The Imperial Gridiron: Manhood, “Civilization,” and Football at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School

Many recognize the athletic success that the famous football teams at the Carlisle Indian School enjoyed during at the turn of the 20th century. Football served as a publicity tool meant to promote the school’s mission to assimilate Indigenous Americans into Anglo-Protestant identities, and it did so in ways that reflected competing ideas about gender, manhood, and race. Students found in football victories inspiring moments of empowerment. Yet for both students and school officials, football proved to be treacherous. Come and listen to this story of Carlisle Indian School football, one that goes beyond the legend of Jim Thorpe and explores how the game both built up and tore down an institution.

Presented by Dr. John Bloom