Author Archives: Paul Knepper

@ColumbiaGRhttps://newbooksnetwork.com/losing-big In 2018, the United States Supreme Court opened the floodgates for states to legalize betting on sports. Eager for revenue, almost forty states have done so. The result is the explosive growth of an industry dominated by companies like FanDuel and DraftKings. One out of every five American adults gambled on sports in 2023,Continue reading “Podcast with Jonathan Cohen, author of Losing Big: America’s Reckless Bet On Sports Gambling”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/rhythms-of-resistance-and-resilience-2 In the Nation’s Capital, music and sports have played a central role in the lives of African Americans, often serving as a barometer of social conflict and social progress―for sports clubs and ball games, jam sessions and concerts, offered entertainment, enlightenment, and encouragement. At times, they have also offered a means of escape fromContinue reading “Podcast with Maurice Jackson, author of Rhythms of Resistance and Resilience: How Black Washingtonians Used Music and Sports in the Fight for Equality”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/a-time-for-reflection A fascinating look back at the incredible lives and careers of baseball Hall of Famers Willie McCovey and Billy Williams. Professional baseball has featured a bevy of superstars over the past century and a half, but only a few of them have impacted their sport and cities as deeply as Willie McCovey and BillyContinue reading “Podcast with Jason Cannon about his new book A Time for Reflection: The Parallel Legacies of Baseball Icons Willie McCovey and Billy Williams”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/magic-in-the-air The evolution of basketball, and much of the social and cultural change in America, can be traced through one powerful act on the court: the slam dunk. The dunk’s history is the story of a sport and a country changed by the most dominant act in basketball, and it makes Magic in the Air a rollickingContinue reading “Podcast with Mike Sielski about his new book Magic in the Air: The Myth, the Mystery, and the Soul of the Slam Dunk”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/mornings-with-madden John Madden is synonymous with football. He was the television face and voice of the nation’s most popular sport, the namesake of its best-selling sports video game, and the man with the highest career winning percentage of any NFL coach. Despite his international fame, there was a side of Madden known only to thoseContinue reading “Podcast with Stan Bunger, author of Mornings with Madden: My Radio Life with an American Legend”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/banned Michael Ray Richardson was a star in the making. After a stellar collegiate career at the University of Montana, where he was voted first team All-Big Sky Conference as a sophomore, junior, and senior, the future seemed bright. Taken fourth overall in the 1978 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks, Richardson was billedContinue reading “Podcast with Jake Uitti about his new book with Michael Ray Richardson called Banned: How I Squandered an All-Star NBA Career Before Finding My Redemption”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/balls-of-confusion Balls of Confusion: Pro Basketball Goes to War (1965-70) is the first of a two-part story about one of the most transformative events inpro basketball history: the war between the National Basketball Association and its challenger the American Basketball Association (ABA).From this nine-year battle for the heart of the game, modern pro basketball emergedContinue reading “Podcast with Bob Kuska, author of Balls of Confusion: Pro Basketball Goes to War (1965-1970)”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/michigan-vs-everybody In Michigan Vs. Everybody: Inside the Wolverines’ 2023 National Championship Season (Triumph Books, 2024), The Detroit News‘ Angelique Chengelis expertly retraces an unforgettable championship season. Featuring in-depth reporting and an unforgettable cast of characters including Jim Harbaugh, J.J. McCarthy, Roman Wilson, and Junior Colson, this is the story of how the Wolverines rallied together amid adversity, silencedContinue reading “Podcast with Angelique Chengelis about her book Michigan vs. Everybody: Inside the Wolverines’ 2023 National Championship Season”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/dream It’s now the norm for NBA and collegiate teams to have international players dotting their rosters. The Olympics are no longer a gimme for Team USA. Both via fans streaming from all over the globe and leagues starting in countries throughout the world, the international presence of the game of basketball is a forceContinue reading “Podcast with Mirin Fader about her book Dream: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon”

https://newbooksnetwork.com/the-end-of-college-football In The End of College Football: On the Human Cost of an All-American Game (UNC Press, 2024), Nathan Kalman-Lamb and Derek Silva offer an existential challenge to one of America’s favorite pastimes: college football. Drawing on twenty-five in-depth interviews with former players from some of the country’s most prominent college football teams, Kalman-Lamb and Silva exploreContinue reading “Podcast with Nathan Kalman-Lamb and Derek Silva about their book The End of College Football: On the Human Cost of an All-American Game”