Gems, Gerald and Pfister, Gertrude, eds. Touchdown: An American Obsession. Great Barrington, Ma: Berkshire Publishing Group LLC, 2019. Pp. 364. Appendices, notes, glossary, index. $49.95 paperback. $125 hardcover. Reviewed by Russ Crawford Gridiron football is the most popular team sport in the United States, and the history of the sport has been explored by a…
Pearlman, Jeff. Football for a Buck: The Crazy Ride and the Crazier Demise of the USFL.New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2018. $18.30 paperback. Review By Jon Hart This review originally appeared on Stadium Journey. Re-posted with author permission. Prolific author Jeff Pearlman, @jeffpearlman, has written eight books. By his own admission, he had the…
Editor’s Note: “Sport in American History” is excited to cross-post Richard C. Crepeau’s “Sport and Society” column. This post was originally published on December 4, 2018. A full archive of his Crepeau’s columns can be found by clicking here. Here we are once again at the end of the regular season in college football. The conference championship games have…
Editor’s Note: “Sport in American History” is excited to cross-post Richard C. Crepeau’s “Sport and Society” column. This post was originally published on November 8, 2018. A full archive of his Crepeau’s columns can be found by clicking here. Do you ever wonder if there is a bottom to the depths of decay and corruption within the American University?…
Gilden, Jack. Collision of Wills: Johnny Unitas, Don Shula, and the Rise of the Modern NFL. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2018. Pp. 328. Afterword, index and bibliography. $29.95 hardback. Reviewed by Bob D’Angelo The Baltimore Colts of the 1960s could be called the National Football League’s underachievers — or, more charitably, unlucky. From 1963…
By Tanya K. Jones Whether one is playing or spectating, millions of people participate in one form or another. As springtime ends, it takes two sports in the U.S. with it; hockey and basketball. Despite the loss, American sports enthusiasts have baseball to lean on until the day comes when one sport rises above the…
Sorez, Julien. Le Football dans Paris et ses banlieues : un sport devenu spectacle. Rennes: Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2013. 410 pages. Notes, index, illustrations, appendices. 22 euros. Print. Reviewed by Peter Marquis In, Le Football dans Paris et ses banlieues, an historical exploration of the development of soccer in Paris and its suburbs (in French “les…
Editor’s Note: “Sport in American History” is excited to cross-post Richard C. Crepeau’s “Sport and Society” column. This post was originally published on July 14, 2018. A full archive of his Crepeau’s columns can be found by clicking here. It has been a month since the start of the World Cup. When a champion is determined on Sunday, over…
Following the protests of systemic racism and police brutality by Colin Kaepernick and dozens of other NFL players during the 2016 and 2017 season, the relationship between sports and politics has reemerged as a hot topic. Journalists and scholars have offered commentary exploring the myriad of ways that sports and politics intersect. Joining these conversations…
Editor’s Note: “Sport in American History” is excited to cross-post Richard C. Crepeau’s “Sport and Society” column. This post was originally published on February 2, 2018. A full archive of his Crepeau’s columns can be found by clicking here. By Richard C. Crepeau The calendar has turned over another year. The winter solstice has passed. The holiday season is…
Sport in American History 