From Jack Johnson to LeBron James

Chris Lamb is a professor of journalism at Indiana University–Purdue University at Indianapolis. He is the author of Conspiracy of Silence: Sportswriters and the Long Campaign to Desegregate Baseball (Nebraska, 2012) and Blackout: The Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Spring Training (Nebraska, 2004), among other books.

"Media coverage has expanded greatly since Jack Johnson put on boxing gloves to defend his heavyweight title, and a critical, sharp look at media coverage through the years is a necessary-and welcome-addition to sports literature."-Bob D’Angelo, Tampa Tribune “This is quality scholarship that will be of interest to specialists in history, American studies, African American studies, journalism, English, media studies, sociology, and sports studies, among others.”-Trey Strecker, editor of NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture and assistant professor in the Department of English at Ball State University

• List of TablesIntroductionChris Lamb1. Framing White Hopes: The Press, Social Drama, and the Era of Jack Johnson, 1908–1915Phillip J. Hutchison2. Jesse Owens, a Black Pearl amidst an Ocean of Fury: A Case Study of Press Coverage of the 1936 Berlin Olympic GamesPamela C. Laucella3. Multifarious Hero: Joe Louis, American Society, and Race Relations during World Crisis, 1935–1945Dominic J. Capeci Jr. and Martha Wilkerson4. Outside the Pale: The Exclusion of Blacks from the National Football League, 1934–1946Thomas G. Smith5. Democracy on the Field: The Black Press Takes On White BaseballChris Lamb and Glen L. Bleske6. A Nod from Destiny: How Sportswriters for White and African American Newspapers Covered Kenny Washington’s Entry into the National Football LeagueRonald Bishop7. Jackie Robinson and the American Mind: Journalistic Perceptions of the Reintegration of BaseballWilliam Simons8. “This Is It!” The Public Relations Campaign Waged by Wendell Smith and Jackie Robinson to Cast Robinson’s First Season as an Unqualified SuccessBrian Carroll9. Integrating New Year’s Day: The Racial Politics of College Bowl Games in the American SouthCharles H. Martin10. Main Bout, Inc., Black Economic Power, and Professional Boxing: The Canceled Muhammad Ali–Ernie Terrell FightMichael Ezra11. A “Race” for Equality: Print Media Coverage of the 1968 Olympic Protest by Tommie Smith and John CarlosJason Peterson12. Sports Illustrated’s African American Athlete Series as Socially Responsible JournalismReed Smith13. Rebellion in the Kingdom of Swat: Sportswriters, African American Athletes, and Coverage of Curt Flood’s Lawsuit against Major League BaseballWilliam Gillis14. Chasing Babe Ruth: An Analysis of Newspaper Coverage of Hank Aaron’s Pursuit of the Career Home Run RecordMaureen Smith15. Arthur Ashe: An Analysis of Newspaper Journalists’ Coverage of USA Today’s OutingPamela C. Laucella16. Michael Jordan’s Family Values: Marketing, Meaning, and Post-Reagan AmericaMary G. McDonald17. Rush Limbaugh, Donovan McNabb, and “a Little Social Concern”: Reflections on the Problems of Whiteness in Contemporary American SportDouglas Hartmann18. I’m the King of the World: Barry Bonds and the Race for the RecordLisa Doris Alexander19. Redemption on the Field: Framing, Narrative, and Race in Media Coverage of Michael VickBryan Carr20. Weighing In on the Coaching Decision: Discussing Sports and Race OnlineJimmy Sanderson21. The LeBron James Decision in the Age of ObamaJamal L. RatchfordSource AcknowledgmentsContributorsIndex