Kirjahaku

This stimulating anthology provides a scholarly perspective on the history of sport. New and exciting dimensions of sport history are introduced by exploring its political, economic, social, and cultural aspects. Race relations and racism in sport, the interaction of sports and politics, sexism and the role of women in sports, and the role that the profit motive plays in sports are among the topics covered. The impact of American attitudes toward violence as they apply to sport, and sport's powerful role in reinforcing class values are also reviewed from a historical perspective.

'If You Were Only White' explores the legacy of one of the most exceptional athletes ever - an entertainer extraordinaire, a daring showman and crowd-pleaser, a wizard with a baseball whose artistry and antics on the mound brought fans out in the thousands to ballparks across the country. Leroy 'Satchel' Paige was arguably one of the world's greatest pitchers and a premier star of Negro Leagues Baseball. But in this biography Donald Spivey reveals Paige to have been much more than just a blazing fastball pitcher. Spivey follows Paige from his birth in Alabama in 1906 to his death in Kansas City in 1982, detailing the challenges Paige faced battling the color line in America and recounting his tests and triumphs in baseball. He also opens up Paige's private life during and after his playing days, introducing readers to the man who extended his social, cultural, and political reach beyond the limitations associated with his humble background and upbringing. This other Paige was a gifted public speaker, a talented musician and singer, an excellent cook, and a passionate outdoorsman, among other things. Paige's life intertwined with many of the most important issues of the times in U.S. and AfricanAmerican history, including the continuation of the New Negro Movement and the struggle for civil rights. Spivey incorporates interviews with former teammates conducted over twelve years, as well as exclusive interviews with Paige's son Robert, daughter Pamela, Ted 'Double Duty' Radcliffe, and John 'Buck' O'Neil to tell the story of a pioneer who helped transform America through the nation's favorite pastime. Maintaining an image somewhere between Joe Louis's public humility and the flamboyant aggression of Jack Johnson, Paige pushed the boundaries of segregation and bridged the racial divide with stellar pitching packaged with slapstick humor. He entertained as he played to win and saw no contradiction in doing so. Game after game, his performance refuted the lie that black baseball was inferior to white baseball. His was a contribution to civil rights of a different kind - his speeches and demonstrations expressed through his performance on the mound.

“If You Were Only White” explores the legacy of one of the most exceptional athletes ever—an entertainer extraordinaire, a daring showman and crowd-pleaser, a wizard with a baseball whose artistry and antics on the mound brought fans out in the thousands to ballparks across the country. Leroy “Satchel” Paige was arguably one of the world’s greatest pitchers and a premier star of Negro Leagues Baseball. But in this biography Donald Spivey reveals Paige to have been much more than just a blazing fastball pitcher.Spivey follows Paige from his birth in Alabama in 1906 to his death in Kansas City in 1982, detailing the challenges Paige faced battling the colour line in America and recounting his tests and triumphs in baseball. He also opens up Paige’s private life during and after his playing days, introducing readers to the man who extended his social, cultural, and political reach beyond the limitations associated with his humble background and upbringing. This other Paige was a gifted public speaker, a talented musician and singer, an excellent cook, and a passionate outdoorsman, among other things.Paige’s life intertwined with many of the most important issues of the times in U.S. and African American history, including the continuation of the New Negro Movement and the struggle for civil rights. Spivey incorporates interviews with former teammates conducted over twelve years, as well as exclusive interviews with Paige’s son Robert, daughter Pamela, Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe, and John “Buck” O’Neil to tell the story of a pioneer who helped transform America through the nation’s favourite pastime. Maintaining an image somewhere between Joe Louis’s public humility and the flamboyant aggression of Jack Johnson, Paige pushed the boundaries of segregation and bridged the racial divide with stellar pitching packaged with slapstick humour. He entertained as he played to win and saw no contradiction in doing so. Game after game, his performance refuted the lie that black baseball was inferior to white baseball. His was a contribution to civil rights of a different kind—his speeches and demonstrations expressed through his performance on the mound.

The journey of mind-boggling discovery begins innocently when Ron and Diana decide to submit to a DNA test to learn more about their ancestry. Diana gets her test results back in a few weeks. Ron, on the other hand, only gets a notice that the company is still working on his results. Months later Ron's test results have yet to arrive. In the interim, he notices strange things happening to him. He believes that he is under surveillance whether going to the local grocery store, having coffee at Starbucks, or a hamburger at Five Guys. Who is following him and for what he has no idea. His belief that he is being tailed grows into a paranoia that carries over into disruptions of his workplace as a beloved college professor, unnerving students and colleagues alike. Battling dreams and reality, the paranoia increases to the point that he seeks the professional help of a renown psychiatrist, only to be betrayed. Determined to get to the bottom of all of this and to confirm his true identity, Ron undertakes a suspenseful journey that leads back to his hometown of Chicago in a search for answers in his old neighborhood, which he finds gentrified beyond recognition. Seeking out old friends and acquaintances, visiting his old high school and college, and wrestling with the challenges of the police, FBI, the judicial system, and the medical and scientific establishments, he finally unearths the complex truth of his identity, a revelation with life and death consequences. Donald Spivey has authored and edited non-fiction books. "Ancestry" is his first novel.