[ARETE] Kaliss, Beyond the Black Power Salute

[Duncan Jamieson]

All,
Please find below and attached Dick Crepeau's review of Gregory Kaliss, *Beyond
the Black Power Salute: Athletic activism in the era of change*.
Thanks,
Duncan

Kaliss, Gregory J. *Beyond the Black Power Salute: Athletic Activism in an
Era of Change*. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2023. 248 pages.
Photos, Chapter Notes, Bibliography, Index. Hardcover, $110. Paperback,
$24.95. E-book available.



Reviewed by Richard C. Crepeau



The Sixties were a decade of considerable political and social activism in
Sport across the globe. In this well-written volume, Gregory J. Kaliss
analyses not only the defining moments of activism beginning at the 1968
Olympic Games, but takes the analysis across the next several decades. The
book is divided into five chapters plus an introduction and conclusion.
Each of the five chapters focuses on one particular area of sport and
protest.

Chapter One addresses what Kaliss terms the economics of sports and the
contribution of sport to economic uplift. Pointing out that the protests at
the Mexico City Olympics had an economic component, Kaliss moves to such
other examples as Jim Brown’s Black Economic Union, issues of equal pay for
women in tennis, and what he sees as the limitations inherent in the
acceptance of free market capitalism.

In Chapter Two the issue of women’s rights is the focus. Kaliss examines
women’s running and the push for acceptance socially along with equality of
access. The battle to gain entry for women into the Boston Marathon is the
vehicle used to examine the issue. Equality of access generally provides
the underlying context along with the social sanctions faced by women who
run.

Chapter Three turns to college athletics and the growth of African American
activism. The Mexico City Olympics and the emergence of Muhammed Ali as the
leading activist are the initial focal points. The NCAA provides a case
study for abuse of athletes, as does the ordeal of Charlie Scott the first
African American basketball player at the University of North Carolina.
Scott is caught between the pressures coming from the basketball culture
and the Black Power movement on campus and what each expects of Scott. The
case of the Wyoming 14 concludes this chapter.

In Chapter Four Kaliss offers a very interesting analysis of the Joe
Frazier/Muhammed Ali rivalry and how Ali was able to brand Frazier as an
“Uncle Tom.” This leads Kaliss into a discussion of the role of the African
American athlete as “Gladiator” and the debate over the definitions of
“manhood.”

Chapter Five may just be the most creative chapter in the book. Here Kaliss
looks at the history of the American Basketball Association as a reflection
of Hip-Hop Culture or perhaps even an origin point for Hip-Hop. He argues
that the ABA basketball style comes out of the New York playground games,
featuring the slam dunk and “an African American aesthetic rooted in
rhythmic sophistication, personal style, and improvisation.” (p.16) The
connections made in this chapter draw from multiple locations across a wide
span of African American popular culture, and some of best known of the ABA
stars with Dr. J the archetype.

The conclusion features an examination of the Curt Flood Case and the
limitations found in the results of Athletic Activism. The analysis of the
Flood Case lacks a full understanding of the details of the case and the
issues surrounding the challenge to free-agency. There are other minor
points in the book that come under the category of nit-picking.

Overall, this is a wonderful piece of work spanning the historical
landscape of the last seven decades. Anyone even remotely interested any of
the issues raised within Kaliss’ analysis should put *Beyond the Black
Power Salute* at the very top of their reading list.

Remember to smell the roses as you recumber past

Duncan R. Jamieson, Ph. D.
Professor of History
Book Review Editor
*AETHLON: The Journal of Sport Literature*
Ashland University
Ashland, OH  44805
USA
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