New Books Network
Sports
Sports November 27, 2020

Our Last Season

A Writer, a Fan, a Friendship

Harvey Araton

Hosted by Paul Knepper
Harvey Araton’s new book Our Last Season: A Writer, a Fan, a Friendship (Penguin, 2020), reads like a mix between Tuesdays with Morrie and a sequel to his book When …

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Sports November 25, 2020

ABC Sports

The Rise and Fall of Network Sports Television

Travis Vogan

Hosted by Keith Rathbone
Today we are joined by Travis Vogan, Associate Professor of Journalism and American Studies at the University of Iowa, and the author of ABC Sports: The Rise and Fall of …
Biography November 16, 2020

Isabel “Lefty” Alvarez

The Improbable Life of a Cuban American Baseball Star

Kat D. Williams

Hosted by Mark Klobas
For many of its participants, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) offered them an opportunity to change their lives, yet few were as transformed as that of Isabel “Lefty” …
Anthropology November 6, 2020

The Sport Marriage

Women Who Make It Work

Steven M. Ortiz

Hosted by Michael Johnston
Steven M. Ortiz’ new book The Sport Marriage: Women Who Make It Work (University of Illinois Press, 2020) offers an in-depth analysis of and perceive insight into what is means …
History November 6, 2020

Cocaine and Surfing

A Sordid History of Surfing's Greatest Love Affair

Chas Smith

Hosted by Michael Vann
Surfers are the ultimate bad boys, living the counter-culture life of decadence and hedonism as they travel the world in search of the perfect wave, partying hard along the way …
European Studies November 2, 2020

Des Réseaux et des Hommes

Participation et Contribution de la Suisse à l’Internationalisation du Sport (1912-1972)

Grégory Quin

Hosted by Keith Rathbone
Today we are joined by Grégory Quin, maître d’enseignement et de recherche à l’Institut des sciences du sport de l’Université de Lausanne, and he is the author and editor of …
American Studies October 28, 2020

Wheels of Courage

How Paralyzed Veterans from World War II Invented Wheelchair Sports, Fought for Disability Rights, and Inspired a Nation

David Davis

Hosted by Paul Knepper
Out of the carnage of World War II comes an unforgettable tale about defying the odds and finding hope in the most harrowing of circumstances. Wheels of Courage: How Paralyzed …
American Studies October 27, 2020

Asian American Basketball

A Century of Sport, Community and Culture

Joel S. Franks

Hosted by Jorge Iber
When Jeremy Lin shot (pardon the pun) to stardom with his unexpected scoring run with the New York Knickerbockers in 2012 many aficionados of basketball were surprised that an Asian …
Popular Culture October 16, 2020

The Ideal of Global Sport

From Peace to Human Rights

Barbara Keys

Hosted by Keith Rathbone
Today we are joined by Barbara Keys, Professor of US and International History at Durham University, and author and editor of The Ideal of Global Sport: From Peace to Human …
Literature October 5, 2020

The Red Shirt

Corey Sobel

Hosted by G. P. Gottlieb
At first, Miles Furling plays football to fit in. By eighth grade he realizes that he is both gay and a football player. After an unsuccessful attempt at honesty, he …
American Studies October 2, 2020

The Hall Ball

One Fan’s Journey to Unite Cooperstown Immortals with a Single Baseball

Ralph Carhart

Hosted by Paul Knepper
Rescued in 2010 from the small creek that runs next to Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, New York, a simple baseball launched an epic quest that spanned the United States and …
Sports September 28, 2020

The Baltimore Stallions

The Brief, Brilliant History of the CFL Champion Franchise

Ron Snyder

Hosted by Jorge Iber
A few years ago, I came across an article entitled “‘Who Do I Root for Now?’: The Impact of Franchise Relocation on the Loyal Fans Left Behind: A Case Study …
East Asian Studies September 23, 2020

Champions Day

The End of Old Shanghai

James Carter

Hosted by Ed Pulford
Shanghai’s status as a bustling, international place both now and in the past hardly needs much introduction, although the centrality of horse racing to the earlier incarnation of the city’s …
American Studies September 16, 2020

Latinos in American Football

Pathbreakers on the Gridiron, 1927 to the Present

J. Iber and M. Longoria

Hosted by Keith Rathbone
Today we are joined by Jorge Iber, Professor of History and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Science at Texas Tech, and Mario Longoria, a long-time author and …
American Studies August 26, 2020

Bobby Maduro and the Cuban Sugar Kings

Lou Hernandez

Hosted by Jorge Iber
There are two key elements of today’s professional baseball that are informed by Lou Hernandez’s wonderful book Bobby Maduro and the Cuban Sugar Kings (McFarland, 2019): the increased presence of …
British Studies August 12, 2020

Little Wonder

The Fabulous Story of Lottie Dod, the World’s First Female Sports Superstar

Sasha Abramsky

Hosted by Bob D'Angelo
Today we are joined by Sasha Abramsky, author of Little Wonder: The Fabulous Story of Lottie Dod, the World’s First Female Sports Superstar (Akashic Books, 2020). Lottie Dod is not …
Latino Studies August 7, 2020

Deportes

The Making of a Sporting Mexican Diaspora

José Alamillo

Hosted by Tiffany Jasmin González
In Deportes: The Making of a Sporting Mexican Diaspora (Rutgers University Press, 2020), Professor José Alamillo, a specialist in Chicana/o Studies, Labor, and Sports history, examines the powerful way Mexican …
Sports August 6, 2020

Trust the Grind

How World-Class Athletes Got to the Top

Jeremy Bhandari

Hosted by Paul Knepper
Sixteen athletes from eleven sports arenas. Each chapter tells a different story, as each superstar shares the habit that helped them accomplish their goals and reach the pinnacle of their …
Israel Studies July 29, 2020

Sport, Politics, and Society in the Middle East

Danyel Reiche and Tamir Sorek

Hosted by James M. Dorsey
Sports scholars Danyel Reiche and Tamir Sorek’s edited volume, Sport, Politics, and Society in the Middle East (Oxford University Press, 2019), makes a significant contribution to what remains a largely …
Native American Studies July 28, 2020

Native Hoops

The Rise of American Indian Basketball, 1895-1970

Wade Davies

Hosted by Jorge Iber
The game of basketball is perceived by most today as an “urban” game with a locale such as Rucker Park in Harlem as the game’s epicenter (as well as a …