Legendary Sports Writers of the Golden Age

Grantland Rice, Red Smith, Shirley Povich, and W. C. Heinz

By (author) Lee Congdon

Hardback - £35.00

Publication date:

05 May 2017

Length of book:

170 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442277519

During the 1920s—the Golden Age of sports—sports writers gained their own recognition while covering such athletes as Babe Ruth, Bobby Jones, Jack Dempsey, and Red Grange. The top journalists of the era were the primary means by which fans learned about their favorite teams and athletes, and their popularity and importance in the sports world continued for decades.

Legendary Sports Writers of the Golden Age: Grantland Rice, Red Smith, Shirley Povich, and W. C. Heinz details the lives and careers of four sports-writing greats and the iconic athletes and events they covered. Although these writers established themselves during the 1920s, their careers extended well into the decades that followed. They reported on Jesse Owens, Joe Louis, Sandy Koufax, Arnold Palmer, and many other stars from the 1920s and beyond. Lee Congdon examines not only the lives and careers of Rice, Smith, Povich, and Heinz, but the distinctive writing style that each of them developed. Taken together, these four writers lifted sports reporting to heights that it is unlikely to reach again.

This book brings to life the greatest era in sports history, as seen through the eyes of four legendary sports writers. Sports fans, historians, and those interested in sports journalism will all find this a fascinating and informative look at a time when the sports world was at its peak.
Congdon’s ability to demonstrate effectively why these sports writers were so captivating makes Legendary Sports Writers for the Golden Age a worthwhile contribution to the history of American sports and sports journalism. By bringing to life some of the most iconic and significant moments in sports history through the eyes of its most talented scribes, Congdon’s work encourages the types of debates among readers that fueled the successes of Rice, Smith, Povich, and Heinz.