In the Game Race, Identity, and Sports in the Tentieth Century [Paperback]

Talking about race and sports almost always leads to trouble. Rush Limbaugh's stint as an NFL commentator came to an abrupt end when he made some off-handed comments about the Philadelphia Eagles' black quarterback, Donovan McNabb. Ask a simple question along these lines - 'Why do African Americans dominate the NBA?' - and watch the sparks fly. It is precisely this flashpoint that the contributors to this volume seek to explore. Professional and amateur sports wield a tremendous amount of cultural power in the United States and around the world, and racial, ethnic, and national identities are often played out through them. In the Game collects essays by top thinkers on race that survey this treacherous terrain. They engage fascinating topics like race and cricket in the West Indies, how black culture shaped the NFL in the 1970s, the famed black-on-white Cooney/Holmes boxing bout, and American Indian mascots for sports teams.The Transformation of NFL Football by Black Culture in the 1970s; J.Dinerstein Fiaca and Veron-isma: Race and Silence in Argentine Football; G.Farred Courtside: Race and Basketball in the Works of John Edgar Wideman; T.Church Guzzio How the New Negro Whupped Jim Crow: Joe Louis and the Gendered Fight for Racial Equality in the 1930s; T.Runstedler The Harmonizing Nation: Mexico's Selection for the 1968 Olympics; E.Zolov Gendered Bodies/Gendered Nation: Women, Athletics, and Citizenship in Peronist Argentina; C.Kahr Reading and Rereading the Game: Reflections on West Indies Cricket; M.Arthur & J.Scanlon Wa a o, wa ba ski na me ska ta!: 'Indian' Mascots, Hegemony, and Media Representation of Race; D.A.Tyeeme Clark 'Ritchie' Allen and Black Power: A View from the White Suburbs; M.Frye Jacobson Clearing the Bench: The National Movement(s) of American Baseball; M.Keefe The Stepping Stone: Holmes-Cooney, Rocky, and 'Race, Race, Race'; C. Rotella

Hard-hitting and well-researched, Amy Bass has put together a book that peels back the layers anlÃ