Tag: sports

A look at Native American mascots in sports

Schools and professional sports teams who adopt Native American names and mascots are often questioned about the ethics of those choices. This librarian went to the University of Illinois during the time in which the mascot, a live-actor/dancing Chief Illiniwek, was officially retired. Other instances range from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Washington Redskins, and that’s just professional football.

Today’s book, The Native American Mascot Controversy: A Handbook, covers the depth and scope of the often-controversial topic. If you’re interested in a look at the history of Native American imagery in sports and a look at their potential impact on race relations in the United States, this is a valuable collection of primary documents and essays.

The biggest impact on student sports?

Title IX insured that, regardless of gender, people would not be denied funding or opportunities in academia, including school sports teams. Some of its biggest successes and hurdles commonly recognized are focused on the sports aspect, and today’s book, Getting in the Game: Title IX and the Women’s Sports Revolution by Deborah L. Blake, takes a closer look at how much of an impact it’s had.  Going over the progress made since its creation in 1972 and the room it still has to grow, the author takes an even-handed approach into celebrating and criticizing what Title IX has accomplished.

Feel-Good Football: You Probably Need It

If you’re a Chiefs fan, which this demographic likely is, you probably need something good related to football. I’m a Bears fan, so I need it, too.

Michael Oher with his adopted parents

Which is why everyone should read The Blind Side (The Evolution of Game), the story of Michael Oher‘s tragic childhood, his adoption by a family in his teen years, and his eventual rise to play in the NFL. It’s a true story that, were it not so publicly documented, would be hard to imagine.

This is why you’ll love this book:

  • The book doesn’t have Sandra Bullock like the movie does
  • The author, Michael Lewis, wrote many other amazing books you’ll become a fan of
  • It is easily the most humbling story to come out of sports recently
  • There are zero mentions of Brodie Croyle

Stories that reflect compassion in sports are always touching, but this really is something even non-sports fans should check out.

Michael Phelps and His Book Won’t Help You Swim Fast

I used to give atheletes a lot of flack for seemingly always needing a co-writer for their memoirs.  But hey, if you’re that freakishly good at one thing, you’ve got a good shot at being not that great at a few things.  It might as well be a permission slip, being that freakishly good:  free pass on 2 social skills and 1 basic talent.  I’d say writing a book is probably a heavier weight than any of the given passes, so I’ll let it go.

So what do we know about Michael Phelps?  He swims fast.  He eats a lot of food.  His book, No Limits: The Will to Succeed, co-written with Alan Abrahamson, discusses how he’s set himself up with the desire to push himself that much harder, as well as the relentless training he puts himself through.  This book just made it to our McNaughton Collection, so it is advisable to check it out sooner than later.