Theresa Runstedtler (American University)
CURRENTS: Humanities Work Now Spring 2019
Location
Performing Arts & Humanities Building : 216
Date & Time
April 1, 2019, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Description
CURRENTS: Humanities Work Now lunchtime series showcases exciting new faculty work in the humanities in a dynamic and inter-disciplinary setting with short, informal presentations and time for discussion (Lunch will be served at 11:30am)
Theresa Runstedtler
Associate Professor of History, American University; 2018-2019 Dresher Center Inclusion Imperative Visiting Faculty Fellow
Associate Professor of History, American University; 2018-2019 Dresher Center Inclusion Imperative Visiting Faculty Fellow
Challenging Monopoly: Race and Labor in the NBA
Theresa Runstedtler will examine the efforts of professional basketball players to oppose the autocratic power of National Basketball Association (NBA) team owners during the 1970s. African American players were at the center of several antitrust lawsuits that fundamentally reshaped the relationship between players and team owners. The NBA fought back, blaming rising player salaries for pushing their teams into the red and courted the support of white fans who saw the young Black players as lazy, overpaid, and ungrateful. Basketball players not only took their grievances to the courts, but they also shared them with Senate and Congressional investigations and ultimately managed to gain a form of free agency.
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