Revolt of the Black Athlete

Abstract

Dr. Harry Edwards is widely regarded by his peers and the lay public as the world's leading authority about the social, political, and economic plight of the African American Athlete in America. His highly controversial book, Revolt of the Black Athlete (1969), became mandatory reading for students enrolled in sport sociology classes and encouraged a generation of scholars to study the social and historical journey of the African Americans in college sports. Edwards' genius may have been to radically frame the race-in-sport debate and in doing so, to press the case for civil rights activism in every sports venue, the relationship between race and sport was redrawn as a contestation between self identity and commitment to the team bringing racial struggles to the campus level.