African American Icons of Sport: Triumph, Courage, and Excellence
(Hardback)
Publishing Details
African American Icons of Sport: Triumph, Courage, and Excellence
By (Author) Matthew Whitaker
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Greenwood Press
30th April 2008
United States
Classifications
General
Non Fiction
Ethnic studies
796.08996073
Physical Properties
Hardback
336
Description
This title offers an examination of African Americans in sports, from a variety of perspectives and through a lively range of rhetoric styles, and illuminates the history of highly successful and influential individuals, athletes and teams who have transcended mere celebrity to come to represent a given Zeitgeist to a sizable part of the world. It also explores the history and lives of complex, multi-layered personages and groups. Finally, it examines the extent to which modern mass media and popular culture have contributed greatly to the rise, and sometimes fall, of the these powerful symbols of athletic, individual, and group excellence.
Reviews
African American Icons of Sport covers a wide range of sports and includes Shaquille O'Neal, Wilma Rudolph, George Forman, Magic Johnson, the Williams sisters, and many more. Readers at the secondary level and up also learn about the Negro Baseball League, efforts to desegregate various sports, and other general topics in this encyclopedia volume. Articles authored by subject experts provide details about the lives and legacies of the most successful and influential Black athletes, teams, and coaches. * MultiCultural Review *
This text provides an overview of African American sport icons. The editor and authors have created a well-researched and well-written text that is likely to be a valuable and useful resource for individuals that are interested in this topic. This is a well-written and well-edited text that is likely to complement personal and professional libraries. * ARBAonline *
Author Bio
MATTHEW C. WHITAKER is Associate Professor of United States History, African and American Studies, and Justice and Social Inquiry at Arizona State University. His articles have appeared in many journals and encyclopedias, and his latest book is titled Race Work: The Rise of Civil Rights in the Urban West (University of Nebraska Press, 2005).
