Few areas of study offer more insight into American culture than competitive sports. The games played throughout this nation's history dramatically illuminate social, economic, and cultural developments, from the balance of power in world affairs to changing conceptions of race, gender, and sexuality. Teaching U.S. History through Sports provides strategies for incorporating sports into any U.S. history curriculum. Drawing upon their own classroom experiences, the authors suggest creative ways to use sports as a lens to examine a broad range of historical subjects, including Puritan culture, the rise of Jim Crow, the Cold War, the civil rights movement, and the women's movement. Essays focus on the experiences of African American women, working-class southerners, Latinos, and members of LGBTQ communities, as well as topics including the controversy over Native American mascots and the globalization of U.S. sports.
Brad Austin is a professor of history and a secondary education coordinator at Salem State University. He has run dozens of professional development seminars and institutes for K-12 teachers and is the author of Democratic Sports: Men's and Women's College Sports during the Depression. Pamela Grundy is an independent scholar and the author of several books on sports history, including Learning to Win: Sports, Education and Social Change in Twentieth-Century North Carolina.
List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: Using Sports History to Teach American History Brad Austin and Pamela Grundy Part One: Modernization and Globalization Organized, Team, Sport: Teaching a Powerful American Idea Marc Horger Teaching Sports Scandals Chris Elzey "Ambassadors in Short Pants": Sport and the Cold Warriors Rita Liberti The Shifting Geography of Professional Sports Brad Austin The Globalization of American Sport Lars Dzikus and Adam Love Part Two: Gender and Sexuality Issues of Sexuality in Sport Sarah K. Fields The Shaping of "Women's Sport" Pamela Grundy Teaching Sports and Women's History through "The Babe" Susan E. Cayleff Black Women Face Obstacles and Opportunities Pamela Grundy and Rita Liberti Title IX: Contested Terrain Bobbi A. Knapp Part Three: Race and Ethnicity Jim Crow at Play Pamela Grundy Race and Rebellion in the Progressive Era Matthew Andrews Teaching Black College Athletics: Challenges and Opportunities Derrick E. White Sports, Civil Rights, and Black Power Lauren Morimoto Diverse Experiences of Latino/a Athletes and Their Role in U.S. Sport History Jorge Iber What's in a Name? Teaching the History of American Indian Mascots Andrew Frank Part Four: Case Studies Colonial Sporting Cultures Brad Austin Baseball and American Exceptionalism Leslie Heaphy NASCAR 101: Moonshine, Fast Cars, and Southern Working-Class Agency Daniel Pierce The Political Olympics Derek Charles Catsam Lights, Camera, Action: Teaching American Sport through Film Ron Briley Resources and Suggestions Brad Austin and Pamela Grundy Contributors Index
"A highly readable and effective introduction to the use of sports history as a means of engaging and motivating students. This collection of original essays provides the classroom teacher with a wide range of examples of how to connect with today's students. For teachers seeking to infuse their classroom with meaningful and significant material, this book is just the ticket."--Richard Davies, University of Nevada-Reno "This volume, stuffed with insightful scholarship and thoughtful suggestions for teaching, will be invaluable for anyone interested in bringing sports into the classroom. I'll certainly be using it!"--Katherine Mooney, Florida State University "If Teaching U.S. History through Sports were a team, it would be the best in its league. . . . A must-have for teachers who want to incorporate sports into their curriculum, whether for a complete course or simply for the occasional unit. Anyone who teaches courses on women, gender, or race, ethnicity, and indigeneity will find merit here."--The History Teacher
