Cultural History Commons^™

The Iditarod: The Last Great Race On Earth -Florida Hs Athletic Assn. Fails, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

With the sun getting warmer, the days getting longer, and the azaleas in bloom, it is clear that spring has arrived in Florida. And so it is a curiosity in these early days of March to read of the exploits of some of the heartiest athletes in the world.

Baseball Salaries And Profits - An Analysis, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

"These modern ballplayers care about nothing but money. They don't care about their team, or their city, or their fans. In my day they were different."

The February Lull In Sport - Sports Gambling, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Late February and early March on the sport's scene is a time between, and a time of anticipation. This is especially true if you live in the cold climates, where by this time of year cabin fever has set in, the Super Bowl is over, and the sports in season are biding their time.

The Winter Olympics, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

After sixteen days the Winter Olympics in Albertville have ended and like all the previous winter games, these produced their share of great stories, great performances, and disappointments. It's difficult to pick out the highlights, but for me several moments stand out.

Mike Tyson Case - Sexual Assault And Athletes - Coverups, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

This has been a week of compelling sports stories. The NBA All-star game in Orlando produced high drama when Magic Johnson was the MVP and finished the game making three shots from three point range. The sixteenth Winter Olympic Games opened in Albertville, France, against the backdrop of the awesome natural setting of the French Alps.

The Winter Olympics - Some History, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

For nearly two weeks now the Sixteenth Winter Olympics has filled television screens across the world. In the United States CBS and TNT have carried countless hours of competition.

Howard Cosell Retires: A Tribute - Baseball, Seattle, And Japan, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

At the end of January Howard Cosell retired from broadcasting. For the most part talking heads come and go without making a major impact, but the retirement of Howard Cosell marks the end of career that transformed sports broadcasting and left a mark on American society.

Super Bowl Disappointment Again - Michelle Akers Ucf And Usa Soccer Superstar, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It was one more of those Super Sundays that seemed to fall short of expectations. But then most have. And more to the point, with all the hype, how could it be any other way?

Thorstein Veblen Explains The Super Bowl, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The Harvard Economist John Kenneth Galbraith once observed that the rich are among the least understood social groups in America. Unlike the poor who are studied intensely, constantly surveyed by social workers and graduate students, the rich have gone largely uncharted. The only real exception to this is to be found in the works of Thorstein Veblen, the Norwegian American economist from Minnesota, who wrote several books on the social habits of the rich, the best known being The Theory of the Leisure Class. It was in this work that Veblen coined those wonderful phrases, "conspicuous consumption," "conspicuous leisure," and …

U.S. Figure Skating Championshiip In Orlando - Ucf Basketball- Nfl Playoffs, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Last weekend was one of those wonderful sports weekends when quality, quantity and variety were available to the sports fan in Orlando. Within less than three days I had the good fortune to see the 1992 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, an excellent and competitive college basketball game on the UCF campus, and the NFL conference championships on television. It was a reminder to me that for all the nonsense and crassness on the contemporary sport scene, sport itself still is the thing.

Fung Shui And Sport, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

There really is something drastically different about California, the left coast, la-la land. I spent last week out in lotus land and was treated to the spectacle of an annular eclipse and people all agog over the possibilities for human improvement that such cosmic forces might bring. Solar and planetary alignment seem more important than front-end alignment in the land of the automobile.

Nfl Playoffs Begin - Bowling For Dollars, Big Dollars, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Now that Christmas is over and we are headed to the New Year it's time to suit up and get ready to hit the line hard. Tis the season to go bowling, fa la la la la, la la la la. Tis also the season for the National Football League to begin its second season with the opening of the playoffs.

Books For Christmas Gifts, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

As we head down the homestretch of the Christmas shopping season people are still looking for that perfect gift for that certain someone, as they say on TV. So as a public service I offer my suggestions for the last minute shopper: Sports books of quality for the discriminating sports fan.

Charles K. Mcneil And The Point Spread, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Charles K. McNeil is not a name instantly recognized by most sports fans across the nation. But Charles K. McNeil is as significant a person as there is in Sport in America in the 20th Century.

Baseball, Japan, And Pearl Harbor, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

As was predicted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt December 7, 1941 was a day that has lived in infamy. Fifty years ago tomorrow the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor drew the United States into World War II.

Pat Dye And The Raincoat Theory Of Education, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Several years ago a friend from East Carolina University told me that it was believed that Pat Dye would never leave his position as head football coach at East Carolina because he would never be able to find a university with lower academic standards. But then he did, and so he left for Auburn.

"Magic" Johnson And Hiv, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Just over a week ago rumors swept through the media that Ervin "Magic" Johnson was about to retire from professional basketball because he had AIDS. A few hours later Johnson appeared at a press conference to confirm the rumor of his retirement. He said he did not have AIDS, but rather he had tested positive for the HIV virus, a precursor to AIDS. It is a virtual certainty that Johnson will contract AIDS within the next decade. Because he had tested HIV positive, it was determined that medically it would be wise for him to retire from basketball.

Florida High School Athletic Assn. And Transfer Rule - Nfl Malaise, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The Florida High School Activities Association and its board of principals made headlines this past week with one of those decisions that make absolutely no sense to anyone. At Lake Brantley High School the football coach made a decision to add a player to his squad, who although he had attended Lake Brantley High, did not live in the district. He was attending Lake Brantley in order to take advantage of the Emotionally Handicapped Resource program which was not available at the school in his district. This student was on the football team, not because he was a great runner …

The Inequities Of The Dh And Impact On World Series, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The team that won the National League Championship has not faced the team that won the American League Championship in the World Series since 1972. It was in 1973 that the American League started using the Designated Hitter. It has changed many things, some for good, some for ill. And you can argue for or against the DH until you turn blue. But one thing is certain, the World Series has been tarnished since 1972.

Native American Mascot Issue, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It would seem that we are living in an Age when any major event becomes the occasion for some group or another to grind their proverbial political ax. Sometimes the grinding hits a responsive chord, but at other times it has the effect of fingernails on the blackboard.

Miscellaneous Stories From Baseball, Basketball, Football, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Item---The City of Orlando is reviewing the contract between the City and the Orlando Magic for the rental of the Arena. This is a subject I talked about two weeks ago, and I hope the city will use its leverage on approval of the sale in order to obtain more realistic terms. The giveaway of city dollars to an extremely profitable professional sports franchise and money making machine should end. We are not talking about bleeding the Magic. We are talking about equity.

Baseball Playoff - Best Babe Ruth Film, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The baseball playoffs are underway and the first two games in each league have been completed. In the American League the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays split their two games in the Metrodome in Minneapolis. In both games the strength of the bullpens was critical. These look like two evenly matched teams and the little things like solid defense, good base running, and good fundamentals are likely to be the difference.

Maris And The * - Dream Team Disaster - Pennant Race, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Tuesday, October 1, was the 30th anniversary of Roger Maris' 61st home run, which broke Babe Ruth's record of 60 homers set in 1927. That Sunday in 1961 in Yankee Stadium should have been a wonderful occasion for Roger Maris, but instead it was the end of a long season of agony. Sportswriters and fans in New York and around the nation had done their best to make life miserable for Maris, for having the temerity to challenge the single season home run record of Babe Ruth.

Orlando Magic Arena Contract - The Magic Money Machine, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

THE ORLANDOOOO MAAAAGIC MONNNNEY MACHINNNNNNEEE When Paul Porter announces the entrance of the Orlando Magic into the O-Arena this coming season he should use this new moniker for the club. Because it's clear that a money machine is exactly what this business has become.

Texas Cheerleader Murder Case - Robert Smith And The Student Athlete, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

"Extremism in the Defense of Liberty is no Vice." The words of Republican Nominee Barry Goldwater at the 1964 Republican National Convention in San Francisco. His audience loved it, others went into cardiac arrest.

Pennant Races - The Shot Heard Round The World- Dimaggio And Williams, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

As the baseball season of 1991 comes to a close with two pennant races still to be decided it might be appropriate to think back forty years and fifty years to reflect on two of the great finales in baseball history.

Andre Agassi's Exhibitionism/ Jimmy Connors's Courage, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It's that special time of year when for the maniacal sports fan there is a smorgasbord of events on the table. The NFL has opened with its new 17-week regular season format and without Joe Montana. The baseball pennant races are coming down to the wire, and both the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins are making their fans believe in miracles. College football is underway with FSU, Miami and Florida all ranked in the top five in most pre-season polls, and with both FSU and Miami winning impressively in their first game. Over the past ten days several world records …

Dream Team - Importance Of Competiton In Sport, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It may be difficult to concentrate on anything else after seeing Fidel Castro do the Wave, but with the end of the Pan-American Games it might be worthwhile to reflect on the meaning of international sports competition, especially in light of the special treatment offered to the U.S. Basketball team, and the plans to allow the NBA big guys to compete at the next Olympic Games in Barcelona.

The Garifuna Journey Study Guide, Andrea E. Leland, Kathy Berger

Documentary Study Guides

Garifuna tradition bearers, artists, and technicians collaborated with filmmakers Andrea E. Leland and Kathy Berger to produce The Garifuna Journey, a documentary focused on the story of resistance and continuity of culture. The National Garifuna Council of Belize also worked on the project with the goal of cultural retrieval, as little had been documented and collected for its own archives.

With direction from tradition bearers in Belize, video footage and audio taped oral histories were collected, transcribed, and returned to the Belize community. The documentary was produced from these materials, focused on the Garifuna experience in Belize.

For The Love Of It: A Short History Of Commercial Fishing In Pacific City, Oregon, Joseph E. Taylor Iii

Dory Project Scholarship and Process Documents

Fishermen are often romanticized; they are lonely wanderers separated from the trials of life encountered on "dry land." To a commercial fisherman or even someone casually acquainted with the fishing industry, stereotypes seem naïve at best. An examination of the evolving fishery of the Nestucca River and the Pacific Ocean near Pacific City, Oregon, and the careers of seven local fishermen reveals the struggle associated with the calling and the necessity for innovation and adaptation to the changing political, technological, and economic environment. From river netters to ocean trollers, theirs is a story of both persistence and change.