More Than a Game

June 1, 2019
Sports, race, and gender have often clashed in American life and created greater impact than any individual game's outcome. NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's decision to sit and then kneel during the national anthem in 2016 was certainly not the first time sports and race appeared to be on a collision course in America. This volume explores some of the chapters in this saga. African American heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson offended the racial sensibilities of the early 20th century simply by seeking a chance to become boxing's champion. The struggles to integrate baseball and the challenges faced by African American athletes as they traveled during the Jim Crow era are described. Protests about the use of a team name considered to be a racial slur and the triumph of a female fencer who wore a hijab during the 2016 Olympic Games demonstrate how often societal concerns bleed into athletic events. Gender issues and sexual orientation in sports are addressed in the explosive case of sexual abuse in gymnastics and when gay athletes come out. This slim volume skims the surface of these complex topics, and young readers will need additional information to gain deeper understanding, although the large number of photographs is worth noting. Young readers will find intriguing--if only surface-skimming--historical context for today's controversial sports headlines. (source notes, glossary, select bibliography, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 10-18)

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September 1, 2019

Gr 5 Up-Sports are often a reflection of the current social issues facing the U.S. on a daily basis: union laws, work conditions, discrimination, and many others. Doeden covers both contemporary and past inequalities with a sensitive tone; in fact, he acknowledges that he ran this text past a sensitivity reader for input. The chapters are arranged to cover three different delicate topics: sports and race, gender and equality in sports, and sports and war. In each chapter, a multitude of athletic activities are covered and presented in a linear fashion with plenty of wonderful glossy photos. The author focuses heavily on the African American experience in sports, both historic and contemporary, including the Black Lives Matter movement. However, the chapter for gender and sexuality is a bit lopsided; there is only one transgender woman mentioned, and the longest entry is on a male college football player who came out as gay. Overall, women are not as heavily present as their male counterparts, even in their own chapter. Doeden provides a great deal of back matter, including source notes, a glossary, a selected bibliography, further reading, and an index. VERDICT There is no way this book could make everyone happy as its topics are so contentious and so broad, but Doeden tries by presenting well-researched and thoughtful facts that serve as a starting point for readers. A worthy purchase that will serve as a good first stop for school projects.-Kerri Williams, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2019
Grades 5-8 In a departure from his more tightly focused sports books, such as The World Cup (2017), The NBA Playoffs (2019), and Coming Up Clutch (2019), Doeden looks at the intersection of sports, politics, and social change in America. The book opens with quarterback Colin Kaepernick taking a knee while the national anthem is sung. The first chapter details the history of racial issues involving athletes who mounted protests, suffered discrimination, or broke barriers in particular sports. Broader in focus, the second chapter includes a wide array of gender- and sexuality-related topics in sports, such as Title IX, the 1999 U.S. Women's soccer team winning the World Cup, the first openly gay NFL player, and the #MeToo movement. The final chapter considers "Patriotism and Protest." Exploring controversies past and present, the text is concise, evenhanded, and informative. Large, well-captioned photos, from archival black-and-white pictures to recent color shots, illustrate the book. Discussing social issues as they have played out in the field of sports, this engaging presentation places them within a broader historical context.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)