HIST303
This course examines the emergence of organized sports in America. The course covers how loosely structured colonial recreational activities evolved, became an integral part of college life and revenue, and grew into a dynamic, high-stakes professional sports industry. The course covers the role that athletic clubs and leagues played in standardizing game and safety protocols and maintaining control over player salaries and careers. Students will learn about societal restrictions which prohibited most women from participating in competitive athletics for nearly half of the twentieth century, and why predominantly black colleges continued to promote women’s athletics during that time. Students will gain a better understanding of the discriminatory practices faced by African American athletes and athletes of other ethnic minorities, and how the civil rights movement finally gained traction toward integrating organized sports in the 1950s through 1970s. The course celebrate stories of a few courageous athletic pioneers who persevered to break down societal barriers. It will also look at a few landmark Supreme Court rulings and their impact on the athletic world. Finally, the course will examine the segregation in sports, racial integration of major sports leagues, and the impact integration had on African American leagues and colleges.
History of Sport
Asynchronous