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 […]
Category: sports history
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]