Welcome to this biweekly newsletter, written by me, Corye Perez Beene, Ph.D. I am a United States History Professor and certified “sports nut.” I find the sports stories from the past to the present that celebrate the Awesomeness of American Sports.
Thank you for your support! I am so appreciative of YOU being here 😃
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Do you need help with research, writing, editing or curating stories for your newsletter or website? I can help! Email me at HistoryBeene@gmail.com
Sports HERstory
Lily Zhang won a Bronze Medal at the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Houston. It is the first world championship table tennis medal awarded to an American in 62 years. Zhang and her partner, Chinese player Lin Gaoyuan, continued a tradition of “ping pong” diplomacy where the United States and China have competed together since the Nixon Presidency.
To learn more about the impact of ping pong diplomacy on relations with China, read HERE and HERE
I love visual images, cartoons and old photos of women competing in sports. I came across an account in Instagram, @giantlegends which is a site about vintage women’s sports cards. Their avatar is one of my favorite female athletes, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, so I knew I had to delve deeper (I have done a podcast episode on Zaharias and will do another for Unsung History soon).
On their website, onhermark.com, there are cards to purchase. But the best part of the site is on the Blog. There is a short history that accompanies each highlighted card. Submissions include Wilma Rudolph (recipient of 3 gold medals at the 1960 Olympics), Helen Stephens (won 2 gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin) and Margaret Ives Abbot (1st woman to win an Olympic event, golf, at the 1900 Olympics in Paris). You absolutely should check it out! All of the photos below are from onhermark.com
Florida State won the 2021 NCAA D1 women’s soccer national championship last week. They defeated Brigham Young University 4-3 in PKs. Watch the last PK below:
Skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin made history last month when she tied the record for most World Cup records (46) in one discipline (slalom), held by Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden. I am looking forward to seeing her race in the Winter Olympics, beginning in February.
UCONN basketball phenom Paige Bueckers signed an endorsement deal with Gatorade. She is the first college athlete, male or female, to do so… The contract could bring her $1 million! Last season, she was the first freshman to earn the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, AP Player of the Year and USBWA Player of the Year. Unfortunately, she recently suffered a knee injury, keeping her from competing for 6-8 weeks. I wish her a speedy recovery.
TIME magazine named Simone Biles its “Athlete of the Year” for the attention she brought to mental health and the national conversation she started on the topic.
A Florida female High School player made 19 shots from the 3-point arc! Junior Hannah Kohn of Hagerty High School scored 66 points in her school’s win over Lyman last week. She set the record for most 3-pointers scored in a high school basketball game.
Stories that will make you smile
Congratulations to the California School for the Deaf Riverside football team. In their 68 year history, they had never reached a championship game - until this year! They played in the CIF Southern Section 8-man league title game. Even though they lost, they are winners. The entire team, including their coach, are deaf. They used sign language to communicate and watched the body language of their opponents. Their amazing feat has caught the attention of TV and movie producers!
“Slick” Eaton, a middle school basketball player and team manager for Dexter Middle School in Dexter, Missouri, scored 4 points in a game last week. Slick has Down Syndrome so when he entered the game, the crowd went wild. Watch him here:
Who knew that if you asked a pro hockey player to play “Rock Paper Scissors” with you for his hockey stick, he would do it?
I am putting it out there right now: hey Christian Pulisic! Can I play “Rock Paper Scissors” for the Team USA soccer jersey you wore when you scored against Mexico on Nov. 12?
Thank you for reading! Are you looking for a speaker for your next event or conference? I would love to share some sports history with your audience! Email me at historybeene@gmail.com