Background
Gerald R. Gems was born on March 21, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. He is a son of Gerald Julius and Frances Ann Gems.
Harry S Truman College, Chicago, Illinois, United States
In 1975 Gerald R. Gems received an Associate degree from Mayfair Junior College (now Harry S Truman College).
Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, Illinois, United States
In 1977 Gerlad R. Gems obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northeastern Illinois University.
University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States
In 1980 Gerald R. Gems gained a Master of Science degree from the University of Arizona.
University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, maryland, United States
In 1989 Gerald R. Gems received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.
(Sports history has emerged as a popular study over the pa...)
Sports history has emerged as a popular study over the past quarter century, and scholars have fueled this interest by providing a wealth of information on baseball and its role in American culture. Despite this increasing focus on the connection between sports and societal values, football, the sport that emerged in the late nineteenth century and merged the values of winning and commercialization with the culture of higher education, has been left relatively unexplored. This gap in sports history has left many questions unanswered, including football's link to American cultural values. Gerald R. Gems has filled this gap in sports history with his latest title, For Pride, Profit, and Patriarchy: Football and the Incorporation of American Cultural Values. This intriguing resource covers a host of issues including the rise of football, football and feminism, militarism and leadership training, and multiculturalism in football. A broad and comprehensive analysis of the ways in which football addressed the cultural and ideological tensions within American society during its period of development and consolidation after the Civil War, this study is ideal for everyone from the football enthusiast to the general reader.
https://www.amazon.com/Pride-Profit-Patriarchy-Football-Incorporation/dp/0810836858/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=For+Pride%2C+Profit%2C+and+Patriarchy%3A+Football+and+the+In-corporation+of+American+Cultural+Values&qid=1581064294&s=books&sr=1-1-fkmr0
2000
(The Athletic Crusade is the first book to systematically ...)
The Athletic Crusade is the first book to systematically analyze the role of sports in the expansion of U.S. empire from the 1890s through World War II. Gerald R. Gems details how white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant males set the standard for inclusion within American society, transferred that standard to foreign territories, and subtly used American sports to instill allegedly desirable racial, moral, and commercial virtues in colonial subjects. In the realm of such expansion, sports provided a less harsh, less militaristic means of instilling belief in a dominant system’s values and principles than more overt methods such as war.
https://www.amazon.com/Athletic-Crusade-American-Cultural-Imperialism/dp/0803245335/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+athletic+crusade&qid=1581064466&s=books&sr=1-1
2006
(Since the nineteenth century the USA has served as an int...)
Since the nineteenth century the USA has served as an international model for business, lifestyle and sporting success. Yet whilst the language of sport seems to be universal, American sports culture remains highly distinctive. Why is this so? How should we understand American sport? What can we learn about America by analyzing its sports culture? Understanding American Sports offers discussion and critical analysis of the everyday sporting and leisure activities of "ordinary" Americans as well as the ‘big three’ (football, baseball, basketball), and elite sports heroes. Throughout the book, the development of American sport is linked to political, social, gender and economic issues, as well as the orientations and cultures of the multilayered American society with its manifold regional, ethnic, social, and gendered diversities. Topics covered include: American college sports the influence of immigrant populations the unique status of American football the emergence of women’s sport in the USA With co-authors from either side of the Atlantic, Understanding American Sports uses both the outsider’s perspective and that of the insider to explain American sports culture. With its extensive use of examples and illustrations, this is an engrossing and informative resource for all students of sports studies and American culture.
https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-American-Sports-Gerald-Gems-ebook/dp/B002NXORGU/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Understanding+American+Sports&qid=1581064527&s=books&sr=1-1
2008
(Sports in American History: From Colonization to Globaliz...)
Sports in American History: From Colonization to Globalization journeys from the early American past to the present to give students a compelling grasp of the historical evolution of American sporting practices. This text provides students with insights that will allow them to develop new and alternative perspectives, examine sport as a social and cultural phenomenon, generate a better understanding of current sport practices, and consider future developments in sport in American life.
https://www.amazon.com/Sports-American-History-Colonization-Globalization/dp/0736056211/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Sports+in+American+History%3A+From+Colonization+to+Globalization&qid=1581064909&s=books&sr=1-2
2008
(An interdisciplinary analysis of the role of sport in the...)
An interdisciplinary analysis of the role of sport in the formation of an ethnic identity and the transition in that identity across four generations.
https://www.amazon.com/Shaping-Italian-American-Identity-Entertainment/dp/0815633416/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Sport+and+the+Shaping+of+Italian-American+Identity&qid=1581064761&s=books&sr=1-1
2013
(In Boxing: A Concise History of the Sweet Science, Gerald...)
In Boxing: A Concise History of the Sweet Science, Gerald R. Gems provides a succinct yet wide ranging treatment of the sport, covering boxing’s ancient roots and its evolution, modernization, and global diffusion. The book 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 discussed. While the primary coverage of the political, social, and cultural impacts of boxing focuses on the United States, Gems’ examination encompasses the sport on a global level, as well.
https://www.amazon.com/Boxing-Concise-History-Sweet-Science/dp/144222990X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Boxing%3A+A+Concise+History+of+the+Sweet+Science&qid=1581065088&s=books&sr=1-1
2014
(This interdisciplinary case study invokes historical, soc...)
This interdisciplinary case study invokes historical, sociological, and anthropological means to examine the ascendance of the United States to a world power in its first imperial venture. In the aftermath of the Spanish-American War of 1898, the U.S. acquired and occupied the Philippine Islands for nearly a half-century in an attempt to install a democratic form of government, a capitalist economy, the Protestant religion, and a particular value system. Sport became a primary means to achieve such goals, fostered initially by the military, and then widely promoted in the schools and the YMCA. Competitive programs, including international athletic spectacles, channeled Filipino nationalism against Asian rivals rather than the American occupiers as guerrilla warfare ensued in the islands. The strategies learned in the Philippines, now known as "soft power" remain prominent factors in current American foreign policy.
https://www.amazon.com/Sport-American-Occupation-Philippines-Bayonets-ebook/dp/B01K8TVHUE/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Sport+and+the+American+Occupation+of+the+Philippines%3A+Bats%2C+Balls%2C+and+Bayonets&qid=1581065175&s=books&sr=1-1
2016
(This study uses sociological and historical methodologies...)
This study uses sociological and historical methodologies to analyze the role of sport in the formation of urban identity in Chicago. The author traces the transformation of Chicago from a frontier town to a commercial behemoth, examining its role as an immigration, transportation, and entertainment hub. The author argues that, as a pioneering leader in American sport history, Chicago allowed teams and athletes to forge a unique national and global identity. This thorough and well-researched study makes a major contribution to debates on the social and psychological functions of sport culture.
https://www.amazon.com/Sport-Shaping-Identity-Chicago-Culture-ebook/dp/B084F2M1F9/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Sport+and+the+Shaping+of+Civic+Identity+in+Chicago&qid=1581065241&s=books&sr=1-1
2020
Gerald R. Gems was born on March 21, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. He is a son of Gerald Julius and Frances Ann Gems.
In 1975 Gerald R. Gems received an Associate degree from Mayfair Junior College (now Harry S Truman College). In 1977 he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northeastern Illinois University. In 1980 Gems gained a Master of Science degree from the University of Arizona. In 1989 he received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.
From 1978 to 1979 Gerald R. Gems was a physical education teacher, department head, and athletic director at a school in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. From 1979 to 1985 he served as a teacher of history and physical education, a head of physical education department, and an athletic director at schools in Claremont, California.
From 1988 to 1994 Gems was an assistant professor at North Central College, an associate professor from 1994 to 1999, and was appointed a professor of health and physical education in 1999. He also worked as a head coach for football, track, basketball, baseball, and softball teams.
Currently, he is a professor of kinesiology emeritus at North Central College. He is the past president of the North American Society for Sport History and the current vice-president of the International Society for the History of Physical Education and Sport. Gems has also been an invited visiting professor at the National Sports University in Beijing, China.
In addition to teaching classes at North Central College, he serves as the Sport Studies coordinator for the graduate program and is the faculty mentor to the softball team. He has authored more than 200 publications, including nineteen books.
(Sports in American History: From Colonization to Globaliz...)
2008(Sports history has emerged as a popular study over the pa...)
2000(This interdisciplinary case study invokes historical, soc...)
2016(An interdisciplinary analysis of the role of sport in the...)
2013(This study uses sociological and historical methodologies...)
2020(Since the nineteenth century the USA has served as an int...)
2008(The Athletic Crusade is the first book to systematically ...)
2006(In Boxing: A Concise History of the Sweet Science, Gerald...)
2014Gerald R. Gems is a member of the Organization of American Historians, the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, the National Association of Sport and Physical Education, Sport Sociology Academy, Sport Art Academy, Sport Philosophy Academy, National Association for Girls' and Women’s Sport, Curriculum and Instruction Academy, Professional Football Researchers Association, National Geographic Society, National Association for Ethnic Studies, Chicago Historical Society, Phi Theta Kappa, Phi Alpha Epsilon.
On June 25, 1977, Gerald R. Gems married Deborah Lynn Coy. On October 1, 1996, they divorced and have two children: Brooke Allison, Sean Christopher.