The Untold History of Sports in America

During the Cold War, black athletes were touted on the world stage by the U.S. as proof that the American system was superior. But soon, some of them chose to speak out politically against their country, and they were led by Muhammad Ali. Matt Andrews explains Cassius Clay's journey to  "The Louisville Lip" and The People's Champ.

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The Olympic Games served as a theater for the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, competing to answer the question, who has the better system for maximizing human potential? Matt Andrews delves into these Games, and how they helped to propel black female American athletes and the Presidential Fitness Test. 

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In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier as a Brooklyn Dodger. He and his family received death threats, teammates signed a petition refusing to play with him, and he was trained to ignore racist taunts from the crowd. Matt Andrews explores Robinson's career, his impact on American history, and the hidden cost of integration in sports. 

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Matt Andrews explores the legacy of professional boxer Joe Louis, one of the first black athletes that many white Americans supported. Andrews also talks about the 1936 Olympic Games, where Hitler's racist goals were refuted by the performances of American black athletes like Jesse Owens. 

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Briskly performed housework was considered an acceptable form of exercise for women in the 19th century.  Matt Andrews lays out the journey for women in sports, including the bicycle craze of the 1890s, the mother of women's basketball, and the other Babe in American sport history: Mildred "Babe" Didrikson.

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In the 1920s, sports writers and agents sold Americans on larger-than-life heroes, athletes that people could live through vicariously while celebrating their "rags to riches" backgrounds. Matt Andrews tells the story of two men that embodied the American dream and became sports legends: Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey.

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In the last episode, Matt Andrews covered the disaster that was the first U.S.-held Olympics. Today, he discusses one of the most famous American Olympic athletes, Jim Thorpe. Andrews explains how Thorpe redefined what an American athlete looked like and embodied the fight against amateur sports. 

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The Olympic Games were revived for the modern era in the late 1800s, setting the stage for the U.S. to host for the first time in 1904. Matt Andrews details how those Games are responsible for several fiascos-including a human zoo, the death of four water polo players from bacteria-filled water, and the grim origins of the hot dog. 

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Sports are a presence in Americans' daily lives. But it wasn't always that way. Today, Matt Andrews explains how basketball was invented at the YMCA, why gym class is called Physical Education, and how sports were used to Americanize immigrants. 

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Matt Andrews tells the story of legendary boxer Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion, and how he triumphed in arguably the most significant sporting event in American history.

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