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Gerald Gems

Born: 1947 in Chicago, Illinois
Pen Name: None

Connection to Illinois: Gerald Gems lives in Oswego and is a professor at North Central College in Naperville.

Biography: Gerald R. Gems, is Professor of Health and Physical Education, North Central College, Naperville, Illinois, USA. He is past president of the North American Society for Sport History, member of the board of the International Society for the History of Physical Education and Sport, book review editor of the Journal of Sport History and author more than 100 articles.


Awards:
  • -- (Finalist) Book of the year award, North American Society for Sport History, 2001 , '' For Pride, Profit, and Patriarchy

Primary Literary Genre(s): Non-Fiction

Primary Audience(s): Adult readers

Email: grgems@noctrl.edu
Gerald Gems on WorldCat : http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=gerald+gems


Selected Titles

  Athletic crusade :
ISBN: 0803245335 OCLC: 795010144

Univ Of Nebraska Press, [Place of publication not identified] : 2012.

The Athletic Crusade is the first book to systematically analyze the role of sports in the expansion of U.S. empire from the 1890s through World War II. Gerald R. Gems details how white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant males set the standard for inclusion within American society, transferred that standard to foreign territories, and subtly used American sports to instill allegedly desirable racial, moral, and commercial virtues in colonial subjects. In the realm of such expansion, sports provided a less harsh, less militaristic means of instilling belief in a dominant system's values and principles than more overt methods such as war. The process of change, however, had unexpected consequences as subordinate groups adapted or even rejected American overtures. Sport became a means for nonwhites to challenge whiteness, Social Darwinism, and cultural hegemony by establishing their own physical prowess, claiming a measure of esteem, and creating a greater sense of national identity. Gems shows the direct influence of sports in Hawaii, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic and explores their comparatively minimal influence in countries such as China and Japan. Amid increasing globalization, The Athletic Crusade offers a welcome perspective on how the United States has attempted to spread its influence in the past and the implications for the future of indigenous and other societies.

For pride, profit, and patriarchy :
ISBN: 0810836858 OCLC: 43481774

Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Md. : 2000.

"This reading of America's game examines the sport's obscure European origins and traces its evolution from a game of privilege into a national institution. It details how prevailing cultural and gender-based imperatives have shaped the game's rules, strategies, and lexicon - and how the game has, in turn, informed the issues of American militarism, feminism, and regionalism. Exploding football's egalitarian stance on race and ethnicity, For Pride, Profit, and Patriarchy also considers how football's obsession with domination and victory reinforces these same values in American culture."--Jacket.

Sports in American history :
ISBN: 9781492526520 OCLC: 958422126

Sports in American history :
ISBN: 0736056211 OCLC: 224444122

Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL : ©2008.

Sports in American History: From Colonization to Globalization journeys from the early American past to the present to offer a compelling account of the historical evolution of American sporting practices. This text provides insights that allow readers to develop new and alternative perspectives, examine sport as a social and cultural phenomenon, generate a better understanding of current sport practices, and consider future developments in sport in American life.--[book cover].

The athletic crusade :
ISBN: 0803222165 OCLC: 65195513

University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Neb. : 2006.

The Athletic Crusade is the first book to systematically analyze the role of sports in the expansion of U.S. empire from the 1890s through World War II. Gerald R. Gems details how white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant males set the standard for inclusion within American society, transferred that standard to foreign territories, and subtly used American sports to instill allegedly desirable racial, moral, and commercial virtues in colonial subjects. In the realm of such expansion, sports provided a less harsh, less militaristic means of instilling belief in a dominant system's values and principles than more overt methods such as war. The process of change, however, had unexpected consequences as subordinate groups adapted or even rejected American overtures. Sport became a means for nonwhites to challenge whiteness, Social Darwinism, and cultural hegemony by establishing their own physical prowess, claiming a measure of esteem, and creating a greater sense of national identity. Gems shows the direct influence of sports in Hawaii, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic and explores their comparatively minimal influence in countries such as China and Japan. Amid increasing globalization, The Athletic Crusade offers a welcome perspective on how the United States has attempted to spread its influence in the past and the implications for the future of indigenous and other societies.

  The Chicago sports reader :
ISBN: 9780252032813 OCLC: 244741480

University of Illinois Press, Urbana : ©2009.

Understanding American sports /
ISBN: 0415443644 OCLC: 273819204

Routledge, London ; 2009.

"Since the nineteenth century the USA has served as an international model for business, lifestyle and sporting success. Yet whilst the language of sport seems to be universal, American sports culture remains highly distinctive. Why is this so? How should we understand American sport? What can we learn about America by analyzing its sports culture? Understanding American Sports offers discussion and critical analysis of the everyday sporting and leisure activities of 'ordinary' Americans as well as the 'big three' (football, baseball, basketball), and elite sports heroes. Throughout the book, the development of American sport is linked to political, social, gender and economic issues, as well as the orientations and cultures of the multilayered American society with its manifold regional, ethnic, social, and gendered diversities. Topics covered include: american college sports the influence of immigrant populations the unique status of American football the emergence of women's sport in the USA. With co-authors from either side of the Atlantic, Understanding American Sports uses both the outsider's perspective and that of the insider to explain American sports culture. With its extensive use of examples and illustrations, this is an engrossing and informative resource for all students of sports studies and American culture."--Publisher's website.

Viet Nam vignettes :
ISBN: 1878282395 OCLC: 63125975

St. Johann Press, Haworth, NJ : 2006.

Windy city wars :
ISBN: 0810833050 OCLC: 36528439

Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Md. : 1997.

 

 

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