Gems publishes various works about sports history and gives talk

Gerald Gems, North Central College professor of health and physical education, recently published two essays, an e-book, two articles and gave a presentation in Copenhagen.

His two essays, titled “The Gilded Age and Progressive Era, 1865-1920” and “Historians Take on Ethnicity, Race, and Sport,” were published in “Companion to American Sport History,” edited by Steven A. Riess and published by Wiley Blackwell.

His e-book, titled “Blood and Guts to Glory: A History of Sports,” was published with Total Health Publications of Oslo, Norway. The first video text in sport history, his work includes videos of how ancient and modern games have been played and looks at the cultural background in which the sports have been played.

In addition, he co-authored an article titled “Women Boxers: Actresses to Athletes—The Role of Vaudeville in Early Women’s Boxing in the USA.” It was published online in the International Journal of the History of Sport and a print version will follow. He authored a second article, titled “A Place on the Team: Italian Americans in Sport,” that was published in the summer issue of Italian America Magazine.

On Aug. 22, Gems gave a presentation titled “Globalization: Processes, Power, Issues, and Ethics” at the University of Copenhagen summer school for graduate students in Denmark.

Gems has been a member of North Central College’s faculty since 1988. He earned his B.A. from Northeastern Illinois University, his M.S. from the University of Arizona and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.