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| The
Joe Louis v. Max Schmeling Fight |
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| Joe
Louis was one of the first athletes to become a
hero to both black and white audiences in the United
States. He held the world heavyweight title for
longer than anyone—for 12 years. On June 19,
1936 in the Yankee Stadium (New York), he was defeated
by German fighter Max Schmeling in the twelfth round.
The loss devastated many Black Americans who had
admired him, a seemingly invincible man who showed
he could compete with the best white fighters. |
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By
the time Schmeling and Louis met for a rematch
in June 22 1938, Schmeling had come to symbolize
Hitler’s dictatorship and the Nazi agenda
while Lewis had come to symbolize American democracy
to many Americans. The fight foreshadowed both
World War II and the civil rights struggles to
come.
It
was later discovered that Schmeling had hidden
two Jewish brothers, Henri and Werner Levin, in
his hotel room during the violent Kristallnacht
pogrom in Berlin. He later referred to this as
"the duty of a man," and never discussed
his deeds until the Levins publically credited
him with their survival in 1989. He and Louis
reconciled later in life, and Schmeling often
loaned Louis money, even paying for the boxer's
funeral in 1981. |
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| Resources |
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Film:
"The Fight" a PBS Documentary
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/fight/filmmore/index.html
The June 22, 1938 fight between American Joe Louis
and German Max Schmeling was much more than a boxing
match; it was an historic event freighted with symbolic
significance, both a harbinger of the civil rights
movement and a prelude to World War II. |
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Article:
Deford, Frank and Anita Verschoth. “Almost
a Hero.” 95.22 (13 December 2001): 64-76*
http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=5570988
This article discusses Schmeling as both a propaganda
icon and a man. Deford and Verschoth focus on Schmeling’s
life following his loss to Louis, highlighting the
indignities he suffered due to his rejection by
the Nazi party.
*Available via AcademicSearch |
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Article:
Wiesbort, Robert and Hedderich Norbert. "Max
Schmeling." History Today 43.1 (1993): 36-43*
Righteous
ring warrior? History has him down as the Nazi
boxer blasted by the Brown Bomber, Joe Louis;
but Robert Weisbord and Norbert Hedderich offer
a different interpretation of Max Schmeling's
life and motives.The article also discusses the
ways that Schmeling (willingly or not) was used
as an icon by Nazi propagandists. The author does
a particularly nice job of highlighting the ambiguities
surrounding Schmeling's positions on the Nazis
and Hitler.
*Available online via Research Port. |
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Headlines:
"Joe Louis Smashes Schmeling: Full Story
of Amazing Two-Minute Fight"
The Evening Standard, London.
Tursday, June 23, 1938
http://www.boxinggyms.com/news/louis_schmeling1938/standard_cover.htm
JOE
LOUIS is still heavy-weight champion of the world.
He beat his challenger, Max Schmeling, in one
murderous round, after one of the most amazing
title fights in history, at the Yankee Stadium,
New York, last night. |
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Multimedia:
Ringside Radio "The Rematch"
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/fight/sfeature/sf_radio_pop_1938_intro.html
Over
70 million Americans listened to the second match
between boxers Joe Louis and Max Schmeling --
the biggest radio audience to that date for a
single program. NBC radio announcer Clem McCarthy
delivered a blow-by-blow account, as he had two
years prior, for the first Louis-Schmeling fight. |
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Book:
Chris Mead. 1995. Champion Joe Louis: A Biography.
London: Robson Books
Joe Louis (1914-1981), probably the greatest boxer
of all time, was the Michael Jordan of sports when
sports were affiliated more closely with American
national identity than with the New York Stock Exchange.
Although his celebrity status was largely the work
of the media and of gangster managers, Louis received
public attention unheralded for a black man at that
time. His iconic shaping was defined by the only
other black heavyweight champion before him, Jack
Johnson. Louis was modest and compassionate where
Johnson was ostentatious and prone to alcohol-induced
violence (Johnson spent many years in exile after
his 1913 conviction under the Mann Act for transporting
a white woman across state lines for immoral purposes).
After proving himself the best fighter in the world,
Louis was conditionally allowed the status of celebrity
and star symbol. Even so, the subtitle is somewhat
deceiving in that Mead's research demonstrates that
Louis faced the animosity of white writers and the
general public throughout his career. Paradoxically,
what propelled Louis to the status of American hero
was nationalism: the fact that he beat Max Schmeling,
the sporting world's symbol of Nazi Germany, in
a second try on June 22, 1938. Given all the wanton
carelessness of athletes, coaches and others in
past seasons, this book is a timely look at the
concept of fandom in America at a time when the
stakes were much higher and contract prices much
lower. (Publishers Weekly) |
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[Last
updated on
August 22, 2005
]
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