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Foreword P rofessors andré douglas pond cummings and Anne Marie Lofaso, the editors of this book, are no strangers to me. Having known them and their work for several years, I have marveled at their intellect, their dedication to clarifying and solving societal problems, and their academic productivity. Their 2007 symposium at the West Virginia University College of Law, where some of the leading academics, practitioners, and critics of sports focused on gender issues, racism, drugs, commercialization, and labor issues, was a landmark event in the mounting struggle to address critical social issues in connection with sports. While it appears that the entire spectrum of sports at all levels in the United States enjoys unprecedented recognition, acclaim, and individual participation, very little attention is paid to sports’ dark side—the side where men and women are consumed and driven into dire straits by the continuing destructive forces of racism, sexism, and class conflict. Any significant failure to recognize and address these serious societal problems can only serve to worsen the case for developing, changing, and strengthening the positive role of sports in society for the future. Over the years since my clenched fist salute on the 200 meters victory stand at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, as a demonstration against racism, sexism, and oppression around the world, I have continually spoken out against any manifestation of injustice in and around sports in American society and throughout the world. Doing so is to continue the history of sportsmen as standard-bearers for improving societal conditions and eliminating the legacy of discrimination and inequity in sports and society. Reversing Field: Examining Commercialization, Labor, Gender, and Race in 21st-Century Sports Law is a vital contribution to defining the need for change. It provides a vast body of information for a more accurate and reliable analysis and understanding of the issues that lead to formulating worthy, effective solutions extending beyond the boundaries of sports and into solving problems in the larger society. Since 1968, a body of work such as Reversing Field has been missing from the formula for accurately and effectively attacking historical problems in connection with sports. Such discussions are critical for thwarting the perpetuation of malignant variations of oppressive social policies and practices that are mostly apparent to the students and presenters of scientific studies. This book does not just use sports to characterize and decry problems and social ills that continue to confront and confound our basic institutions. Even as great progress is made in xi Jo hn Carlos sports and the general society, this book proposes well-crafted solutions for resolving problems in sports and the broader society. Reversing Field is both timely and relevant. The social psychological analyses are particularly insightful in light of the rash of exploding drug use in sports and the larger society, as well as the explosion of criminal violence and the paucity of developing controls and solutions in sports and society. The underlying forces driving negative perceptions, judgments, and decisions against minorities and women in sports translate in similar ways to the difficulties and discriminations in larger society and parallel the experiences of minorities and women globally. The broad collection of articles captured in this work constitutes a veritable library of analyses for exploring the most serious problems threatening society as they are uniquely presented through sports, but also are concretely indicative of the course of our society. Professors Anne Marie Lofaso and andré douglas pond cummings, I salute your valuable contributions to our continuing struggle. Dr. John Carlos ...

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