Category Archives: sports history

May 16, 2017

Harry Edwards on fighting for black athletes and coaches, whether they like it or not

Posted by rkcunningham
in African American Studies, Olympic history, politics, sports history | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Harry Edwards on fighting for black athletes and coaches, whether they like it or not

An excerpt from the new introduction to The Revolt of the Black Athlete: 50th Anniversary Edition, by Harry Edwards. I believe that over the last fifty years, the facts, the relationships, and the conclusions drawn from them as portrayed in the … Continue reading →

April 28, 2017

Q&A with Debra Shattuck, Author of “Bloomer Girls”

Posted by michael
in american history, author commentary, authors, baseball, sports history, women, women's history | Comments Off on Q&A with Debra Shattuck, Author of “Bloomer Girls”

Debra A. Shattuck is Provost and Associate Professor of History at John Witherspoon College. She recently answered some questions regarding Bloomer Girls: Women Baseball Pioneers.                                       … Continue reading →

April 6, 2017

Backlist Bop: Lifters and jaffas and twin killings and homers

Posted by rkcunningham
in sports history | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Backlist Bop: Lifters and jaffas and twin killings and homers

I once tried to explain baseball to a British friend while we watched a Cubs game. By the sixth inning, after going aground on the dropped third strike and tagging up on a fly ball, I said that baseball, like … Continue reading →

January 19, 2017

Backlist Bop: Snobs, not so many slobs

Posted by rkcunningham
in sports history | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Backlist Bop: Snobs, not so many slobs

              Outsiders, in general, consider January off-season for golf in the northern United States. The intemperate weather replaces the pond and sand trap with real hazards like frostbite and packs of ravening wolves. The … Continue reading →

January 13, 2017

UIP authors around the Internet

Posted by rkcunningham
in american history, author commentary, authors, labor history, politics, sports history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on UIP authors around the Internet

A roundup of recent media activity by Press authors: Michael J. Socolow , author of Six Minutes in Berlin, contributed to an in-depth Only a Game piece on pioneering sportswriter Ted Husing and his secret effort at helping a Jewish family … Continue reading →

December 9, 2016

The most important race of their lives

Posted by rkcunningham
in communication, sports history | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The most important race of their lives

Excerpted from Six Minutes in Berlin: Broadcast Spectacle and Rowing Gold at the Nazi Olympics, by Michael J. Socolow A few hours later, with the Germans having already compiled one of the most impressive regatta records in Olympic history, Riefenstahl’s … Continue reading →

November 14, 2016

Release Party: Six Minutes in Berlin, by Michael J. Socolow

Posted by rkcunningham
in communication, Olympic history, sports history | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Release Party: Six Minutes in Berlin, by Michael J. Socolow

The Olympics and geopolitics have gone hand-in-hand since the modern Games emerged in 1896. Michael J. Socolow’s new book examines one of the most controversial Olympiads of all time through the lens of emerging technology and an American rowing team … Continue reading →

October 18, 2016

200 Years of Illinois: Grange’s Ghost Story

Posted by rkcunningham
in Illinois / regional, sports history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on 200 Years of Illinois: Grange’s Ghost Story

On October 18, 1924, a streak of fire and breath of flame named Harold “Red” Grange had a game for the ages, scoring six touchdowns against a University of Michigan defense thought to be among the best in the nation. The … Continue reading →

October 7, 2016

Karmageddon II

Posted by rkcunningham
in Chicago, sports history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Karmageddon II

Tonight, the world once again courts apocalypse, as the Chicago Cubs put on their best woolens to embark on the long, untrod road to the World Series. Winners of over 100 games for the first time since the Great Depression, … Continue reading →

October 6, 2016

Throwbacklist Thursday: Boogie Woogie Kugel Boy

Posted by rkcunningham
in american history, labor history, sports history | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Throwbacklist Thursday: Boogie Woogie Kugel Boy

Today marks National Noodle Day, an observance that simultaneously celebrates a food most beloved of preschoolers and college students while making you wonder if this national day trend has gone too far. At UIP we take no stance on the question—it’s … Continue reading →