Book Birthdays celebrate one year of a book’s life in social media posts, reviews, and more. This month we’re saying Happy First Book Birthday to Race and Resistance in Boston: A Contested Sports History (Nebraska, 2025) by Robert Cvornyek and Douglas Stark.
About the Book:
Boston is a city known for its sports as well as its troubled racial conflict. But generations of Black athletes, teams, sportswriters, and front-office executives have exercised historic influence in Boston over the years as they advocated for racial integration and transformed their sports into modes of racial pride, resistance, and cultural expression.
Race and Resistance in Boston goes beyond the familiar topics associated with the city’s premiere professional teams, the Red Sox and the Celtics, to recount the long history of Black sporting culture in the city.
Awards:
Named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title of 2025
Reviews:
“This is a supremely informative book, very highly recommended.”— Bevis Baseball Research
“Race and Resistance in Boston has something for every local sports lover who is also conscious about justice. These compelling stories about race, class, and sexuality add to Boston’s legacy as a city of deep cultural and sports history.”— Louis Moore, Boston Globe
“The book is a fascinating and comprehensive study of Boston sports and a highly recommended read.”— S.J. Ramold, Choice
“Published in time for Black History Month, with a foreword by the New England Patriots’ three-time Super Bowl champion Devin McCourty, the book sheds light on Black sporting achievements in Boston that may be lesser-known to the broader community.”—Rich Tenorio, Guardian
“A must-read for anyone who wants to go deep into the issue of race and sport and how they intersect with society. Focusing on Boston is a powerful and meaningful approach, as it is a perfect microcosm of these issues. . . . Cvornyek and Stark go deep into the subject of how racism affects sport but also show how sport can be used to bring people together across racial and economic divides.”—Richard E. Lapchick, president of the Institute for Sport and Social Justice
UNP blog 