Search results for ""Author Gerald R. Gems""

While the accomplishments and influence of Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, and Muhammad Ali are doubtless impressive solely on their merits, these luminaries of the Black sporting experience did not emerge spontaneously. Their rise was part of a gradual evolution in social and power relations in American culture between the 1890s and 1940s that included athletes such as jockey Isaac Murphy, barnstorming pilot Bessie Coleman, and golfer Teddy Rhodes. The contributions of these early athletes to our broader collective history, and their heroic confrontations with the entrenched racism of their times, helped bring about the incremental changes that after 1945 allowed for sports to be more fully integrated.Before Jackie Robinson details and analyzes the lives of these lesser-known but important athletes within the broader history of Black liberation. These figures not only excelled in their given sports but also transcended class and racial divides in making inroads into popular culture despite the societal restrictions placed on them. They were also among the first athletes to blur the line between athletics, entertainment, and celebrity culture. This volume presents a more nuanced account of early Black American athletes’ lives and their ongoing struggle for acceptance, relevance, and personal and group identity.

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This study uses sociological and historical methodologies to analyze the role of sport in the formation of urban identity in Chicago. The author traces the transformation of Chicago from a frontier town to a commercial behemoth, examining its role as an immigration, transportation, and entertainment hub. The author argues that, as a pioneering leader in American sport history, Chicago allowed teams and athletes to forge a unique national and global identity. This thorough and well-researched study makes a major contribution to debates on the social and psychological functions of sport culture.

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2023 Choice Outstanding Academic Title In Sports and Aging a wide-ranging group of physically active people, including many scholar-athletes, fifty years and older, discuss sports in the context of aging and their own athletic experiences. This collection of personal accounts includes a spectrum of contributors across genders, social classes, and racial, ethnic, national, religious, and educational backgrounds to determine whether there are any common characteristics that can promote long, happy, healthy, and meaningful lifespans. In this fresh look at the role of sports in the process of aging, contributors range from a ninety-six-year-old great-grandmother to a former Olympian. Many contributors have used education to better their lot in life or to find solace and meaning in the service of others. For all, sports or physical activity has enhanced their health and temperament and provided a sense of community.

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The Athletic Crusade is the first book to systematically analyze the role of sports in the expansion of U.S. empire from the 1890s through World War II. Gerald R. Gems details how white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant males set the standard for inclusion within American society, transferred that standard to foreign territories, and subtly used American sports to instill allegedly desirable racial, moral, and commercial virtues in colonial subjects. In the realm of such expansion, sports provided a less harsh, less militaristic means of instilling belief in a dominant system’s values and principles than more overt methods such as war.The process of change, however, had unexpected consequences as subordinate groups adapted or even rejected American overtures. Sport became a means for nonwhites to challenge whiteness, Social Darwinism, and cultural hegemony by establishing their own physical prowess, claiming a measure of esteem, and creating a greater sense of national identity. Gems shows the direct influence of sports in Hawaii, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic and explores their comparatively minimal influence in countries such as China and Japan.Amid increasing globalization, The Athletic Crusade offers a welcome perspective on how the United States has attempted to spread its influence in the past and the implications for the future of indigenous and other societies.

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2023 Choice Outstanding Academic Title In Sports and Aging a wide-ranging group of physically active people, including many scholar-athletes, fifty years and older, discuss sports in the context of aging and their own athletic experiences. This collection of personal accounts includes a spectrum of contributors across genders, social classes, and racial, ethnic, national, religious, and educational backgrounds to determine whether there are any common characteristics that can promote long, happy, healthy, and meaningful lifespans. In this fresh look at the role of sports in the process of aging, contributors range from a ninety-six-year-old great-grandmother to a former Olympian. Many contributors have used education to better their lot in life or to find solace and meaning in the service of others. For all, sports or physical activity has enhanced their health and temperament and provided a sense of community.

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The Chicago Sports Reader examines Chicago's long and glorious history of recreational and competitive sport, and as the home of the finest sporting events and most loyal fans in the United States. Contributors explore why sports have been especially important in Chicago, how these sports were organized, and how sports promote not only a sense of community and hometown pride but also the agony of defeat and betrayal. This indispensable collection surveys the essential events and main teams in the city's sports history--the Bears, the Cubs, the White Sox, the Black Hawks, and the Bulls--as well as great Chicago sports legends Red Grange, Michael Jordan, and others. The authors also examine more specialized sports such as racing, cycling, and women's baseball. In addition to examining the highlights of Chicago sport, The Chicago Sports Reader also acknowledges a few lowlights, such as the role of organized crime, the Cubs' demise in 1969, and the infamous Black Sox scandal of 1919. Contributors are George D. Bushnell, Susan K. Cahn, John M. Carroll, David Claerbaut, Bruce J. Evensen, Gerald R. Gems, Walter LeFeber, Robin Dale Lester, Michael E. Lomax, Daniel A. Nathan, Steven A. Riess, Cord Scott, and John Chi-Kit Wong.

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Sports in American History: From Colonization to Globalization, Second Edition, journeys from the early American past to the present to give students a compelling grasp of the evolution of American sporting practices. This text provides students with insights into new and alternative perspectives, examines sport as a social and cultural phenomenon, generates a better understanding of current sport practices, and considers future developments in American sport. The second edition includes the following enhancements: • The final chapter highlights sport in the twenty-first century and gives students an updated view of contemporary sport. • Content about the progressive era now makes up two chapters and provides students with a clearer understanding of this instrumental period. • New “People and Places” and “International Perspectives” sidebars introduce key figures in sport history and provide students with a global understanding of sport. • Time lines with major sport and societal events and milestones provide context in each chapter. • More than 150 images provide historical authenticity and relate people and events to the accompanying text. • Chapter objectives and discussion questions help students absorb and apply relevant content. • An ancillary suite helps instructors prepare for class with an instructor guide, test package, and presentation package. This comprehensive resource delivers coverage of sport by historical periods—from the indigenous tribes of premodern America, through colonial societies, to the era of sport in the United States today. Sports in American History, Second Edition, examines how women, minorities, and ethnic and religious groups have influenced U.S. sporting culture. This gives students a broader knowledge of the complexities of sport, health, and play in the American experience and how historical factors, such as gender, ethnicity, race, and religion, provide a more complete understanding of sports in American history. The easy-to-follow material is divided into 11 chronological chapters starting with sporting practices in colonial America and ending with globalized sport today, making it ideal for a semester-long course. The second edition maintains dedication to providing authentic primary documents—including newspapers, illustrations, photographs, historical writings, quotations, and posters—to bring the time periods to life for students. An extensive bibliography features primary and secondary sources in American sport history. Sports in American History, Second Edition, is unique in its level of detail, broad time frame, and focus on sports and the evolving definitions of physical activity and games. In addition, excerpts from primary documents provide firsthand accounts that will not only inform and fascinate readers but also provide a well-rounded perspective on the historical development of American sport. With sidebars offering an international viewpoint, this book will help students understand how historical events have shaped sport differently in the United States than in other parts of the world.

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Sports in American History: From Colonization to Globalization, Third Edition With HKPropel Access, helps students grasp the compelling evolution of American sporting practices. This text examines sports history as a social and cultural phenomenon, generates a better understanding of current practices in sport, and considers future developments in American sport.This comprehensive resource explores sport through various historical periods—including premodern America, colonial times, and the modern era. Sports in American History, Third Edition, features critical new content that will provide a framework for understanding how and why sport intersects with many facets of American society: Examination of how women, racial minorities, and ethnic and religious groups have influenced U.S. sporting culture Highlights of contemporary issues affecting sport in the twenty-first century, including the Covid-19 pandemic; social justice movements; changes in name, image, and likeness policy; and sports technology Reorganized content about sporting experiences in early America that highlight the most influential moments Updated People and Places features and International Perspective sidebars that introduce key figures in sports history to provide a global understanding of sport Full-length articles from the scholarly journal Sport History Review, delivered online through HKPropel, that supplement the article excerpts and associated discussion questions found in the text Sports in American History, Third Edition, is unique in its level of detail, broad time frame, and focus on the evolving definitions of physical activity and games. Primary documents—including newspaper excerpts, illustrations, photographs, historical writings, quotations, and posters—provide firsthand accounts that will not only inform and fascinate students but also provide a well-rounded perspective on the historical development of American sport. Time lines of major milestones in sport and society provide context in each chapter, and an extensive bibliography features primary and secondary sources in American sports history.A starting point into the intriguing field of sports history, this book will help students better understand the complexities of sport in the American experience and grasp how cultural factors and historical events have shaped sport differently in the United States than in other parts of the world.Note: A code for accessing HKPropel is included with all new print books.

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