"[Playing for Power] is a beneficial contribution to the historiographies of both HBCUs and amateur athletics more broadly. . . . Its argument is clear, as is its grasp on the historiography. The book is readable and interesting." —Thomas Aiello, author of Hoops: A Cultural History of Basketball in America and The Kings of Casino Park: Black Baseball in the Lost Season of 1932— -

"Chiles examines the history of football and basketball in Virginia from the late nineteenth century to the 1970s—specifically, the role African Americans played in cultivating and developing athletes, teams, and leaders at HBCUs that facilitated opportunity, confidence, and pride in numerous communities throughout this state during segregation." —Charles K. Ross, author of Outside the Lines: African Americans and the Integration of the National Football League— -