With the advent of mixed-martial arts in the United States during the 1990s, some historians and cultural studies have argued professional boxing is on a slow but steep decline. Even with professional boxing superstars like Floyd Mayweather, Jr and Manny Pacquiao who garner accolades from the mainstream media outlets, the sport lacks regulation due to an overwhelming number of governing bodies and has been criticized for the number of retired boxers who suffer from chronic traumatic brain injuries. How did the sport evolve to where it is now and why is it still prevalent to society? In Boxing: A Concise History of the Sweet Science, Gerald R. Gems offers a social history of boxing from ancient to contemporary times and argues the pervasiveness of the sport in Western culture - despite the medical and ethical issues surrounding it - can be explained by hegemony theory which stresses power is a mutual struggle by dominant and subordinate cultural groups to set the norms, values, and standards of a society. . . .Historians of sport and physical culture and boxing aficionados will find Gems’ book illuminating and a worthy read. Through a skillful blend of sociological and interpretive historical analysis, the author complements the cultural histories of the sweet science.
Aethlon: Journal of Sports Literature
06/01/2014
04/21/2014
From the books of 19th-century writers Pierce Egan and Henry Downes Miles to the various volumes by Nat Fleischer and other more recent boxing writers, there have been any number of histories of the so-called sweet science. Most of the more recent ones carefully trace the story of the heavyweight championship, covering the reigns of the giants—Sullivan, Johnson, Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, and Ali—and the lesser title holders. Occasionally.. . .to be more comprehensive, a book may include a brief treatment of the non-heavyweight champions. In any case, most have adopted a chronological approach to their subject. Gems takes a more sociological approach. After two chapters that cover the ancient beginnings and evolution of boxing, he offers five topical chapters in which he examines concerns central to modern historical and sociological inquiry: social class, race, ethnicity, religion, and gender. These chapters provide a useful lens through which to examine boxing. Particularly valuable are Gems's footnotes and bibliography, which offer detailed references for anyone who wants to dig deeper into secondary sources. This study will be useful to nonspecialists interested in sports in general as well as boxing. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates; general readers.
Gems provides a detailed and comprehensive insight into the historical development of the sport of boxing in his book.. . .It is both interesting and fun to read, as well as educational. Moreover, it has the potential to reach a wide scope of readers. The stories of boxing in Gems’ book will interest boxing fans and professionals as well as academics and researchers with little or no knowledge of the sport. Academics in the field of sport sociology may find this book particularly refreshing as it discusses the significance of fundamental sociological topics such as race, class, ethnicity and gender in the sport of boxing.
With the advent of mixed-martial arts in the United States during the 1990s, some historians and cultural studies have argued professional boxing is on a slow but steep decline. Even with professional boxing superstars like Floyd Mayweather, Jr and Manny Pacquiao who garner accolades from the mainstream media outlets, the sport lacks regulation due to an overwhelming number of governing bodies and has been criticized for the number of retired boxers who suffer from chronic traumatic brain injuries. How did the sport evolve to where it is now and why is it still prevalent to society? In Boxing: A Concise History of the Sweet Science, Gerald R. Gems offers a social history of boxing from ancient to contemporary times and argues the pervasiveness of the sport in Western culture - despite the medical and ethical issues surrounding it - can be explained by hegemony theory which stresses power is a mutual struggle by dominant and subordinate cultural groups to set the norms, values, and standards of a society.. . .Historians of sport and physical culture and boxing aficionados will find Gems’ book illuminating and a worthy read. Through a skillful blend of sociological and interpretive historical analysis, the author complements the cultural histories of the sweet science.
Aethlon: Journal of Sports Literature
In his fascinating book, Gerald R. Gems not only includes a historical account of boxing but also explores such issues as social class, race, ethnic rivalries, religious influences, gender issues and the growth of female boxing. The current debates over the moral and ethical issues relative to the sport are also scrutinized in this remarkable narrative.
In Boxing: A Concise History of the Sweet Science, Gerald R. Gems provides one of the most robust and ambitious history of the sport published to date.... In Boxing: A Concise History of the Sweet Science, Gems has provided a piece of boxing scholarship of immense value to students, academics, and fans alike. Its far-ranging scope is unrivaled. Several of the chapters not only summarize the existing consensus on issues like race and gender, but expand the existing history, pushing readers in new directions via the introduction of relatively unstudied personalities and geographies. In a genre dominated by histories of heavyweight champions, I found Gems’ willingness to discuss fighters in lighter weight classes very refreshing.... As both a scholar and a fan, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Sport in American History
In his fascinating book, Gerald R. Gems not only includes a historical account of boxing but also explores such issues as social class, race, ethnic rivalries, religious influences, gender issues and the growth of female boxing. The current debates over the moral and ethical issues relative to the sport are also scrutinized in this remarkable narrative.
From the books of 19th-century writers Pierce Egan and Henry Downes Miles to the various volumes by Nat Fleischer and other more recent boxing writers, there have been any number of histories of the so-called sweet science. Most of the more recent ones carefully trace the story of the heavyweight championship, covering the reigns of the giants—Sullivan, Johnson, Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, and Ali—and the lesser title holders. Occasionally.. . .to be more comprehensive, a book may include a brief treatment of the non-heavyweight champions. In any case, most have adopted a chronological approach to their subject. Gems takes a more sociological approach. After two chapters that cover the ancient beginnings and evolution of boxing, he offers five topical chapters in which he examines concerns central to modern historical and sociological inquiry: social class, race, ethnicity, religion, and gender. These chapters provide a useful lens through which to examine boxing. Particularly valuable are Gems's footnotes and bibliography, which offer detailed references for anyone who wants to dig deeper into secondary sources. This study will be useful to nonspecialists interested in sports in general as well as boxing. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates; general readers.
From the books of 19th-century writers Pierce Egan and Henry Downes Miles to the various volumes by Nat Fleischer and other more recent boxing writers, there have been any number of histories of the so-called sweet science. Most of the more recent ones carefully trace the story of the heavyweight championship, covering the reigns of the giants—Sullivan, Johnson, Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, and Ali—and the lesser title holders. Occasionally.. . .to be more comprehensive, a book may include a brief treatment of the non-heavyweight champions. In any case, most have adopted a chronological approach to their subject. Gems takes a more sociological approach. After two chapters that cover the ancient beginnings and evolution of boxing, he offers five topical chapters in which he examines concerns central to modern historical and sociological inquiry: social class, race, ethnicity, religion, and gender. These chapters provide a useful lens through which to examine boxing. Particularly valuable are Gems's footnotes and bibliography, which offer detailed references for anyone who wants to dig deeper into secondary sources. This study will be useful to nonspecialists interested in sports in general as well as boxing. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates; general readers.
