Latino and African American Athletes Today: A Biographical Dictionary

(Hardback)

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Description

African Americans and Latino Americans have played an increasingly significant role in the ongoing saga of American sportsand not just in popular sports like basketball and baseball. This is the first comprehensive, multisport biographical resource to concentrate exclusively on the accomplishments, achievements, and personal struggles of notable African American and Latino American athletes of the last quarter century. A total of 175 important contemporary athletes113 African Americans and 62 Latino Americansare profiled. Most made significant contributions to their sport since 1990. Athletes include Roberto Alomar, Oscar De La Hoya, Forence Griffith Joyner, Evander Holyfield, Michael Johnson, Michael Jordan, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Ray Lewis, Sammy Sosa, Serena and Venus Williams, Tiger Woods, and many more. Eighteen sports, from baseball to bobsledding, are covered. The profiles of the men and women include personal background information and athletic career achievements through 2002. Each athletic career is traced, including entrance into sport, major accomplishments, records set, awards and honors, and overall impact. Quotations from the athletes enrich each profile. Bibliographies and photos complement the entries.

Reviews

[T]his admirable collection features medium-sized profiles of some of the most prominent current and recently retired sports figures....[L]atino and African American Athletes Today will make a welcome addition to school and local libraries, as well as the sports fan's bookshelf.-Multicultural Review
Recommended. High school, public, and undergraduate libraries.-Choice
The entries are written clearly and matter-of-factly. Most importantly, they cover less well known athletes who have made a significant (if not always lasting) contribution to the sport they excel in, and they include sports not often considered by sports reference sources (e.g., rodeo, speed skating, softball and racing)....Latino and African American Athletes Today is suitable for high-school libraries and larger public libraries.-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
The first multisport reference devoted exclusively to African American and Latino American athletes....its accesible language and sufficient amount of information is suitable for public libraries.-Library Journal
"This admirable collection features medium-sized profiles of some of the most prominent current and recently retired sports figures....Latino and African American Athletes Today will make a welcome addition to school and local libraries, as well as the sports fan's bookshelf."-Multicultural Review
"[T]his admirable collection features medium-sized profiles of some of the most prominent current and recently retired sports figures....[L]atino and African American Athletes Today will make a welcome addition to school and local libraries, as well as the sports fan's bookshelf."-Multicultural Review
"Recommended. High school, public, and undergraduate libraries."-Choice
"The first multisport reference devoted exclusively to African American and Latino American athletes....its accesible language and sufficient amount of information is suitable for public libraries."-Library Journal
"The entries are written clearly and matter-of-factly. Most importantly, they cover less well known athletes who have made a significant (if not always lasting) contribution to the sport they excel in, and they include sports not often considered by sports reference sources (e.g., rodeo, speed skating, softball and racing)....Latino and African American Athletes Today is suitable for high-school libraries and larger public libraries."-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

Author Bio

DAVID L. PORTER is Shangle Professor of History at William Penn University, Oskaloosa, Iowa.