{"product_id":"something-in-the-air-american-passion-and-defiance-in-the-1968-mexico-city-olympics-paperback","title":"Something in the Air: American Passion and Defiance in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRichard Hoffer\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSomething in the Air \u003c\/em\u003eis Richard Hoffer's gripping sports narrative that tells the individual stories of the athletes who gathered in Mexico City in 1968, a year of dramatic upheaval around the world. Racial tensions were high on the U.S. Olympic team, where inflamed black athletes had to choose between demands for justice, on the one hand, and loyalty to country, on the other.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Although basketball star Lew Alcindor (later to become the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) decided not to participate, heavyweight boxer George Foreman not only competed and won a gold medal but waved a miniature American flag at foreign judges. Sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos became as famous for their raised-fist gestures of protest as for their speed on the track. No one was prepared for Bob Beamon's long jump, which broke the world record by a staggering twenty-two inches. And then there was Dick Fosbury, the goofball high jumper whose backward, upside-down approach to the bar (the \"Fosbury Flop\") baffled his coaches while breaking records.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Filled with human drama, \u003cem\u003eSomething in the Air\u003c\/em\u003e is a powerful, unforgettable tale that will resonate with sports fans and readers of social history alike. This edition features a new afterword by the author on the fiftieth anniversary of the Olympics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRichard Hoffer\u003c\/strong\u003e was a senior writer at \u003cem\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/em\u003e for nineteen years and is the author of \u003cem\u003eA Savage Business: The Comeback and Comedown of Mike Tyson\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eJackpot Nation\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eBouts of Mania: Ali, Frazier, and Foreman--and an America on the Ropes\u003c\/em\u003e. He lives in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRichard Hoffer\u003c\/b\u003e was a senior writer at \u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/i\u003e for nineteen years and is the author of \u003ci\u003eA Savage Business: The Comeback and Comedown of Mike Tyson\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eJackpot Nation\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eBouts of Mania: Ali, Frazier, and Foreman--and an America on the Ropes\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 276\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.62 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 01, 2018\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51760651239712,"sku":"9781496211774","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/2644c4b407c477d3e0a09057a5d1a66b.webp?v=1780185891","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/something-in-the-air-american-passion-and-defiance-in-the-1968-mexico-city-olympics-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}