ABOUT THIS BOOK

In this groundbreaking study, Marvin T. Chiles uncovers how amateur Black football and basketball in segregated Virginia became powerful tools of resistance against white supremacy. Spanning from the 1890s to the 1970s, Chiles reveals how sports at HBCUs and in Black communities fostered leadership, pride, and unity—laying cultural foundations for the Civil Rights Movement. A compelling read for anyone interested in the intersection of race, sports, and social change.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Marvin T. Chiles is associate professor of African American history at Old Dominion University. Chiles is author of The Struggle to Change: Race and the Politics of Reconciliation in Modern Richmond. He serves on the editorial board for the Journal of African American Studies and the board of directors for the Virginia Forum.

REVIEWS

"Chiles examines the history of football and basketball in Virginia from the late nineteenth century to the 1970s—specifically, the role African Americans played in cultivating and developing athletes, teams, and leaders at HBCUs that facilitated opportunity, confidence, and pride in numerous communities throughout this state during segregation." —Charles K. Ross, author of Outside the Lines: African Americans and the Integration of the National Football League— -

"[Playing for Power] is a beneficial contribution to the historiographies of both HBCUs and amateur athletics more broadly. . . . Its argument is clear, as is its grasp on the historiography. The book is readable and interesting." —Thomas Aiello, author of Hoops: A Cultural History of Basketball in America and The Kings of Casino Park: Black Baseball in the Lost Season of 1932— -

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Figures

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1. The Institutions, 1865–1927

Chapter 2. The Leadership, 1910–1929

Chapter 3. The Game, 1930–1944

Chapter 4. The Controversies, 1932–1951

Chapter 5. The Integration, 1951–1970

Coda: The Bygone Days are Gone, 1970–Present

Notes

Bibliography

Index