Dwarf Wrestling – Final Project
Little People have been in places of spectacle and entertainment for most of written history. In America, the real boom of dwarf entertainment took place in the Vaudeville Era, with sideshows and oddity shows
The Lost History of App State Soccer
Jesse Wood discusses the lost history of Appalachian State’s soccer team – particularly their striking success in the 1970s and 1980s. App’s soccer program, like many other soccer programs at many other schools, is
Sports and Government
The two readings of this week are kind of two sides of one coin. While The World Watched covers the Argentine “Dirty War”, and the 1978 World Cup. Argentina at the time was undergoing
Fútbol, Jews, and the Making of Argentina review by Mackenzie Westmoreland
Fútbol, Jews, and the Making of Argentina by Raanan Rein, covers the importance and development of the Atlanta athletic club. Atlanta, and soccer as a sport, Rein argues, provided the Jewish community of Argentina
Charmion and Brazilian Woman’s Soccer – What Does it Mean to be a Woman?
This week’s common reading was Chapter Two of Futbolera, which, as implied by the title, is concerned with the development of, and restrictions on female athleticism in Brazil. The story of Brazilian female sports,
“The Tennessee Test of Manhood” Wrestling in the South (and Country Music)
While I was doing this reading, I found myself thinking about the phenomenon of post-9/11 country music. The chapter itself focuses on the role of the south, southern stereotypes/identity, and (inter)national politics on the
Initial Reaction: Futbol, Jews, and the Making of Argentina – Mackenzie Westmoreland
In Futbol, Jews, and the Making of Argentina the development of the Jewish communities of Argentina, and the impact of soccer as a socially/culturally uniting factor to include them into the larger culture of
Gender and Sports (Futbolera Ch.1)
This week’s readings: Futbolera by Brenda Elsey and Joshua Nadel, Chapter One; From Beauty to Duty: A Footballing History of Uruguay, 1878-1917 by Martin da Cruz, Introduction, Chapter One, Chapter Two Chapter 1 of
The Spread of Sports in Brazil
The quote, seen left, does illustrate ultimately the affect that American/English intervention (by way of Christian missionaries, and schools, like the Mackenzie School, and the spread of soccer and volleyball in particular) had in
Week Three – Messi and Pelé (and Garrincha); Soccer as an Escape
While this article and podcast episode were not created in tandem with one another, what stood out the most to me that tied them together was the notion of economic strife, soccer, and rising
