Overview

Robert Pruter's work traces the history of high school sports in America from the student-led athletic clubs of the 1880's through to the government takeover of athletic associations in the 1930s.

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9780815633143

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Reviews

Pruter (librarian, Lewis Univ.) describes the development and governance of high school sports during a period of their great expansion. He focuses on Chicago and Cook County, IL, but includes information about Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia, with less from other areas. Early on, private schools enrolled more students and provided more sports and interscholastic leagues; after 1900 public schools became dominant and sponsored most sport activity. Most early school sport competition was organized and managed by students, with adults beginning to take control after the turn of the century. A number of colleges organized tournaments for high school students. Early competitions often included private and public schools, but with time private schools were eliminated from state associations and formed their own leagues. In the 1920s, school sport expanded, especially in big cities, but opposition arose to girls' competitive sport, which decreased significantly. Sectional and national high school tournaments increased, many sponsored by universities, and more state athletic associations were established. African American students in many parts of the country attended segregated schools, and athletic associations were established to provide their interscholastic competitions. An epilogue comments on racial integration, Title IX, and commercialization of school sport. Extensive notes and bibliography. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers/faculty.--R. McGehee, University of Texas at Austin CHOICE Reviews for Academic Libraries A solid contribution to not only the study of sports history, but also to our knowledge of Chicago History. Pruter s book details the evolution of interscholastic sports in the United State and reminds us that many of the issues in high school athletics today were present some four generations ago.--Christopher C. Elzey, George Mason University Journal of Illinois History An outstanding example of empirical history.--Murray Sperber, University of California, Berkeley American Historical Review High School sports researchers and enthusiasts will find this work a necessary contribution to the historical narrative.--Gabe Logan, Associate Professor of History Northern Michigan University Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society Robert Pruter s new book offers scholars a much-needed organizational history of high school athletics in the United States during the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.--Jason Reid, Ryerson University Canada American Studies Journal

Pruter (librarian, Lewis Univ.) describes the development and governance of high school sports during a period of their great expansion. He focuses on Chicago and Cook County, IL, but includes information about Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia, with less from other areas. Early on, private schools enrolled more students and provided more sports and interscholastic leagues; after 1900 public schools became dominant and sponsored most sport activity. Most early school sport competition was organized and managed by students, with adults beginning to take control after the turn of the century. A number of colleges organized tournaments for high school students. Early competitions often included private and public schools, but with time private schools were eliminated from state associations and formed their own leagues. In the 1920s, school sport expanded, especially in big cities, but opposition arose to girls' competitive sport, which decreased significantly. Sectional and national high school tournaments increased, many sponsored by universities, and more state athletic associations were established. African American students in many parts of the country attended segregated schools, and athletic associations were established to provide their interscholastic competitions. An epilogue comments on racial integration, Title IX, and commercialization of school sport. Extensive notes and bibliography. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers/faculty.--R. McGehee, University of Texas at Austin CHOICE Reviews for Academic Libraries A solid contribution to not only the study of sports history, but also to our knowledge of Chicago History. Pruter s book details the evolution of interscholastic sports in the United State and reminds us that many of the issues in high school athletics today were present some four generations ago.--Christopher C. Elzey, George Mason University Journal of Illinois History An outstanding example of empirical history.--Murray Sperber, University of California, Berkeley American Historical Review High School sports researchers and enthusiasts will find this work a necessary contribution to the historical narrative.--Gabe Logan, Associate Professor of History Northern Michigan University Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society Robert Pruter s new book offers scholars a much-needed organizational historyof high school athletics in the United States during the late-nineteenth and earlytwentieth centuries.--Jason Reid, Ryerson University Canada American Studies Journal

High School sports researchers and enthusiasts will find this work a necessary contribution to the historical narrative.--Gabe Logan, Associate Professor of History Northern Michigan University Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society

Author Information

Robert Pruter holds a master's degree in history from Roosevelt University and a master's degree in library and information science from Dominican University. He is currently the government documents and reference librarian at Lewis University. He has published Chicago Soul and Doowop: The Chicago Scene with the University of Illinois Press.

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