Lisi, Clemente A. A History of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017. Pp. ix + 171. Photos, appendices, bibliography and index. $35.00 hardcover, $33.00 e-book. Reviewed by Zachary R. Bigalke Soccer has always had a contentious history on American soil. Prone to cyclical boom and bust periods, the sport seems…
Marmins, David J. and Steven K. Feit. Appalachian State Silences the Big House: Behind the Greatest Upset in College Football History. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2017. Pp. x + 263. 37 photos & illustrations, chapter notes, bibliography and index. $25.00 softcover. Reviewed by Zachary R. Bigalke One of the reasons why college football remains so…
Jamieson, Duncan R. The Self-Propelled Voyager: How the Cycle Revolutionized Travel. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. Pp. xxv + 193. Bibliography and index. $86.00 hardcover, $81.00 electronic book. Reviewed by Zachary R. Bigalke It has now been over a decade since the last time I went on a self-supported bicycle tour. While Lance Armstrong…
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…
By Zachary R. Bigalke In the summer of 1986 Diego Maradona sealed an eternal place in Argentinian hearts, notching both the most revered and the most reviled goals in FIFA World Cup history in a 2-1 quarterfinal victory over England. “We were representing our dead who were sent to die by their own country,” Maradona…
Landborn, Adair. Flamenco and Bullfighting: Movement, Passion and Risk in Two Spanish Traditions. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2015. Pp. ix + 260. Appendices, glossary, notes, bibliography, and index. $45.00 paperback. Reviewed by Zachary R. Bigalke “What makes something a sport?” This is a question that vexes both casual fans and academics alike, and one which offers…
by Zachary R. Bigalke The ideology of racial democracy cast a long shadow over twentieth-century race relations in Brazil. First popularized by influential Brazilian scholar Gilberto Freyre, this theory presumed a level racial playing field that was paradoxically dependent on the whitening of the populace. Rather than helping to drive the country toward a multiracial…
By Zachary R. Bigalke Major League Soccer (MLS) kicked off its 22nd season over the past weekend, welcoming two new teams into the fold to expand the league into two 11-team conferences. Fifteen years after the league contracted its two Florida teams, the long-term plan executed by Don Garber seems to have fully flowered. Having…
Curry, Graham, and Eric Dunning. Association Football: A Study in Figurational Sociology. London: Routledge, 2015. Pp. 192 + index. $148.00 hardback, $53.95 paperback. Reviewed by Zachary R. Bigalke It is natural to long for a concise and clear historical timeline, to be able to easily and definitively explain the chain of events that lead to…
Bar-On, Tamir. The World Through Soccer: The Cultural Impact of a Global Sport. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. Pp. xxiii+307. Appendix, notes, bibliography, and index. $92.00 hardback, $89.99 electronic book. Reviewed by Zachary R. Bigalke Anyone who has watched soccer in recent years has seen a dizzying array of different formations and tactics being…
Sport in American History 