Publisher's Synopsis
African-American athletes have experienced a tumultuous relationship with mainstream white America. ""Glory Bound"" brings together 11 essays that explore this complex topic by sports studies scholar David K. Wiggins. In his writings, Wiggins recounts the struggle of black athletes to climb their ""own"" racial mountain - their struggle to fully participate in sport while maintaining their own cultural identity and pride. Wiggins examines other seminal moments that defined and changed the black athlete's role in white America, from the 19th century to the present: the personal crusade of Wendell Smith to promote black participation in organized baseball, the triumph of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics and the proposed boycott of the Games, and the response of America's black press and community. ""Glory Bound"" demonstrates how the civil rights movement changed the face of American athletics and society forever. With the genesis of the black power movement in sport, Wiggins notes a significant shift in black - and white - America's attention to the African-American athlete. In his final and newest essay, he examines the writings of Edwin B. Henderson, the ""father of black sport history"", who wrote the first books on African-American involvement in sport.
