Root for the Home Team
March 20, 2020
With some of the biggest professional sports events of the year canceled and many K-12 and college teams on hiatus, today's Movement of Ideas Kit is here to fill the void.
- Dial-a-Speaker to speak directly with some of HK's scholar for short, condensed 15 minute mini-presentations about sports topics, including "The Kansas Whirlwind" Pete Mehringer, the Kansas City Monarchs, and common and quirky sports mascots of Kansas.
- Watch HK's “History of Sports” Mini-Film Fest to take a look back at the evolution of some of Kansas’s sports traditions, both old and new.
- Enjoy a ballpark snack at home.
Talk directly with public scholars studying the history of Kansas sports. HK can connect you virtually or via the phone with the three presenters below for a mini-presentation (up to 15 minutes). Just email abigail@humanitieskansas.org to set up a time to chat.
- Laura Hartley is available to tell the story of "The Kansas Whirlwind: Pete Mehringer and Sports of the Depression Era." Laura is a public historian and former Co-Director of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in Wichita.
- Phil S. Dixon is available to share the story of “The Kansas Monarchs in Your Hometown." Phil is Co-founder of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
- Jordan Poland is available to talk about “The Common and Quirky Mascots of Kansas." Jordan is the CEO/President of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in Wichita.
Watch a "History of Sport" Mini-Film Fest
These documentary shorts, created by recipients of Humanities Kansas “Humanities for All” Grants, give us a brief glimpse into the wide world of Kansas sports history.
Watch Oil and Gold: The McPherson Globe Refiners Basketball Story
Travel back in time to the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, where the U.S. basketball team included players from McPherson’s Globe Refiners basketball time. “Oil and Gold: The McPherson Globe Refiners Basketball Story” details the physical and ideological challenges faced by the players. Produced by the McPherson Convention and Visitors’ Bureau.
Questions for Discussion:
- What led to the Globe Refiners success on the court? At the Olympics?
- Where did the phrase “the dunk” come from? Why do you think both the move and the phrase caught on?
- What does the Globe Refiners’ story tell us about the role of sports during times of adversity?
Watch the story of Garden City High School’s transformation from a football school to a “futbol” school after an influx of students from Mexico and Central America created a championship soccer team in the southwest Kansas community. Produced by Via Dolorosa and Justicia, Inc.
Questions for Discussion
- In Garden City, soccer helps to form a new community. How and why did this happen?
- Can you think of instances in which sports have created new kinds of communities similarly in the past? How have they created new communities in your personal experience?
- Immigrant communities bring with them new perspectives, skills, and talents. In what ways are immigrant communities changing life for the better in your city?
Buy Me Some Peanuts...or Sunflower Seeds
Finally, both films and sports go better with snacks, so whip up a few of your favorites to enjoy! May we suggest you make these barbeque-flavored sunflower seeds? Or save yourself the hassle and order some of these delicious chocolate-covered sunny seeds. Go Kansas!