More Than a Game: Race, Gender, and Politics in Sports

by Matt Doeden

Overview

Sports has never been only about what takes place on the playing field. Author and sports fan Matt Doeden explores past and current controversies including black boxer Jack Johnson's fight with the "Great White Hope" Tommy Burns, Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier, Muhammad Ali's refusal to fight in the Vietnam War, Colin Kaepernick's protests, #MeToo and the US gymnastics team, and much more. Doeden weaves in information about Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement, Black Lives Matter, and other essential background young readers will need. This book is sure to engage everyone interested in sports, history, and civil rights.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541572089
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/03/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	26 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	10 - 11 Years

About the Author

Matt Doeden began his career as a sports writer. Since then, he's spent more than a decade writing and editing children's nonfiction. Matt lives in Minnesota with his family.

Editorial Reviews

"A worthy purchase that will serve as a good first stop for school projects."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

2019-05-12
Sports, race, and gender have often clashed in American life and created greater impact than any individual game's outcome.

NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's decision to sit and then kneel during the national anthem in 2016 was certainly not the first time sports and race appeared to be on a collision course in America. This volume explores some of the chapters in this saga. African American heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson offended the racial sensibilities of the early 20th century simply by seeking a chance to become boxing's champion. The struggles to integrate baseball and the challenges faced by African American athletes as they traveled during the Jim Crow era are described. Protests about the use of a team name considered to be a racial slur and the triumph of a female fencer who wore a hijab during the 2016 Olympic Games demonstrate how often societal concerns bleed into athletic events. Gender issues and sexual orientation in sports are addressed in the explosive case of sexual abuse in gymnastics and when gay athletes come out. This slim volume skims the surface of these complex topics, and young readers will need additional information to gain deeper understanding, although the large number of photographs is worth noting.

Young readers will find intriguing—if only surface-skimming—historical context for today's controversial sports headlines. (source notes, glossary, select bibliography, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 10-18)

Kirkus Reviews