Kansas City vs. Oakland: The Bitter Sports Rivalry That Defined an Era (Sport and Society)

Product Description

A driving ambition linked Oakland and Kansas City in the 1960s. Each city sought the national attention and civic glory that came with being home to professional sports teams. Their successful campaigns to lure pro franchises ignited mutual rivalries in football and baseball that thrilled hometown fans. But even Super Bowl victories and World Series triumphs proved to be no defense against urban problems in the tumultuous 1960s and 1970s. Matthew C. Ehrlich tells the fascinating history of these iconic sports towns. From early American Football League battles to Oakland’s deft poaching of baseball’s Kansas City Athletics, the cities emerged as fierce opponents from Day One. Ehrlich weaves a saga of athletic stars and folk heroes like Len Dawson, Al Davis, George Brett, and Reggie Jackson with a chronicle of two cities forced to confront the wrenching racial turmoil, labor conflict, and economic crises that arise when soaring aspirations collide with harsh realities.Colorful and thought-provoking, Kansas City vs. Oakland breaks down who won and who lost when big-time sports came to town.

Review

Rating: 5 of 5 stars (outstanding) One of the best professional football rivalries from the 1960s through the 1970s was the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders. . . . There was a bitter history between the two cities in baseball as well, and how these two sports connect with the local politics of both cities is told in this excellent book by Matthew C. Ehrlich. While the book is geared more toward readers who prefer scholarly works, the narrative is not like that format at all – indeed, it is a quick and easy read that all readers will easily digest. . . . One doesn’t have to be a fan of Kansas City or Oakland teams to enjoy this book. History and sports buffs who enjoy reading about those topics from the 1960s and 1970s will love this book. Highly recommended for those readers with those interests, as well as fans of those four teams. – Lance Smith, sportsbookguy.blogspot.com

A compelling, detailed, and exceedingly well-documented story of big-league aspirations, outsized owners, legendary athletes, and the pitfalls of considering professional sports as a kind of civic panacea. – Richard Black, Sports Literature Association

Recommended for anyone who is a fan of either team, lives in the surrounding areas, or has an interest in the impact of sports on a city (and vice versa). – Malcolm Avenue Review

A detailed, absorbing look at the teams and players that pleased fans in Kansas City and Oakland in a tumultuous decade. – Bob D’Angelo, The Sports Bookie

Very readable and likely to be of interest to Chiefs and Raiders fans who want a better understanding of the social context surrounding the early years of their teams. – Shane Richmond, Pigskin Books

About the Author

Matthew C. Ehrlich is a professor emeritus of journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His books include
Heroes and Scoundrels: The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture and
Radio Utopia: Postwar Audio Documentary in the Public Interest.