of Texas. His career during the late 1930s though the middle of the 1960s provided coaches, teachers,…
On February 20, 2015, officials from both the National Football League’s Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers announced their plans to build and share a $1.7 billion privately-funded stadium. The proposed new facility will be located in Carson, adding the two teams to the constant speculation about the NFL’s return to L.A. Both the Raiders and…
by Jorge Iber, PhD Texas Tech University In my last post for this blog, I mentioned that the story of Mike Torrez (former MLB pitcher and a native of Topeka) is one that could help shed light on the historical and current role as athletes of Latinos/as both at the local (Midwestern, in this case)…
Sport in American History 