The Statues and Legacies of Combat Athletes in the Americas

The violence of combat sports left a mark on how fans and communities remembered athletes. As individual endeavors, combat sports have often produced more detailed, emotionally poignant, and deeply personal stories of triumph than those associated with team sports. Commemorative statues to combat athletes are therefore unique as historical markers and sites of memory. These statues tell remarkable stories not just of the athletes themselves, but also the people and communities that planned and built them; the cities and towns that memorialized them; the fans who followed them; and the evolution of memory and place in the decades that followed their inauguration. Edited by C. Nathan Hatton and David M. K. Sheinin, The Statues and Legacies of Combat Athletes in the Americas brings together an interdisciplinary team of scholars from across North America to interrogate the intimate and layered meanings attached to these monuments to the life and legacies of some of the world?s best known combat athletes.

A fascinating discussion of the intersection between art, sports, ethnicity, and public spaces. The contributors to this volume bring to life the absorbing stories behind the bronze statues of boxing and wrestling champions and their ties to local communities, past and present. Highly recommended.