The Chicago Sports Reader

100 Years of Sports in the Windy City
Author: Edited by Steven A. Riess and Gerald R. Gems
A celebration of the fast, the strong, the agile, and the tricky throughout Chicago's storied sports history
Paper – $25.95
978-0-252-07615-2
Publication Date
Cloth: 03/02/2009
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About the Book

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.

About the Author

Steven A. Riess is a professor of history and a Bernard J. Brommel Distinguished Research Professor at Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago. Gerald R. Gems is a professor of health and physical education at North Central College, Naperville, Illinois.

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Reviews

“Classic essays. . . . Recommended.”--Choice

Blurbs

"Chicago wins! There is no comparable volume packing so much into it as The Chicago Sports Reader. What a powerful line-up! Readers will savor its endless pleasures."--Michael H. Ebner, Lake Forest College and Chicago Tribune All-Star Team of College Professors

"A fascinating collection . . . . The Chicago Sports Reader provides a noteworthy account of interest to both the expert and sports enthusiast alike."--Dominic A. Pacyga, author of Polish Immigrants and Industrial Chicago: Workers on the South Side, 1880-1922

"An impressive roster of essays illuminating the compelling history of sports in the Windy City, from horse racing to hockey. A wonderful collection showing how sports and Chicago are interconnected for men and women of various social classes, races, and ethnicities."--Linda J. Borish, coauthor of Sports in American History: From Colonization to Globalization