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 […]
Category: sports history
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 […]
200 Years of Illinois: Of Maulers and Marines
September 22, 1927. The date of The Long Count, one of most memorable moments in the annals of pugilism. In this corner, the heavyweight champion of the world, Gene Tunney, […]
Release Party: The Rise and Fall of Olympic Amateurism
For decades, amateurism defined the ideals of the Olympic movement. No more. Today’s Games present athletes who enjoy open corporate sponsorship and unabashedly compete for lucrative commercial endorsements. Our new book by […]
Throwbacklist Thursday: Ready for some football
Tonight, the National Football League and the betting on same return to thrill America. Sure, you know the quarterback rating of all the miserable underperformers who have gone under center for […]
Throwbacklist Thursday: Money that’s ready to burn
Gambling. Like all our beloved vices, it is an ancient habit, and probably a prehistoric one. The mighty UIP handicaps some scholarship on the wagering life to get you in the […]
200 Years of Illinois: The Last Hambletonian
On August 30, 1980, the last Hambletonian in Du Quoin got underway amidst local sadness and headlines that harness racing’s top event had scored big money in its move to the […]
Caster Semenya and Sex Testing
As track and field portion of the Olympic Games gets up to steam, all eyes turn to Caster Semenya, the South African middle distance runner who took the silver in the 800 […]
Sex Testing Is Too Jive
Sex testing. It goes on in sports all the time. But it only makes headlines during the Olympics, when a giant for-profit sports behemoth famous […]
Afternoon of a Centaur
Evolving (?) from fresh-faced wunderkind and secret marketing savant to reviled steroid-using superjock damned for his cleats of clay, Alex Rodriguez was the marquee baseball player of his era, reflecting Major League Baseball’s […]
Throwbacklist Thursday: Seven Ring Circus
Whether you consider the Olympic Games a triumph of human endeavor and achievement, or an appalling cesspool of corruption and drug experimentation, it is that rare mega-event that always grabs the world’s attention. […]
Q&A with Game Faces author Sarah K. Fields
Sarah K. Fields is an associate professor in communication at the University of Colorado—Denver. She answered some questions about her book Game Faces: Sport Celebrity and the Laws of Reputation. Q: How […]