Learning to Win: Sports, Education, and Social Change in Twentieth-Century North Carolina

Learning to Win: How School Sports Reveal America's Social, Economic, and Racial Divides is a comprehensive and thought-provoking book that delves into the complex relationship between sports and education in North Carolina.

Through a richly detailed examination of athletic programs at state universities, public high schools, women's colleges, and African American educational institutions, author Pamela Grundy sheds light on the many meanings that school sports have taken on over the past century. The book explores the pleasures of athletics, from backyard basketball to state championship runs, while also examining conflicts provoked by sports within the state, including clashes over the growth of college athletics, the propriety of women's competition, and the connection between sports and racial integration. Through this chronicle, familiar athletic narratives take on new meanings, illuminating questions about race, manhood and womanhood, the purpose of education, and the structure of American society.

With a focus on the social, economic, and racial divides that shape America's sports landscape, Learning to Win is an essential read for anyone interested in understanding the complex relationship between sports and education.