Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn: Boxing’s Unforgettable Summer of 1941 by Ed Gruver

Reviewed by Josh Sopiarz, Governors State University Gruver, Ed. Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn: Boxing’s Unforgettable Summer of 1941. Lyons Press, 2022. Hardcover, $27.95. During the oft-quoted taxicab scene from Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront (1954), Rod Steiger’s character, Charley, asks his brother Terry, played by Marlon Brando, how much he weighs. Charley then says, “when you weighed …

SPORT AND SOCIETY FOR ARETE: April 28, 2022

Some of you may remember when the word “draft” referred to a movement of cold air through a warm room from an outside source. Others will remember the Draft as that device controlling compulsory military service. Some will think “Draft lottery” the device designed to make the military draft fair, although the young may think …

SPORT AND SOCIETY FOR ARETE: April 24, 2022

Two months into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, criticism of Russia continues to mount across the world. The world of sport also has been impacted by the invasion. Countries and sports organizations have raised objections to the invasion, and calls for a boycott of Russians and Belarusians in sport increase daily. Generally these are of …

Game Misconduct: Hockey’s Toxic Culture and how to Fix it by Evan Moore and Jashvina Shah

Reviewed by Lisa Timpf Game Misconduct: Hockey’s Toxic Culture and How to Fix It by Evan Moore and Jashvina Shah takes a broad-ranging look at the sport of hockey as it intersects with a number of parameters, including racism, sexism, and homophobia. Though the authors are critical of many aspects of hockey’s culture, the book is …

Black Celebrity: Contemporary Representations of Postbellum Athletes and Artists by Emily Ruth Rutter

Reviewed by Philip Wedge, University of Kansas Emily Ruth Rutter has written a fascinating monograph as part of the “Performing Celebrity” Series from University of Delaware Press, which is publishing works in “the emerging field of celebrity studies” (Rutter ii). Black Celebrity examines six contemporary creative works of poetry and fiction, three of which focus on post-bellum …

SPORT AND SOCIETY FOR ARETE: March 15, 2022

Just in case you missed the big news, March Madness is upon us. This year, for the first time, there are two versions of March Madness: one for the Men’s Tournament and one for the Women’s Tournament. Previously, March Madness referred only to the men. This change is the result of the NCAA being shamed …

SPORT AND SOCIETY FOR ARETE: February 28, 2022

As is generally the case, the Super Bowl served as a distraction from more serious issues and problems in the NFL. One exception was the issue of Race, particularly the hiring of African-American coaches in the League. The firing of Brian Flores as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins and the subsequent filing of …

SPORT AND SOCIETY FOR ARETE: February 21, 2022

When it comes to the Olympics, it is the Winter Games that hold most of my interest, and among the various sports, it is figure skating, ski jumping, and hockey that are must viewing for me. The fact that I grew up in Minnesota may account for this. During the current Winter Games, with its …

Jump Shooting to a Higher Degree: My Basketball Odyssey by Sheldon Anderson

Reviewed by Tom Fabian, Postdoctoral Fellow | Sport Studies University of Ottawa | School of Human Kinetics Sheldon Anderson writes like he plays basketball:  Disciplined, a little rough at times (or “on the nose,” as they say), but, generally, the “right way.”  Without having to explicitly state it, Anderson is a fundamentalist.  This is quite evident in his …

SPORT AND SOCIETY FOR ARETE: February 14, 2022

Each new Super Bowl becomes an occasion to confirm the insight of the great American economist from the turn to the 20th century, Thorstein Veblen. It was Veblen who created a vocabulary that enables us to talk with clarity about the Super Bowl in measured and stunningly rich terms: Conspicuous Consumption, Conspicuous Leisure, and my personal …