Wow! eBook
The Use of Sports to Promote the American Way of Life During the Cold War: Cultural Propaganda, 1945-1963 New ed. Edition
Author(s): Russ Crawford (Author), Benjamin G. Rader (Foreword)
- Publisher: Edwin Mellen Press Ltd
- Publication Date: 1 May 2008
- Edition: New ed.
- Language: English
- Print length: 332 pages
- ISBN-10: 0773450742
- ISBN-13: 9780773450745
Book Description
Organized sports are a mainstay of American society. Crawford (history, political science and criminal justice, Ohio Northern University) investigates how sport became integral to the fighting of the Cold War (1946-1963). His thesis is that sport became a metaphor for the American Way: teamwork, fair play and tough combativeness. This melding of sportsmanship and patriotism was fostered in our schools, in novels for young readers, and television. Crawford also argues that those who opposed the concept of the Cold War were not in favor of this sports culture. The results of this association of American values and sport led to the integration of Black players into previously all white teams but, paradoxically, also marginalized women into the passive roles of cheerleaders and supporters. Crawford ends with the ground-breaking TV series I Spy that encompassed all the elements as a program about a white tennis player and his black manager who were really spies for the US. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Dr. Russ Crawford is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of History, Political Science and Criminal Justice, at Ohio Northern University. He received his Ph.D in History from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
