The Stadium: An American History of Politics, Protest, and Play

“The stadium [is] America’s public square,” according to this captivating study. Historian Guridy (The Sports Revolution) traces how, since the country’s first stadiums were built in 1860s, America’s political divisions have played out in and around them. He begins with a fascinating overview of stadium history (the first American stadiums were all “ballparks” for local baseball teams, but he also traces the modern stadium’s origins to other forms of mass entertainment like circus tents and prizefights), then offers a series of snapshots of historical moments that highlight stadiums’ political nature, including a KKK rally at Madison Square Garden in the 1920s and a 1941 Sugar Bowl game held at segregated Tulane University, which forced Boston College to bench their star running back because he was Black. Guridy’s analysis, while it delves into moments of political resistance around stadiums, is most valuable for its insights into how the stadium’s design and functions have fed into and exacerbated existing power structures. For instance, he explains that in the 1930s stadiums became “places to cultivate mass loyalty” with the introduction of rituals like first ball tosses and the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner”; whereas at the turn of the 21st century, they became engines of gentrification in post-industrial cities. It’s a sprawling history that ventures in many surprising directions. (Aug.)