{"podcast":{"title":"New Books in African American Studies","slug":"new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218","podcast_index_feed_id":614218,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/LIT9884742733","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/6ec4ef18-f161-11e8-aa0f-cb6d12c6835d/image/5571090387754d767d98f7128343781c.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":1943,"summary":"This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: newbooksnetwork.com Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies","last_synced_at":"2026-06-27T14:21:48.015468+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218"},"episode":{"title":"David Faflik, \"Segregation Games: Boston, Busing, and the Making of Red Sox Nation\" (U Massachusetts Press, 2026)","slug":"david-faflik-segregation-games-boston-busing-and-the-making-of-red-sox-nation-u-massachusetts-press-2026","published_at":"2026-05-27T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218/david-faflik-segregation-games-boston-busing-and-the-making-of-red-sox-nation-u-massachusetts-press-2026","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK6190967989.mp3","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK6190967989.mp3","summary":"A cultural history of race, resistance, and representation in a city divided by politics and playWhen outfielder Bernie Carbo joined the Red Sox in 1974, he brought with him a toy gorilla named Mighty Joe Young that became the team’s unofficial mascot for several players and many in the local press. This seemingly innocent stuffed animal was introduced within a baseball team notorious for its stubborn discrimination, and during a particularly fraught era of racial discord in Boston. That June, after years of activism from the city’s Black community, Judge W. Arthur Garrity Jr. ruled that Boston must address the segregation of its schools through redistricting and busing. The ensuing racial animus to these policies led some of the city’s white residents to throw bananas and chant monkey sounds at African American students as they integrated the predominantly white South Boston High School. In this agitated atmosphere, cultural symbols like the Red Sox’s Mighty Joe Young mirrored and amplified the heightened racial tensions of Boston’s busing crisis.Situated at the intersection of US cultural and social history, Segregation Games: Boston, Busing, and the Making of Red Sox Nation (U Massachusetts Press, 2026) examines the surprising ties in 1970s Boston between the racial segregation of the city’s schools and the racial controversies expressed on and off the field of “Red Sox Nation.” “I found out in the black community why they don’t come out [to Fenway Park],” explained Black player Reggie Smith of his experiences with the Red Sox and the city during this period. “The team was the last to get Black players, and some of the things I hear out in the stands make me sick.” To understand these connections, Faflik erases the lines between politics and sport, which routinely b…","meta_description":"A cultural history of race, resistance, and representation in a city divided by politics and playWhen outfielder Bernie Carbo joined the Red Sox in 1974,…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2463,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218/episodes/david-faflik-segregation-games-boston-busing-and-the-making-of-red-sox-nation-u-massachusetts-press-2026/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-african-american-studies-614218/david-faflik-segregation-games-boston-busing-and-the-making-of-red-sox-nation-u-massachusetts-press-2026.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}