World Heavyweight Champions 1865-1965

World Heavyweight Champions 1865-1965
Author:
Publisher: John Keeman
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2018-03-08
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN:

Traces the history of heavyweight champions from 1865 to 1965 set in the context of great inventions, social upheavals and historical events.

Portraits of African American Life Since 1865

Portraits of African American Life Since 1865
Author: Nina Mjagkij
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2003
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780842029674

Compelling and informative, the 14 diverse biographies of this book give a heightened understanding of the evolution of what it meant to be black and American through more than three centuries of U.S. history.

Jess Willard

Jess Willard
Author: Arly Allen
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2017-01-02
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1476664447

Jess Willard, the "Pottawatomie Giant," won the heavyweight title in 1915 with his defeat of Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion. At 6 feet, 6 inches and 240 pounds, Willard was considered unbeatable in his day. He nonetheless lost to Jack Dempsey in 1919 in one of the most brutally one-sided contests in fistic history. Willard later made an initially successful comeback but was defeated by Luis Firpo in 1923 and retired from the ring. He died in 1968, largely forgotten by the boxing public. Featuring photographs from the Willard family archives, this first full-length biography provides a detailed portrait of one of America's boxing greats.

American Sport in International History

American Sport in International History
Author: Daniel M. DuBois
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2022-12-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1350134732

This book explores how American sports, especially basketball, baseball and American football, have projected the US into the world, and brought the world into America. Taking a chronological approach it traces the development of American sports from the turn of the 20th century, highlighting how international forces such as immigration, geopolitics and war have influenced the trajectory of sport in the US, and thus the American experience. DuBois also considers the globalization of American sport and how this soft power shaped international relations throughout the American century. Addressing key questions about the role of sport in the rise of the United States, it frames themes that have come to define sports history; gender, race, economics and politics. It argues that while sport has not necessarily been a catalyst for change, it has often mirrored social issues, and sometimes served as an important tool of progress. Synthesizing major works alongside primary sources, the chapters study boxing, hockey, track and field and soccer alongside the 'big three' (basketball, baseball and American football) through a number of case studies to offer a novel interpretation of American sport history. Spanning early Native American sport, the export of baseball in the American empire, the role of basketball in the Cold War, the influence of immigrants and women in sports, and modern day sport culture, American Sport in International History asks what the role of sport has been and will be in a shifting international environment.

Combat Sports

Combat Sports
Author: David L. Hudson Jr.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2009-05-13
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0313343845

Fistic combat represents the greatest human drama in all of sport. Roman gladiators thrilled citizens and emperors alike when they entered the octagon to face an intense, life-threatening experience. Boxing, the sport of kings, also has its roots in the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome. Banned in 500 A.D. by the Emperor Theodoric, it resurfaced twelve centuries later in England. John Milton praised it as a noble art for building character in young men, and sports writer A.J. Leibling dubbed it the Sweet Science. Many of its major protagonists - men such as Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali - have become transcendent, near-mythic heroes. But boxing is not the only combat sport, and mixed martial arts, in all their ferocious beauty, represent the fastest growing sports genre in the world. Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) has joined boxing in paying seven figures to some of its champions, and draws millions in its pay-per-view events. This book details leading figures in boxing, sumo wrestling, kickboxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, and mixed martial arts (including organizations such as Ultimate Fighting, PRIDE, K-1, Total Combat, and SportFighting). Over 150 entries cover champions, contenders, and other famous combatants from all over the world, as well as legendary promoters, managers, trainers, and events. Also included in this encyclopedia are sidebars on controversies, highlights, brief bios, and other noteworthy events, along with a general timeline. .

Historical Dictionary of Wrestling

Historical Dictionary of Wrestling
Author: John Grasso
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
Total Pages: 445
Release: 2014-03-06
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0810879263

Wrestling as a legitimate contest is one of the oldest, if not the oldest form of sport. There are cave drawings depicting memorable matches in France, which are over 15,000 years old. Egyptian and Babylonian reliefs depict wrestling bouts where wrestlers are using most of the holds known to the modern-day sport. Wrestling was also a big part of ancient Greek literature and legend and historical records of sport indicate that wrestling under various sets of rules was contested at the Ancient Olympic Games in Greece. Today’s modern wrestling is a form of "sports entertainment" in which highly skilled athletes enact wrestling matches in such a way so that their opponents do not get hurt and the matches' endings are scripted (although the audience is not aware of the script). This Historical Dictionary of Wrestling covers the history of Wrestling through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 600 cross-referenced entries on important amateur and professional wrestling, wrestling personalities, announcers, managers and promoters from all eras, and wrestling organizations. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the sport of Wrestling.

Capital Cities around the World

Capital Cities around the World
Author: Roman Adrian Cybriwsky
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2013-05-23
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1610692489

This informative resource is a fascinating compilation of the history, politics, and culture of every capital city from around the world, making this the only singular reference on the subject of its kind. Every country, even the world's youngest nations, has a capital city—a centralized location which houses the seat of government and acts as the hub of culture and history. But, what role do capital cities play in the global arena? Which factors have influenced the selection of a municipal center for each nation? This interesting encyclopedia explores the topic in great depth, providing an overview of each country's capital—its history and early inhabitants, ascension to prominence, infrastructure within the government, and influence on the world around them. The author considers the culture and society of the area, discussing the ethnic and religious groups among those who live there, the major issues the residents face, and other interesting cultural facts. Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture features the capital cities of 200 countries across the globe. Organized in alphabetical order by country, each profile combines social studies, geography, anthropology, world history, and political science to offer a fascinating survey of each location.

This Day in Sports

This Day in Sports
Author: Ernie Gross
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2017-07-06
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0786450320

Sports events represent, for many, landmarks for memories, contexts that securely fix moments in past time. And in America, perhaps more than in any other country, they are part of what connects the individual to the multitude. When we add them to our remembrances, they subtly suggest that, like sporting contests, our personal tales are fit for public consumption. How easy and natural it is to add a little referential sidebar to the stories we tell: "I started work in January, I remember because the Bills had just lost the Super Bowl--the fourth one." On a broader scale, sports have left their imprint on the stony history of the nation. Beginning slowly with a game of bowls (1611), something like miniature golf in New England (1652), horse racing on Long Island, and billiards in Charlestown (1722), the sporting life then gained momentum--and a firmer grip on the national conscience--with the early play of baseball, basketball, and football, games that would come to dominate the sports scene in 20th century America. Organized by day of the year, this volume provides the browser, the trivia buff and the sports historian a record of thousands of frames, matches, series, and championships. Whether it's the day a bases-loaded walk gave the National League its 16th All-Star victory in 17 seasons (July 17, 1979) or the day Harvard defeated Yale and Brown in the first-ever intercollegiate regatta (July 26, 1859), there's something new buried within the tome's 365 layers for even the most knowledgeable fans.