Peter Levine

Peter Levine was a professor of American history at Michigan State University, from 1969to 2000, where he served as the Director of its American Studies Program from 1994-2000 and, for several years in the l970s, organized and coached the men’s and women’s crew teams. Levine is the author of six books, and is best known for his work in sport and American social history. His works include: A. G. Spalding and the Rise of Baseball (l985), the award-winning Ellis Island to Ebbets Field: Sport and the American Jewish Experience (l992), and (with Robert Lipsyte) Idols of the Game (l995), which served as the basis for a six-hour TBS documentary. He also served as a consultant on Ken Burns’ PBS documentary Baseball, edited the journal Baseball History for five years, and wrote a novel, The Rabbi of Swat (1999), in which Babe Ruth plays a major role. He holds a B.A. and M.A. from Columbia University and a Ph.D. from Rutgers.

Peter Levine teaches Socio-Historical Foundations of American Sport.