Thanks for the feedback, gents (apologies if I've misidentified an intrepid female on Net54). The Schmeling/Ruth is pretty neat, as is the Jesse Owens / Lutz Long. I'm not a Ruth collector per se, as that is an expensive rabbit hole that I wish to dodge for as long as possible!
As a general matter, I think Jesse Owens is highly undervalued relative to his athletic achievements and his historical significance. He met the moment in that 1936 Olympic performance like no one else -- while his treatment on his return to American soil is arguably one of the few, but great, stains on FDR's legacy.
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