{"product_id":"friday-night-fighter-troy-rondinone-9780252037375","title":"Friday Night Fighter: Gaspar Indio Ortega and the Golden Age of Television Boxing","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFriday Night Fighter\u003c\/i\u003e relives a lost moment in American postwar history, when boxing ruled as one of the nation's most widely televised sports. During the 1950s and 1960s, viewers tuned in weekly, sometimes even daily, to watch widely recognized fighters engage in primordial battle; the \u003ci\u003eGillette Cavalcade of Sports Friday Night Fights\u003c\/i\u003e was the most popular fight show. Troy Rondinone follows the dual narratives of the \u003ci\u003eFriday Night Fights\u003c\/i\u003e show and the individual story of Gaspar \"Indio\" Ortega, a boxer who appeared on prime-time network television more than almost any other boxer in history. From humble beginnings growing up poor in Tijuana, Mexico, Ortega personified the phenomenon of postwar boxing at its greatest, appearing before audiences of millions to battle the biggest names of the time, such as Carmen Basilio, Tony DeMarco, Chico Vejar, Benny \"Kid\" Paret, Emile Griffith, Kid Gavilan, Florentino Fernández, and Luis Manuel Rodriguez. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Rondinone explores the factors contributing to the success of televised boxing, including the rise of television entertainment, the role of a \"reality\" blood sport, Cold War masculinity, changing attitudes toward race in America, and the influence of organized crime. At times evoking the drama and spectacle of the \u003ci\u003eFriday Night Fights\u003c\/i\u003e themselves, this volume is a lively examination of a time in history when Americans crowded around their sets to watch the main event. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Troy Rondinone\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0252037375\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780252037375\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Illinois Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/15\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.35lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.40w x 1.20d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2013","brand":"Troy Rondinone","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46670381940991,"sku":"9780252037375","price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_c8bff35a-a041-49aa-90b7-5c5f190b50a2.jpg?v=1741316866","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/friday-night-fighter-troy-rondinone-9780252037375","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}