Synopses & Reviews
Jeffery Kroessler's entertaining chronology offers a timeline of great New York sports stories from the days of the Dutch to the reign of the Yankees. Tales of heroic exploits and triumphs mingle with scandals and social change as Kroessler captures the role that sports has played in the lives of ordinary New Yorkers and in the city's shifting fortunes. His chronology reveals how New York sports has mirrored and shaped the city's view of itself, and attitudes toward race, the assimilation of immigrants, and gender equality.
Fully illustrated, The Greater New York Sports Chronology describes legendary events such as the Mets' amazin' World Series win in 1969; Joe Louis's epic fight against Max Schmeling; Jackie Robinson's breaking of baseball's color line; Willis Reed's heroic entrance in the 1969/1970 NBA finals; Secretariat's remarkable Triple Crown win at Belmont; the Yankees' many pennants; and Joe Namath's guaranteed Super Bowl win. Kroessler also details the vibrant and sometimes strange early history of New York sports, where events like cockfighting and bearbaiting were the norm. Beyond well-known names and figures, Kroessler recounts chess matches, sailing races, dog shows, and the growth of the city's many public parks, pools, and boxing gyms. He also shares the exploits of such controversial team owners as Walter O'Malley and George Steinbrenner, the various betting scandals that rocked boxing and college basketball, legendary announcers such as Mel Allen, raconteurs such as Toots Shor, and of course the fans themselves, who have suffered with and celebrated their teams.
Synopsis
Jeffrey A. Kroessler's comprehensive and entertaining time line stretches from the pastoral entertainments of the Dutch to the corporate captivity of professional sports. He chronicles events ranging from the truly heroic to the heartbreaking, from moments of municipal greatness to inescapable social change. Through it all he plants the world of sport at the very center of New York's story.
Fully illustrated, The Greater New York Sports Chronology covers the spectacle of blood sports like bullbaiting to the birth of baseball, the now-forgotten six-day pedestrian contests, and today's New York City Marathon. Alongside great moments like the Mets' amazin' World Series win in 1969, Joe Louis's historic bouts with Max Schmeling, Jackie Robinson's breaking of baseball's color line, and Secretariat's remarkable Triple Crown win at Belmont, we encounter the point-shaving scandals of college basketball and the corrupting influence of organized crime in professional boxing. Beyond immortals like Lou Gehrig and Joe Namath, we also find such once well known figures as Joe Lapchick, Marty Glickman, Gertrude Ederle, and Toots Shor. Year by year, this chronology recounts chess matches, America's Cup races, dog shows, golf tournaments, polo matches, tennis games, and more. Kroessler describes the historic venues, boxing arenas, gyms, stadiums, ballparks, and racetracks that have come and gone, yet made New York the undisputed capital of American sport. Witnessing it all, of course, are the greatest fans in the world.