Overview

A sweeping look at black athletes through the lens of the black power protests at the Mexico City Olympics-now in paperback! Jesse Owens. Muhammad Ali. Michael Jordan. Tiger Woods. All are iconic black athletes, as are Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the African American track and field medalists who raised black-gloved fists on the victory dais at the Mexico City Olympics and brought the roiling American racial politics of the late 1960s to a worldwide television audience. But few of those viewers fully realized what had led to this demonstration-events that included the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., uprisings in American cities, student protests around the world, the rise of the Black Power movement, and decolonization and apartheid in Africa. In this far-reaching account, Amy Bass offers nothing less than a history of the black athlete. Beginning with the racial eugenics discussions of the early twentieth century and their continuing reverberations in popular perceptions of black physical abilities, Bass explores ongoing African American attempts to challenge these stereotypes. Although Tommie Smith and John Carlos were reviled by Olympic officials for their demonstration, Bass traces how their protest has come to be the defining image of the 1968 Games, with lingering effects in the sports world and on American popular culture generally.

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9780816639458

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Reviews

""Amy Bass's powerful and nuanced account of the Olympic Project for Human Rights gives us the story behind this picture-a story that will change our conception of the history of sport and racial politics."" -Robin D. G. Kelley ""Beautifully written, as well as appropriately complex and wide-ranging. As much as sports might appear to be a straight-ahead business, where the 'best' might be rightly rewarded, Bass deftly reveals the difficulties of maintaining a sense of self, collective consciousness, and political urgency."" -Philadelphia City Paper ""Amy Bass sorts through the events and perceptions linked to some of the biggest names and moments in sports history and assesses their meaning beyond the playing field."" -Bob Costas

"""Amy Bass's powerful and nuanced account of the Olympic Project for Human Rights gives us the story behind this picture-a story that will change our conception of the history of sport and racial politics."" -Robin D. G. Kelley ""Beautifully written, as well as appropriately complex and wide-ranging. As much as sports might appear to be a straight-ahead business, where the 'best' might be rightly rewarded, Bass deftly reveals the difficulties of maintaining a sense of self, collective consciousness, and political urgency."" -Philadelphia City Paper ""Amy Bass sorts through the events and perceptions linked to some of the biggest names and moments in sports history and assesses their meaning beyond the playing field."" -Bob Costas"

Amy Bass's powerful and nuanced account of the Olympic Project for Human Rights gives us the story behind this picture-a story that will change our conception of the history of sport and racial politics. -Robin D. G. Kelley Beautifully written, as well as appropriately complex and wide-ranging. As much as sports might appear to be a straight-ahead business, where the 'best' might be rightly rewarded, Bass deftly reveals the difficulties of maintaining a sense of self, collective consciousness, and political urgency. -Philadelphia City Paper Amy Bass sorts through the events and perceptions linked to some of the biggest names and moments in sports history and assesses their meaning beyond the playing field. -Bob Costas

Author Information

Amy Bass is professor of history at the College of New Rochelle and is a member of the NBC research team covering the Olympic Games including Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Salt Lake 2002, and Athens 2004.

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