USA v. All Y’All

USA v. All Y’All

Where did the Modern Olympic Games comes from? Why do athletes have to compete as representatives of nations? And what would happen if the United States hosted an Olympic Games and nobody showed up? [Spoiler alert: people died]

Bibliography:

Jules Boykoff, Power Games: A Political History of the Olympic Games (New York and London: Verso, 2016).

Mary Dyreson, Making the American Team: Sport, Culture, and the Olympic Experience (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1998).

David Goldblatt, The Games: A Global History of the Olympic Games (New York and London: W. W. Norton, 2016).

Davd E. Martin and Roger W. H. Gynn, The Olympic Marathon: The History and Drama of Sport’s Most Challenging Event (Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2000).

What is American Sport?

Americans love sports. We are fanatics who dress in team colors, root, root, root for the home team, and live and die with the success and failure of our favorite athlete. But if we take the time to look beneath the surface and beyond the simple factual question of who won and who lost, we are also presented with some of the most fascinating stories from our nation’s past.

In this new podcast series Professor Matt Andrews goes beyond telling entertaining tales of races won, touchdowns scored, players rounding the bases, and highlights the historical significance of sports in the United States. He explains to us why sports have mattered so much in this country and he reveals how sports have actually changed the course of American history.

Sports are a highlight reel of history. Join us as we explore the stories that are more than just exciting tales of athletic competitions. ​American Sport ​is about some of the most compelling moments and significant turning points in American history.

American Sport is created by Professor Matt Andrews and is an original podcast by Trailblazer Studios, Executive Produced by Katye Rone, and Co-produced by Aurelia Belfield and Casey Helmick.