This all-in-one resource provides a wide-ranging overview of the history of race relations in American sports, from the nation's decades of segregation to today's thoroughly integrated teams and sports. It explores the history of minority involvement in sports at every level: the barriers broken, the stereotypes that have been shattered, and the challenges that many athletes of color still face.

The volume opens by providing extensive background on the topic of race and sports in American history before moving on to an extended discussion of specific controversies, problems, and events related to race and sports. Essays from a range of perspectives on the intersection of sports and race are featured, as well as biographical profiles of notable individuals and organizations, a detailed chronology of events, an annotated bibliography of sources fur further study, and a glossary of terms.