Awesome American Sports

Just Great American sports stories

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 😃

Follow me on Twitter: @HistoryBeene or LinkedIn: coryebeene

Do you need freelance help with research, writing, editing or proofreading stories for your newsletter or website? I can help! Email me at HistoryBeene@gmail.com

Sports History

• Ever wondered if any of our presidents were athletes? Yes they were! President Lincoln was a wrestler, Eisenhower was a running back and Reagan was a swimmer, to name a few… Read more about Presidents and their sports HERE

Photo credit: from foxnews.com - Kennedy on the swim team (3rd from left top row)

Photo credit: from fordlibrarymuseum.gov - Ford on the Michigan Wolverines football team - member of National Championship team in 1932 and 1933

• Angela Baker became the first female coach in New York Giants history. She was hired last month as an Offensive Assistant Coach. She had been the kickers and punters, special teams and defensive quality control coach for the University of Redlands, a Division III program in Southern California.

Photo credit: pittsburgh.cbslocal.com

• Ayoka Lee of the Kansas State Wildcats scored 61 points in her game against the Oklahoma Sooners. It was the most points ever scored by a player in a NCAA Division I women’s basketball game. The 6’6 center was 23-of-30 from the field (76.7%) and 15-of-17 from the foul line (88.2%).

Photo credit: ksnt.com

• Crazy money spent on sports memorabilia:

  *Tom Brady’s rookie card sold on Ebay for $2.3 million

  

*A 1984 ticket from Michael Jordan’s first game as a Chicago Bull sold for $468,000

Photo credit: upi.com

*Michael Jordan’s Air Jordans from the Bulls loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on April 1, 1986 sold for $675,000

Photo credit: HA.com

*The jersey that Mickey Mantle wore in his last game as a New York Yankee went for $2.19 million

Photo credit: nypost.com

*A ticket stub from the debut game of Jackie Robinson with the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers sold for $480,000 (the most expensive collectable ticket in history)

Photo credit: espn.com

• Congratulations to DeMar DeRozan who became the first player in NBA history to score 35+ points on 50%+ FG shooting in 7 straight games!

  

  Photo credit: twitter.com

• Congratulations to Coach Gregg Popovich for reaching an NBA milestone: the only coach to have 1,500 wins in his career!

  

  Photo credit: businessinsider.com

  Cool Tweets

Baseball by BSmile @BSmile

New York #Yankees legends Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig take batting practice back in the day! They even shared the same bat! #MLB #Baseball #History

Babes Off the Bench @babesoffthebnch

Put women’s sports on TV!!

Baseball by BSmile @BSmile

Today In 1927: Babe Ruth becomes the highest paid player in the game when the New York #Yankees agree to pay him $70,000 per season! (Three-year/$210K contract - what a bargain!) #MLB #Baseball #History

U.S. Soccer MNT @USMNT

.@ChampionsLeague goal No. 6 for @cpulisic_10 ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️

Front Office Sports @FOS

The XFL and NFL have announced a partnership to expand opportunities for player development both on and off the field. With a focus on innovation in health/safety, other avenues include: ➖ International development ➖ Testing of rules for player protection ➖ Officiating tech

Stories that make you smile

• San Antonio Holmes High School made one special education student so happy last month. He got into the final home basketball game and scored! Watch the story HERE

Photo credit: expressnews.com

• The Black Women’s Player Collective is a group of black National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) players committed to celebrating and recruiting black females to the game of soccer. Here is their mission statement:

We aim to elevate the image, value and representation of black women as athletes and leaders across industries. Ultimately, establishing a network of support that expands access to diverse career paths before and after playing. Through education, mentorship and community development we aim to provide black girls with direct access to soccer at every level.

• I have written in past newsletters about the generosity former NBA superstar/current TNT host Shaquille O’Neal has shown others. This time, he bought a family of eleven not one but TWO new vehicles! He purchased a new 12 seat passenger van from the Mercedes dealership and then when he found out their other vehicle didnt have AC/heat in it, he bought them a new second truck!

Photo credit: autoevolution.com

• We should all heed Adonis Lattimore’s advice:

"Really if you work hard, you can do anything — even win a state championship without legs"

Lattimore was born with no right leg, a left leg that ends at the middle of his thigh and only one finger on his right hand. He won first place in the Virginia High School League Class 6, 106-pound weight class for wrestling.

Photo credit: pilotonline.com

• Jennifer Dehart lost her son in a tragic accident last year. His basketball teammates give her a hug before the start of each game.

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