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A review by megan_d
The Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism by Howard Bryant
5.0
A great book, especially when you think of the context that Colin Kaepernick still doesn't have a job with the league and Deshaun Watson recently signed a fully-guaranteed 5-year deal with the Browns recently.
I know the book focuses largely on the most famous Black athletes of each "era" and their response (or in many cases, lack of response) to the major political events of the time, I do wish there were more about female athletes particularly the Williams sisters and those in the WNBA. Despite that, I feel that this book is very much necessary reading for any critical sports fan today. Howard Bryant's writing is clear, concise, and the story starting with Paul Robeson winding all the way back to Colin Kaepernick kneeling and beyond gives pretty much as complete as possible story of Black activism and lack there of within sports and how sports are political and how White America doesn't care about the "right" kind of politics in their sports.
I know the book focuses largely on the most famous Black athletes of each "era" and their response (or in many cases, lack of response) to the major political events of the time, I do wish there were more about female athletes particularly the Williams sisters and those in the WNBA. Despite that, I feel that this book is very much necessary reading for any critical sports fan today. Howard Bryant's writing is clear, concise, and the story starting with Paul Robeson winding all the way back to Colin Kaepernick kneeling and beyond gives pretty much as complete as possible story of Black activism and lack there of within sports and how sports are political and how White America doesn't care about the "right" kind of politics in their sports.