Powerful moments in sports : the most significant sporting events in American history / Martin Gitlin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gitlin, Marty, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sports--United States--History.

Sports.

United States.

History.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

ix, 293 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield, [2017]

Summary:

Jesse Owens wins four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics. Billie Jean King takes on Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes. Title IX is passed. Some moments in sports--whether they take place on a track, on a tennis court, or in a courtroom--transcend the event itself. Some have helped America live out its creed that all men are created equal. Others have pushed the nation toward gender equality. Others have changed individual sports to such a degree that they have transformed society. Powerful Moments in Sports: The Most Significant Sporting Events in American History encompasses more than a single player, team, or game. This book looks at how a particular event revolutionized a sport, how a contest of speed inspired a nation, or even how a humble victory affected the world. Martin Gitlin considers such impactful moments as Jackie Robinson's integration of Major League Baseball, Gertrude Ederle becoming the first female to swim the English Channel--and shattering the times of five men who had accomplished the feat before her--and the underdog US hockey team defeating the Soviets at the 1980 Olympics. The twenty events featured in this book had profound social, political, and cultural importance and inspired athletes and spectators alike. Spanning multiple decades, Powerful Moments in Sports reveals the tremendous impact athletes have had on America--and the world--over the years. Covering football, baseball, hockey, basketball, track and field, boxing, and more, this book will fascinate and enlighten sports fans, historians, and those interested in the impact of athletic endeavors on culture and society.

Contents:

White Sox give baseball a black eye

Curse of the Bambino

Gertrude Ederle owns the Channel

Jesse destroys field, Nazi racial theories

Louis vs. Schmeling: foes and friends

Jackie Robinson breaks through

The shot heard 'round the world

Here comes the NFL: the 1958 Championship

Muhammad Ali flattens Shady Sonny

The silent, poignant protest of 1968

The guarantee of Super Bowl III

Ping-pong diplomacy

Fight for fairness: Title IX

Superhorse

The battle of the sexes

715

Death of the Reserve Clause

Magic vs. Bird puts the madness in March

"Do you believe in miracles?"

The rise and fall of Tiger Woods.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-285) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Gitlin, Marty, author. Powerful moments in sports.

ISBN:

9781442264953

1442264950

OCLC:

957134034