Research & Publications

I specialize in the history of sports and Christianity in the modern United States, but I have also researched and written on subjects related broadly to race, religion, and the Midwest. Along with my academic publications, my writing has appeared at Christianity Today, Religion & Politics, Slate, Religion News Service, and more. My research has also been featured in stories at The Atlantic, Sports Illustrated, and The Ringer, and in two episodes of NPR's "Only A Game" radio program.

My CV

Current Research

My revised dissertation, titled The Spirit of the Game: American Protestants, Big-Time Sports, and the Contest for National Identity, is under contract with Oxford University Press. I also have chapters in two edited collections that are under contract with Oxford University Press: “Touchdown Jesus: The Midwest and the Integration of Religion and Sport," (in Oxford History of the Midwest) and “Fundamentalism and Sport" (in The Oxford Handbook of Christian Fundamentalism)

Peer-Reviewed Publications

“Commercializing the Sacred Office: Sexual Revolution and the Scandal of the Modern Marrying Parson, 1895-1930,” The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era 17.1 (January 2018): 56-76. [PDF available upon request]
“For Race and Region: A Brief History of the Western Negro Press Association, 1896-1920,” Great Plains Quarterly 38.2 (Spring 2018): 175-198. [PDF available upon request]
“A City on a Hill: Mobilizing Evangelical Protestant Men for Moral Reform under the Des Moines Plan, 1907-1916.” The Annals of Iowa 77.1 (Winter 2018): 1-40. [PDF available upon request]
“Big-League Basketball Comes to Omaha: A History of the Omahawks.” Nebraska History 97.4 (Winter 2016): 185-198. [PDF available upon request]
"From the Pulpit to the Press: Frank Crane's Omaha, 1892-1896." Nebraska History 96.3 (Fall 2015): 136-153. [this article can be accessed online]
Co-author with Jordan R. Bass and Mark Vermillion, “‘Going Viral’: The Impact of Forced Crowdsourcing on Coaching Evaluation Procedures.” International Sport Coaching Journal 1.2 (2014): 103-108.
“A Church for the People and a Priest for the Common Man: Charles W. Savidge, Omaha’s Eccentric Reformer.” Nebraska History 94.2 (Summer 2013): 54-73. [this article can be accessed online]
“Jesse ‘Cab’ Renick: In Search of an Indian Identity.” Chronicles of Oklahoma 89.1 (Spring 2011): 72-97.

BLOGGING

I sporadically keep up Sportianity, a blog that explores the historical and contemporary connections between sports and Christianity in the United States. Among the most popular blog posts at the site:

I used to have a personal blog at peputz.blogspot.com, where I wrote about basketball, music, history, culture, and whatever else caught my fancy. Below is a sampling of my most popular blog posts, arranged by category.

Basketball:

Books:

Personal Reflections:

Farewell Chipper: Baseball and Memories

I have also written at a couple of academic group blogs, including Sport in American History (you can find my posts by clicking here) and Religion in American History (You can find my posts by clicking here). Below is a sampling of some of my RiAH posts.

Book Preview Lists:

Book Reviews:

American West/Midwest