Overview

Washington, DC, is best known for its politics and monuments, butsport has always been an integral part of the city, and Washingtonians are among the country’s most avid sports fans. DC Sports gathers seventeen essays examining the history of sport in the nation’s capital, from turn-of-the-century venues such as the White Lot, Griffith Stadium, and DC Memorial Stadium to Howard-Lincoln Thanksgiving Day football games of the roaring twenties; from the surprising season of the 1969 Washington Senators to the success of Georgetown basketball during the 1980s. This collection covers the field, including public recreation, high-school athletics, intercollegiate athletics, professional sports, sports journalism, and sports promotion. A southern city at heart, Washington drew a strong color line in every facet of people’s lives. Race informed how sport was played, written about, and watched in the city. In 1962, the Redskins became the final National Football League team to integrate. That same year, a race riot marred the city’s high-school championship game in football. A generation later, race as an issue resurfaced after Georgetown’s African American head coach John Thompson Jr. led the Hoyas to national prominence in basketball. DC Sports takes a hard look at how sports in one city has shaped culture and history, and how culture and history inform sports. This informative and engaging collection will appeal to fans and students of sports and those interested in the rich history of the nation’s capital.

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9781557286772

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Reviews

Scholars Chris Elzey and David K. Wiggins demonstrate a fine eye for stories as well as an instinct for what is important. The book has something for everyone. Randy Roberts, author of A Team for America and Rising Tide

DC Sports would be a useful addition to undergraduate courses in sports history, sociology, and African American studies. --Journal of Sport History, Summer 2016 The District of Columbia's rich history of sport and its cultural impact on community is explored in this compelling assortment .... A great read and should be on every sports fan's bookshelf. --Washington History Scholars Chris Elzey and David K. Wiggins demonstrate a fine eye for stories as well as an instinct for what is important. The book has something for everyone. --Randy Roberts, author of A Team for America and Rising Tide

DC Sports would be a useful addition to undergraduate courses in sports history, sociology, and African American studies. --Journal of Sport History, Summer 2016 Scholars Chris Elzey and David K. Wiggins demonstrate a fine eye for stories as well as an instinct for what is important. The book has something for everyone. --Randy Roberts, author of A Team for America and Rising Tide The District of Columbia's rich history of sport and its cultural impact on community is explored in this compelling assortment .... A great read and should be on every sports fan's bookshelf. --Washington History

Author Information

Chris Elzey teaches in the History and Art History Department at GeorgeMason University. He oversees the sport and American culture minor andis codirector of the Center for the Study of Sport and Leisure in Society. David K. Wiggins is a professor and codirector of the Center for theStudy of Sport and Leisure in Society at George Mason University. He is thecoeditor of Beyond C. L. R. James: Shifting Boundaries of Race and Ethnicityin Sports and editor of Rivals: Legendary Matchups That Made Sports Historyand Out of the Shadows: A Biographical History of African American Athletes.

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