At the turn of the 20th century, track and field in the U.S. was the domain of the wealthy. While baseball and prize-fighting attracted athletes from the lower orders of society, athletic clubs generally recruited the top sporting graduates from private colleges--except one. New York's Irish-American Athletic Club was founded by and for immigrants. Membership was not exclusively Irish--Jews, African Americans, Scandinavians, Italians, and even a handful of Englishmen joined the club, which dominated local and national athletics for more than a decade. The I-AAC laid claim to the title of best athletic club in the world following the 1908 Olympic Games, bent the rules on amateurism and challenged the ban on Sunday entertainments before succumbing to aftereffects of World War I and Prohibition.

In 1985 the Vassar College Athletic Association ignored the constraints placed on women athletes of that era and held its first-ever womens field day, featuring competition in five track and field events. Soon colleges across the country were offering women the opportunity to compete, and in 1922 the United States selected 22 women to compete in the Womens World Games in Paris. Upon their return, female physical educators severely criticized their efforts, decrying "the evils of competition." Wilma Rudolphs triumphant Olympics in 1960 sparked renewed support for womens track and field in the United States. From 1922 to 1960, thousands of women competed, and won many gold medals, with little encouragement or recognition. This reference work provides a history, based on many interviews and meticulous research in primary source documents, of womens track and field, from its beginnings on the lawns of Vassar College in 1895, through 1980, when Title IX began to create a truly level playing field for men and women. The results of Amateur Athletic Union Womens Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships since 1923 are given, as well as full coverage of female Olympians.

America in 1904 was a nation bristling with energy and confidence. Inspired by Theodore Roosevelt, the nation’s young, spirited, and athletic president, a sports mania rampaged across the country. Eager to celebrate its history, and to display its athletic potential, the United States hosted the world at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. One part of the World’s Fair was the nation’s first Olympic games. Revived in Greece in 1896, the Olympic movement was also young and energetic. In fact, the St. Louis Olympics were only the third in modern times. Although the games were originally awarded to Chicago, St. Louis wrestled them from her rival city against the wishes of International Olympic Committee President Pierre de Coubertin. Athletes came from eleven countries and four continents to compete in state-of-the-art facilities, which included a ten-thousand-seat stadium with gymnasium equipment donated by sporting goods magnate Albert Spalding. The 1904 St. Louis Olympics garnered only praise, and all agreed that the games were a success, improving both the profile of the Olympic movement and the prestige of the United States. But within a few years, the games of 1904 receded in memory. They suffered a worse fate with the publication of Coubertin’s memoirs in 1931. His selective recollections, exaggerated claims, and false statements turned the forgotten Olympics into the failed Olympics. This prejudiced account was furthered by the 1948 publication of An Approved History of the Olympic Games by Bill Henry, which was reviewed and endorsed by Coubertin. America’s First Olympics, by George R. Matthews, corrects common misconceptions that began with Coubertin’s memoirs and presents a fresh view of the 1904 games, which featured first-time African American Olympians, an eccentric and controversial marathon, and documentation by pioneering photojournalist Jessie Tarbox Beals. Matthews provides an excellent overview of the St. Louis Olympics over a six-month period, beginning with the intrigue surrounding the transfer of the games from Chicago. He also gives detailed descriptions of the major players in the Olympic movement, the events that were held in 1904, and the athletes who competed in them. This original account will be welcomed by history and sports enthusiasts who are interested in a new perspective on this misunderstood event.

Britain and the Olympic Games, 1908-1920 focuses upon the presentation and descriptions of identity that are presented through the depictions of the Olympics in the national press. This book breaks Britain down into its four nations and presents the debates that were present within their national press.

Most Syracuse fans and alumni have seen a game at Carrier Dome, have seen highlights of a young Dwight Freeney and Carmelo Anthony, and know the story of the 2003 NCAA National Champion men’s basketball team. But only real fans know the history of Archbold Stadium, the words to “Down the Field,” or what Otto the Orange’s name could have been originally. 100 Things Syracuse Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die is the ultimate resource guide for true fans of the Syracuse Orange and, whether you’re a die-hard booster from the days of Jim Brown or a current student at the university, these are the 100 things all fans needs to know and do in their lifetime. Author Scott Pitoniak has collected every essential piece of Orange knowledge and trivia, as well as must-do activities, and ranks them all, providing an entertaining and easy-to-follow checklist as you progress on your way to fan superstardom.