Upcoming book: "Common Enemies"

[RusskyHoya]

books.google.com/books/about/Common_Enemies.html

Common Enemies: Georgetown Basketball, Miami Football, and the Racial Transformation of College Sports

During the 1980s Black athletes and other athletes of color broadened the popularity and profitability of major-college televised sports by infusing games with a “Black style” of play. At a moment ripe for a revolution in men’s college basketball and football, clashes between “good guy” white protagonists and bombastic “bad boy” Black antagonists attracted new fans and spectators. And no two teams in the 1980s welcomed the enemy’s role more than Georgetown Hoya basketball and Miami Hurricane football.

Georgetown and Miami taunted opponents. They celebrated scores and victories with in-your-face swagger. Coaches at both programs changed the tenor of postgame media appearances and the language journalists and broadcasters used to describe athletes. Athletes of color at both schools made sports apparel fashionable for younger fans, particularly young African American men. The Hoyas and the ’Canes were a sensation because they made the bad-boy image look good. Popular culture took notice.

In the United States sports and race have always been tightly, if sometimes uncomfortably, entwined. Black athletes who dare to challenge the sporting status quo are often initially vilified but later accepted. The 1980s generation of barrier-busting college athletes took this process a step further. True to form, Georgetown’s and Miami’s aggressive style of play angered many fans and commentators. But in time their style was not only accepted but imitated by others, both Black and white. Love them or hate them, there was simply no way you could deny the Hoyas and the Hurricanes.

Coming out this November through University of Nebraska Press.

[Elvado]

Sept 19, 2021 23:35:54 GMT -5 RusskyHoya said:

books.google.com/books/about/Common_Enemies.html

Common Enemies: Georgetown Basketball, Miami Football, and the Racial Transformation of College Sports

During the 1980s Black athletes and other athletes of color broadened the popularity and profitability of major-college televised sports by infusing games with a “Black style” of play. At a moment ripe for a revolution in men’s college basketball and football, clashes between “good guy” white protagonists and bombastic “bad boy” Black antagonists attracted new fans and spectators. And no two teams in the 1980s welcomed the enemy’s role more than Georgetown Hoya basketball and Miami Hurricane football.

Georgetown and Miami taunted opponents. They celebrated scores and victories with in-your-face swagger. Coaches at both programs changed the tenor of postgame media appearances and the language journalists and broadcasters used to describe athletes. Athletes of color at both schools made sports apparel fashionable for younger fans, particularly young African American men. The Hoyas and the ’Canes were a sensation because they made the bad-boy image look good. Popular culture took notice.

In the United States sports and race have always been tightly, if sometimes uncomfortably, entwined. Black athletes who dare to challenge the sporting status quo are often initially vilified but later accepted. The 1980s generation of barrier-busting college athletes took this process a step further. True to form, Georgetown’s and Miami’s aggressive style of play angered many fans and commentators. But in time their style was not only accepted but imitated by others, both Black and white. Love them or hate them, there was simply no way you could deny the Hoyas and the Hurricanes.

Coming out this November through University of Nebraska Press.

Having read the preview, it seems they already bought into the idea that Big John’s teams taunted. Nothing could be further from the truth. We may have beaten people Down with physicality and reacted with fists from time to time, but taunting and “look at me” was never part of it.

[HamptonHoya]

Hmmm, they are my two favorite college programs

[DallasHoya]

Sept 20, 2021 9:43:08 GMT -5 Elvado said:

Sept 19, 2021 23:35:54 GMT -5 RusskyHoya said:

books.google.com/books/about/Common_Enemies.html

Common Enemies: Georgetown Basketball, Miami Football, and the Racial Transformation of College Sports

Coming out this November through University of Nebraska Press.

Having read the preview, it seems they already bought into the idea that Big John’s teams taunted. Nothing could be further from the truth. We may have beaten people Down with physicality and reacted with fists from time to time, but taunting and “look at me” was never part of it.

I attended both of these institutions in the 1980s. In the view of journalists like Brent Mussburger, the teams were definitely portrayed in a similar way. But other than the fact that both programs were overwhelmingly African-American, in my opinion they could not have been further apart from each other when it came to off the court/field things like education, class attendance, graduation rates, character, etc.

[Elvado]

Sept 20, 2021 14:26:24 GMT -5 DallasHoya said:

Sept 20, 2021 9:43:08 GMT -5 Elvado said:

Having read the preview, it seems they already bought into the idea that Big John’s teams taunted. Nothing could be further from the truth. We may have beaten people Down with physicality and reacted with fists from time to time, but taunting and “look at me” was never part of it.

I attended both of these institutions in the 1980s. In the view of journalists like Brent Mussburger, the teams were definitely portrayed in a similar way. But other than the fact that both programs were overwhelmingly African-American, in my opinion they could not have been further apart from each other when it came to off the court/field things like education, class attendance, graduation rates, character, etc.

Exactly right.

Lazy comparison.

[paranoia2]

Absurd. As Elvado said “LAZY”.

Aggression & force are two very different things to TAUNTING.

THISE Georgetown teams endured TAUNTING from scum fans of opposing teams.

[calhoya]

During my time at Georgetown in the 1980's I cannot say that I never saw Hoya players taunting opponents. However, often it was a reaction to the abuse they took from opposing fans. Swagger yes, but in general the Hoya players were disciplined. I think that more than Hoya players, the overwhelming anti-Hoya sentiment was aimed at Big John. While he stood as a hero for people like my father,who hung on every word and defended every statement, the harsh reality is that Big John challenged the status quo, pushed the limits and made it clear that his platform was to be used for promoting racial reform and attacking injustices. Love him or hate him you could not ignore this giant of a man with a deep voice and a willingness to speak his mind rather than hiding behind coach speak. An almost all-black team only reinforced the image of a renegade who was trying to topple the system that had existed for many years.

Never thought that the Miami program was in any way focused on social or racial reform. They were quality athletes and "bad boys" who viewed themselves as the collegiate version of the Oakland Raiders. Nor do I recall their coaches pushing reforms. It's truly a weak comparison.

[Elvado]

Sept 20, 2021 17:13:46 GMT -5 calhoya said:

During my time at Georgetown in the 1980's I cannot say that I never saw Hoya players taunting opponents. However, often it was a reaction to the abuse they took from opposing fans. Swagger yes, but in general the Hoya players were disciplined. I think that more than Hoya players, the overwhelming anti-Hoya sentiment was aimed at Big John. While he stood as a hero for people like my father,who hung on every word and defended every statement, the harsh reality is that Big John challenged the status quo, pushed the limits and made it clear that his platform was to be used for promoting racial reform and attacking injustices. Love him or hate him you could ignore this giant of a man with a deep voice and a willingness to speak his mind rather than hiding behind coach speak. An almost all-black team only reinforced the image of a renegade who was trying to topple the system that had existed for many years.

Never thought that the Miami program was in any way focused on social or racial reform. They were quality athletes and "bad boys" who viewed themselves as the collegiate version of the Oakland Raiders. Nor do I recall their coaches pushing reforms. It's truly a weak comparison.

My only hope is that the book is not nearly as lazy and simple-minded as the preview.

[professorhoya]

Sept 19, 2021 23:35:54 GMT -5 RusskyHoya said:

books.google.com/books/about/Common_Enemies.html

Common Enemies: Georgetown Basketball, Miami Football, and the Racial Transformation of College Sports

During the 1980s Black athletes and other athletes of color broadened the popularity and profitability of major-college televised sports by infusing games with a “Black style” of play. At a moment ripe for a revolution in men’s college basketball and football, clashes between “good guy” white protagonists and bombastic “bad boy” Black antagonists attracted new fans and spectators. And no two teams in the 1980s welcomed the enemy’s role more than Georgetown Hoya basketball and Miami Hurricane football.

Georgetown and Miami taunted opponents. They celebrated scores and victories with in-your-face swagger. Coaches at both programs changed the tenor of postgame media appearances and the language journalists and broadcasters used to describe athletes. Athletes of color at both schools made sports apparel fashionable for younger fans, particularly young African American men. The Hoyas and the ’Canes were a sensation because they made the bad-boy image look good. Popular culture took notice.

In the United States sports and race have always been tightly, if sometimes uncomfortably, entwined. Black athletes who dare to challenge the sporting status quo are often initially vilified but later accepted. The 1980s generation of barrier-busting college athletes took this process a step further. True to form, Georgetown’s and Miami’s aggressive style of play angered many fans and commentators. But in time their style was not only accepted but imitated by others, both Black and white. Love them or hate them, there was simply no way you could deny the Hoyas and the Hurricanes.

Coming out this November through University of Nebraska Press.

Ironic that this is produced by the University of Nebraska given the cornhusker -hurricane rivalry of that era

[RusskyHoya]

Sept 20, 2021 17:16:42 GMT -5 Elvado said:

Sept 20, 2021 17:13:46 GMT -5 calhoya said:

During my time at Georgetown in the 1980's I cannot say that I never saw Hoya players taunting opponents. However, often it was a reaction to the abuse they took from opposing fans. Swagger yes, but in general the Hoya players were disciplined. I think that more than Hoya players, the overwhelming anti-Hoya sentiment was aimed at Big John. While he stood as a hero for people like my father,who hung on every word and defended every statement, the harsh reality is that Big John challenged the status quo, pushed the limits and made it clear that his platform was to be used for promoting racial reform and attacking injustices. Love him or hate him you could ignore this giant of a man with a deep voice and a willingness to speak his mind rather than hiding behind coach speak. An almost all-black team only reinforced the image of a renegade who was trying to topple the system that had existed for many years.

Never thought that the Miami program was in any way focused on social or racial reform. They were quality athletes and "bad boys" who viewed themselves as the collegiate version of the Oakland Raiders. Nor do I recall their coaches pushing reforms. It's truly a weak comparison.

My only hope is that the book is not nearly as lazy and simple-minded as the preview.  

I suppose one could, if one wanted to, have a debate about whether the Georgetown teams of the 80s and 90s engaged in an amount of taunting that was less than, equal to, or greater than the amount put out by the average team and the reasons for that. For example, here is an academic journal article (it might even be an example of the feared boogeyman CRT in action!) arguing that "African Americans are to an overwhelming degree responsible for the sanctioned behaviors.  These behaviors are a reflection of urban African American cultural norms, which conflict with white mainstream norms."

I'm sure one could engage in extensive excavation of possible factors, such as the streetball experience in which many Black players come up, as opposed to the more heavily chaperoned and organized basketball experience of many white youths. Regardless, you're probably not going to achieve final resolution because there was no Taunting Geiger Counter set up courtside at each game to provide an objective measure...as if such a thing were even possible to measure objectively.

More importantly, going down that particular rabbithole - whatever the 'actual' 'Taunting Above Replacement' level of the Hoya Paranoia years - would be missing the point. The point is that they were perceived as trash-talking thugs because...well, we know why.

I can see why people might think the grouping of those Hoyas with the Miami football teams of that era is designed to create some sort of equivalency between them. But again, that misses the point. There was no Criminality Geiger Counter installed at every college football program either (if they had, they'd have found that many college towns would've wrapped their programs in lead if they had to, all to keep the bad news under wraps). The reason why those Miami teams got the rap they did - Catholics vs. Convicts, anyone? - was not because someone conducted a statistically significant, quantitatively and qualitatively rigorous analysis of misbehavior and found that Miami was the worst offender. No, it was... well, we know why.

In some ways, the book's argument works better this way. If you take one team that had a hardass disciplinarian coach who made them wear suits all the time and went so far as to confront a drug kinpin to stay away from his players and you take another team that had some (I emphasize *some* - by no means all) knuckleheads, and you see that those teams were perceived similarly in spite of that contrast... well, that's kinda how racism works. It flattens the individuals in favor of a broad brush. Those banana-throwing scumbags in the stands were not particularly concerned with the actual academic or disciplinary records of the Hoyas they were abusing, and there were a lot of folks at the time whose views of any individual Hurricanes player likewise largely began and ended up with their skin color and their perceived level of (extremely racially coded) 'thuggishness.'