Surdam, David George, and Michael J. Haupert. The Age of Ruth and Landis: The Economics of Baseball during the Roaring Twenties. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2018. Pp. 405. Epilogue, appendixes, notes, tables and bibliography. $45 hardback. Reviewed by Bob D’Angelo At first blush, it seems easy to define what influenced major league baseball during…
Rosen, Charley. Sugar: Michael Ray Richardson, Eighties Excess, and the NBA. Lincoln: Nebraska University Press, 2018. Pp. 192. $24.95 hardcover and ebook. Reviewed by Cat Ariail During his tumultuous tenure as general manager of the New York Knicks, Phil Jackson often appeared to air his grievances, including the infamous ones against Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo…
Essington, Amy. The Integration of the Pacific Coast League: Race and Baseball on the West Coast. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2018. Pp. 162. Afterword, appendix, notes, and bibliography. $19.95 paperback. Reviewed by Bob D’Angelo Jackie Robinson’s heroic struggle in breaking the color line in the modern era of major league baseball has been told…
By Cat Ariail On May 5, ESPN NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a “Woj bomb.” The Milwaukee Bucks intend to interview Becky Hammon, a fourth-year assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs and, of course, the first woman to serve as an NBA assistant coach, for their vacant head coach position. Instantly, I was excitedly…
Edwards, Harry. The Revolt of the Black Athlete: 50th Anniversary Edition. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2017. Pp. 232. Appendices, Index. $29.95 hardcover. Reviewed by Kristy McCray “There can be no ‘for sale’ sign, no price tag on principles, human dignity, and freedom.” (p. viii) In 1968, Harry Edwards published The Revolt of the…
Withers, Jeremy, The War of the Wheels: H.G. Wells and the Bicycle . Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2017. Pp. xii+237. Introduction, notes, bibliography, and index. Paperback: $29.95. Reviewed by Ari de Wilde In his War of the Wheels, Jeremy Withers, assistant professor of English at Iowa State University, adds to the increasingly impressive amount…
By Cat Ariail If, as suggested by Sport in American History editor Andrew McGregor, college football represents a “safe space” for conservatives, the NBA serves that function for liberals. In 2017, the NBA unapologetically carried on the spirit of Obamaian triumphalism. Most notably, LeBron James captured the sentiments of many a frustrated American in his much…
Fields, Sarah K. Game Faces: Sport Celebrity and the Laws of Reputation. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2016. Pp. xxii+187. Notes, index. $95.00 cloth, $24.95 paper, $22.46 ebook. Reviewed by Cat Ariail In the fall of 2012, a lawyer representing Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea) filed a federal invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against Gawker Media for publishing…
Kimball, Richard Ian. Legends Never Die: Athletes and Their Afterlives in Modern America. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2017. Pp. 211. Notes, bibliography, and index. $55.00 hardcover. $19.95 paperback and ebook. Reviewed by Cat Ariail In Legends Never Die, Richard Ian Kimball concisely and critically considers the invention of the afterlives of American athletic heroes.…
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. …
Sport in American History 