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ATDrake · 03-16-2015, 06:38 AM

Ramblers: Loyola Chicago 1963 — The Team that Changed the Color of College Basketball by Michael Lenehan is his retrospective history/analysis of the championship victory of the titular basketball team (Wikipedia), which apparently had a major impact on the sport via its incorporation of African-American players, now taken for granted but then a novelty in official competitions, who incidentally were honoured by the White House on the 50th anniversary of their victory (Wikipedia), free courtesy of publisher Agate's Midway imprint.

This has quite a lot of praise in the editorial review section from many newspaper and other media outlets, and looks pretty nicely done, with references to other sources to help setup the historical/cultural conditions of the times, and explanatory footnotes as well.

Currently free, probably just until the weekend @ B&N (may also drop in the UK) & Amazon (not available to Canadians, but free in the UK), and may or may not also show up later as a DRM-free PDF download directly at the publisher's webstore, as Agate freebies sometimes do.

And this has been the selected 3rd (non-repeat) free ebook thread of the day.

Because ground-breaking culture-changing historical turning points, addressed in a reasonably quasi-scholarly fashion with blackjack! and hookers! references! and footnotes! while still keeping popular audience appeal in mind =

.

Even if I personally care nothing about basketball. (It still looks interesting and well-done anyway, and I might even give this a try at some point.)

Enjoy!

Description
In 1963, the Loyola Chicago Ramblers defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 60–58 in the NCAA men's basketball championship, coming from behind to upset the two-time defending champions in a buzzer-beating overtime thriller. What elevated this particular game from one of Chicago's most memorable sports victories into one for the history books was the transgressive lineups fielded by both teams: the Bearcats started three African-American players, and the Ramblers had four. When Americans tuned in to watch the game (one of the first NCAA championships to be broadcast nationally), they saw for the first time a sight we take for granted today: most of the players on the floor were black. Ramblers tells the story of that game, and of the teams and players that helped change public perceptions of who could and couldn't succeed on the court.

Today basketball is played mostly "above the rim" by athletes of all backgrounds and colors. But 50 years ago it was a floor-bound game, and the opportunities it offered for African-Americans were severely limited. Ramblers is an entertaining, detail-rich look back at the unlikely circumstances that went into creating Loyola's championship squad. Along the way, author Michael Lenehan also explores the in-depth stories of two Loyola opponents: Mississippi State, the all-white team that defied state policy by sneaking out of Mississippi to play in the NCAA tournament; and Cincinnati, the two-time defending NCAA champions, who were heavily favored going into the championship game.

While on the surface this is a story about basketball, the book goes deeper to illuminate how sport in America both typifies and drives change in the broader culture. The social-historical realities of the 1950s and 1960s are brought to stark life in Lenehan's telling, illustrating the challenges all of these teams confronted in the effort simply to play their game against the worthiest opponents. At its heart, Ramblers is a profound story about American history, culture, and society at a dramatic crossroads.

03-16-2015, 06:38 AM	#1
ATDrake Wizzard Posts: 11,517 Karma: 33048258 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Roundworld Device: Kindle 2 International, Sony PRS-T1, BlackBerry PlayBook, Acer Iconia	Free (nook/Kindle) Ramblers: Loyola Chicago 1963 [Sports & African-American History] Ramblers: Loyola Chicago 1963 — The Team that Changed the Color of College Basketball by Michael Lenehan is his retrospective history/analysis of the championship victory of the titular basketball team (Wikipedia), which apparently had a major impact on the sport via its incorporation of African-American players, now taken for granted but then a novelty in official competitions, who incidentally were honoured by the White House on the 50th anniversary of their victory (Wikipedia), free courtesy of publisher Agate's Midway imprint. This has quite a lot of praise in the editorial review section from many newspaper and other media outlets, and looks pretty nicely done, with references to other sources to help setup the historical/cultural conditions of the times, and explanatory footnotes as well. Currently free, probably just until the weekend @ B&N (may also drop in the UK) & Amazon (not available to Canadians, but free in the UK), and may or may not also show up later as a DRM-free PDF download directly at the publisher's webstore, as Agate freebies sometimes do. And this has been the selected 3rd (non-repeat) free ebook thread of the day. Because ground-breaking culture-changing historical turning points, addressed in a reasonably quasi-scholarly fashion with blackjack! and hookers! references! and footnotes! while still keeping popular audience appeal in mind = . Even if I personally care nothing about basketball. (It still looks interesting and well-done anyway, and I might even give this a try at some point.) Enjoy! Description In 1963, the Loyola Chicago Ramblers defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 60–58 in the NCAA men's basketball championship, coming from behind to upset the two-time defending champions in a buzzer-beating overtime thriller. What elevated this particular game from one of Chicago's most memorable sports victories into one for the history books was the transgressive lineups fielded by both teams: the Bearcats started three African-American players, and the Ramblers had four. When Americans tuned in to watch the game (one of the first NCAA championships to be broadcast nationally), they saw for the first time a sight we take for granted today: most of the players on the floor were black. Ramblers tells the story of that game, and of the teams and players that helped change public perceptions of who could and couldn't succeed on the court. Today basketball is played mostly "above the rim" by athletes of all backgrounds and colors. But 50 years ago it was a floor-bound game, and the opportunities it offered for African-Americans were severely limited. Ramblers is an entertaining, detail-rich look back at the unlikely circumstances that went into creating Loyola's championship squad. Along the way, author Michael Lenehan also explores the in-depth stories of two Loyola opponents: Mississippi State, the all-white team that defied state policy by sneaking out of Mississippi to play in the NCAA tournament; and Cincinnati, the two-time defending NCAA champions, who were heavily favored going into the championship game. While on the surface this is a story about basketball, the book goes deeper to illuminate how sport in America both typifies and drives change in the broader culture. The social-historical realities of the 1950s and 1960s are brought to stark life in Lenehan's telling, illustrating the challenges all of these teams confronted in the effort simply to play their game against the worthiest opponents. At its heart, Ramblers is a profound story about American history, culture, and society at a dramatic crossroads. Last edited by ATDrake; 03-16-2015 at 06:43 AM.