Deep Dive | American 250
Sports in America
December 2025
Eager to learn more about U.S. History and the America 250 celebration? Carefully curated by local historians and academics, these modules (one for each month of the America 250 celebration) will offer a deep dive into various periods of U.S. History. These recommendations are offered as a free and optional resource with a corresponding list of books, podcast episodes, documentaries, and more that explore themes and specific timeframes within the history of our nation.
Please note: These resources are offered as an optional learning opportunity and are not a required part of any America 250 programs. All reading and viewing materials are optional and meant to enrich your personal learning experience. Some topics may be thought-provoking or sensitive, but all have been curated with care and respect. We invite you to engage with what interests you and explore at your own pace as we commemorate our nation's past.
These Deep Dives continue in the month of December with a look at the history of sports in the United States.
Thank you for joining us!

GENERAL INTEREST BOOKS
- People's History of Sports in the United States: 250 Years of Politics, Protest, People, and Play - Dave Zirin
- The Sports Book (DK Sports Guides)
- A History of American Sports in 100 Objects- Cait Murphy
- Shades of Glory: The Negro Leagues and the Story of African-American Baseball-Lawrence D. Hogan
- America's First Olympics: The St. Louis Games of 1904-George R. Matthews
DEEP DIVE
- Friday Night Lights - H.G. Bissinger
- The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics - Daniel James Brown
- Seabiscuit: An American Legend - Laura Hillenbrand
- Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II - Anne R. Keene
- The Sweet Science - A.J. Liebling
- Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series- Eliot Asinof
- In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle - Madeleine Blais
KID & YOUNG ADULTS
- National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Sports - James Buckley Jr.
- The Most Inspiring Sports Stories Of All Time For Kids!: The Ultimate Sport Book For Kids - Michael Langdon
- Weird But True Sports: 300 Wacky Facts About Awesome Athletics - National Geographic Kids
- The Wildest Race Ever: The Story of the 1904 Olympic Marathon - Meghan McCarthy
LITERATURE & HISTORICAL FICTION
- The Natural - Bernard Malamud
- A River Runs Through It and Other Stories - Norman Maclean
- Paper Lion - George Plimpton
- Bang the Drum Slowly - Mark Harris
- The Best American Sports Writing Of The Century-David Halberstam
- Shoeless Joe - W. P. Kinsella
- The Bingo Long Traveling All Stars And Motor Kings-William Brashler

- The Sandlot (1993) PG
- Remember the Titans (2000) PG
- Miracle (2004) PG
- Hoosiers (1987) PG
- The Iron Claw (2023) R
- Friday Night Lights (2006-11) TV-14
- Rocky (1976) PG
- Field of Dreams (1989) PG
- A League of their Own (1992) PG
- The Natural (1984) 13+
- Race (2016) PG-13
- Breaking Away (1979) PG
- Pride of the Yankees (1943) NR
- Battle of the Sexes (2017) PG-13




- Eccles A.P.E.X. - Richard Ian Kimball
- 2002 Olympic Records
- Olympic Legacy
- Sports in Zion: Mormon Recreation - Richard Ian Kimball
- BYU vs. Utah: A Decade of Drama: Inside the greatest era in Holy War History - Colby Newton
- Dragons in the Snow: Avalanche Detectives and the Race to Beat Death in the Mountains - Ed Power
- Red Stockings and Out-of-Towners: Sports in Utah - Stanford J. Layton (Editor)
- Utah Gymnastics: Red Rocks Retrospective