The Chicago Sports Reader examines Chicago's long and glorious history
of recreational and competitive sport, and as the home of the finest
sporting events and most loyal fans in the United States. Contributors
explore why sports have been especially important in Chicago, how these
sports were organized, and how sports promote not only a sense of
community and hometown pride but also the agony of defeat and betrayal.
This indispensable collection surveys the essential events and main
teams in the city's sports history--the Bears, the Cubs, the White Sox,
the Black Hawks, and the Bulls--as well as great Chicago sports legends
Red Grange, Michael Jordan, and others. The authors also examine more
specialized sports such as racing, cycling, and women's baseball. In
addition to examining the highlights of Chicago sport, The Chicago
Sports Reader also acknowledges a few lowlights, such as the role of
organized crime, the Cubs' demise in 1969, and the infamous Black Sox
scandal of 1919.
Contributors are George D. Bushnell, Susan K. Cahn, John M. Carroll,
David Claerbaut, Bruce J. Evensen, Gerald R. Gems, Walter LeFeber, Robin
Dale Lester, Michael E. Lomax, Daniel A. Nathan, Steven A. Riess, Cord
Scott, and John Chi-Kit Wong.