By Alex Parrish The sports world was stunned on April 19th at the news of the apparent prison suicide of Aaron Hernandez, the former standout tight end at the University of Florida and the New England Patriots. Hernandez was already considered an example after his conviction for a 2013 murder, but his death at age…
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,…
Trothen, Tracy J. Winning the Race? Religion, Hope, and Reshaping the Sport Enhancement Debate. Sports and Religion Series, ed. by Joseph L. Price. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2015. Pp. xiv+209. Bibliography and index. $30 paperback. Reviewed by Alex Parrish After LeBron James’ career-defining block in the dwindling moments of Game 7 of the…
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…
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…
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…
By Alex Parrish Winter, Scott, foreword by Tom Izzo. Nebrasketball: Coach Tim Miles and a Big Ten Team on the Rise. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2015. Pp. xvi+355. 22 black and white photographs. $24.95 Hardcover. In 1985, Indiana University men’s basketball coach Bob Knight gave journalist John Feinstein extraordinary access to his locker room…
By Alex Parrish There are two topics to never bring up at a dinner party, so we’re told – politics and religion. Few things simultaneously unite and divide people quite like politics and religion. Yet Americans seem to have an innate passion for discussing and debating these topics, often vehemently. Most people are fine with…
Sport in American History 