Serb, Chris. War Football: World War I and the Birth of the NFL. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2019. Pp. xviii, 275. Appendices, notes, bibliography, index. Reviewed by Russ Crawford In War Football, Chris Serb not only makes a strong case that football played during The Great War “created an environment where professional football could…
Sarantakes, Nicholas Evans. Fan in Chief: Richard Nixon and American Sports, 1969-1974. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2019. ix+349. Appendix, notes, timeline, bibliographical essay, sources, and index. Reviewed by Russ Crawford Nicholas Evans Sarantakes has written a comprehensive analysis of President Richard M. Nixon’s interaction with the sporting world in Fan in Chief. It is…
Crippen, Kenneth R. and Matt Reaser, eds., The All-America Football Conference: Players, Coaches, Records, Games and Awards, 1946-1949. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2018. Pp. 361. Index. $45 softcover. Reviewed by Richard A. Macales Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay Packers’ coach for whom the Super Bowl Trophy is named, did not win a championship in his…
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…
Welter, Jen. Play Big: Lessons in Being Limitless from the First Woman to Coach in the NFL. New York: Seal Press, 2017. vii+266. Acknowledgements. Reviewed by Russ Crawford Jen Welter has been the first woman to do many things. She was a member of the first women’s football team to win an International Federation of…
Zagorski, Joe. Forward by Rocky Bleier. The NFL in the 1970s: Pro Football’s Most Important Decade. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2016. Pp. 434. Notes, References, Index. $39.95 softcover. Reviewed by Rich Loosbrock The National Football League (NFL) sits atop all other sports in the United States in every measurable category: ratings, fan interest, and revenues. It…
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…
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