Latinos & Latinas in American Sport: Stories Beyond Peloteros ed. by Jorge Iber

Abstract

Reviewed by: Latinos & Latinas in American Sport: Stories Beyond Peloteros ed. by Jorge Iber Samuel O. Regalado Latinos & Latinas in American Sport: Stories Beyond Peloteros. Edited by Jorge Iber. (Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 2019. Pp. 272. Notes, index.) It is with great satisfaction that I have witnessed Latinos and Latinas gain vital ground in United States sports history. Since the late 1980s, academic publishers, with a keen sense of their business and of changing demographics in academia, have tapped into this new scholarly vein and recruited young Latinx researchers, many still in doctoral programs, to become authors. This new generation bore fruit in the form of monographs, journal articles, and anthologies. After 2000, historian Jorge Iber, through his early work on Mexican American sport, emerged in the top tier of scholars who have taken Latinx sports history to a new level. Iber was well positioned to pull together a team of scholars for his latest contribution, the aptly named anthology, Latinos & Latinas in American Sport: Stories Beyond Peloteros. Their expertise and contributions are vast, pinpointing Latinx sporting experience within the context of family, community, nationalism, diplomacy, gender, and race. Furthermore, alongside the familiar sports of baseball and football, readers will find competitions like drag racing as historical conduits for Latinx opportunity and also observe the impact of sport on the lives and communities of individuals like "Nemo" Herrera and Wally Rodríguez. The book features thirteen essays packed nicely into 259 pages of text and endnotes presented in a remarkably consistent format, given the diverse disciplines of its contributors. Of the thirteen essays, six are from history, two are from English, and one each are from American studies, journalism, and political science, and investigative reporting. The thirteenth is Iber's conclusion. Such consistency results in a reading experience that is clear and manageable. And on this count, Iber's experience with anthologies is strongly demonstrated. For all of the book's merit, the absence of a Latina contributor is not unnoticed. And this is not for lack of subject matter, as there is ample material from which an ambitious researcher might draw. Thankfully, Ben Chappell's work on Latinas and softball tournaments, Gary Selber's look at high school girls in basketball, and the essay by Paul Cuadaros, who observed the advancement of Latina integration through soccer, all satisfy that vacuum. This, however, was not an oversight on Iber's part. Latina writers of sport history, if any, are few and far between. Indeed, if there is a [End Page 363] drawback in this research area, this would be it. In short, a Latina perspective is sorely in need. Nonetheless, this anthology is a real gem, especially for those wishing to get into the weeds to uncover the dynamics and evolution of U.S. ethnic communities and to explore the impact Latinx sports figures made on a larger scale. Along with historians, students in ethnic studies, American studies, and political science will benefit from this collection. Indeed, these essays describe a distinctive part of the overall story of the United States and its people. And it is to Jorge Iber's credit and astuteness that he recognized it. Samuel O. Regalado California State University, Stanislaus Copyright © 2021 The Texas State Historical Association