Showdown: JFK and the Integration of the Washington Redskins

Description

A classic NFL/civil rights story-the showdown between the Washington Redskins and the Kennedy White House In Showdown, sports historian Thomas G. Smith captures a striking moment, one that held sweeping implications not only for one team's racist policy but also for a sharply segregated city and for the nation as a whole. Part sports history, part civil rights story, this compelling and untold narrative serves as a powerful lens onto racism in sport, illustrating how, in microcosm, the fight to desegregate the Redskins was part of a wider struggle against racial injustice in America.

Author of two books, Thomas G. Smith is a member of the history program at Nichols College. He lives in Dudley, Massachusetts, and is a fervent fan of the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Dodgers.

"Full of colorful detail."-James Sullivan, Boston Globe "Smith skillfully follows two nar ratives-the founding and growth of the Redskins franchise and the move to integrate pro football-until they collide in 1961."-The Sunday News "A classic gridiron tale for history junkies and avid sports fans alike."-Phillip Hoose, author of Hoosiers "Thoroughly researched ... does a fine job of filling in this bleak episode on our cultural history."-Michael Tomasky, The New York Review of Books "In a fascinating narrative, indefatigable team owner George Marshall is an aging football lion surprised to find himself backed into a corner by the gathering forces of a new era."-John Eisenberg, author of That First Season