This interdisciplinary book presents the first in-depth study of the representation of one of the towering figures in German public life and popular culture during the twentieth century, the boxer Max Schmeling (1905-2005). Schmeling"s sporting and business career spanned some eighty years of turbulent German history, but he is best remembered for his politically charged fights against the black American boxer Joe Louis in 1936 and 1938. By the time of his death Schmeling had become a German cultural icon with few parallels and was a "hero" to many. This volume reveals the strategies used to represent a sporting "hero", and reflects on how these can offer insights into the broader political and theoretical questions that shape "national" identity and culture, as well as exploring the cultural function of sport in the Weimar Republic and in Nazi Germany. In doing so it makes a distinctive contribution to the cultural history of sport, a field in which there is increasing interest.
1. Introduction.- 2. A Star is Born: Sports Discourse and the Rise of Boxing in the Weimar Republic.- 3. The American Dream.- 4. The "Loyal Citizen": National Socialism, Power and Sport.- 5. A "German" Victory .- 6. Hubris and Propaganda.- 7. The "Good German"?.- 8. Conclusion: No More Heroes .