71: U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team
Sports' Forgotten Heroes
English - December 10, 2019 16:00 - 1 hour - 53.4 MB - ★★★★★ - 27 ratingsSports afl billycannon budadams charlesdegravelles collegefootball heismantrophy houstonoilers jimweathersby losangelesrams louisianastateuniversity Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
The 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin were one of the most controversial in history. As World War II was about to explode, there was much debate as to whether or not the 1936 Olympic Games should even be held. In fact, there was a lot of talk as to whether or not the U.S. should attend or boycott. After much deliberation, the U.S. decided not to boycott and off to Berlin the U.S. contingent went including the first-ever U.S. Men’s Basketball Team. Basketball was making its debut as an official Olympic event, and the U.S., as one might expect, was favored to win gold. Not only did the U.S. win gold, but it dominated the tournament. But that was only part of the story. Sure, with Berlin and Nazi Germany serving as a backdrop, there was no doubt that controversy would abound. But there was so much more. From the way the team was selected, to determining who would suit up for each game, to the Gold Medal Game and the awarding of the Gold Medals, this Olympic story is filled with controversy. Capturing it all was author Andrew Maraniss who just recently published a new book, “Games of Deception: The True Story of the First U.S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler’s Germany.” On this edition of Sports’ Forgotten Heroes, Andrew joins the podcast to discuss the story about this fascinating team. We’ll cover how the team was selected, who the players were, and the fact that the man who invented the game, Dr. James Naismith, was not only in attendance, he was there to award the medals. We’ll also talk about the fact that the U.S. strongly considered boycotting and how one man persuaded the U.S. not to boycott. And let’s not forget, not only was this version of the Olympic Games held in a most controversial place, the basketball tournament was played outdoors, and the Gold Medal game didn’t come close to resembling what a Gold Medal game looks like today.
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