This is excellent, well-researched book from the beginning, through the epilogue. 

(Muhammad Ali’s quote about Thorpe in that epilogue, when a fan recognizes him when he stops at Thorpe’s grave, shows well both the depth of research by being included, and the power of the Thorpe story in all its Olympian — both senses — tragedy.)

As for the body of the book?

David Maraniss has an excellent, sympathetic biography of Thorpe — the whole man, not just his athletic peak years — that never whitewashes, within that sympathy.

Take the issue of his amateur status. Maraniss shows that Pop Warner, his Carlisle coach, almost certainly knew about his two summers of semipro baseball well before Stockholm. So did Carlisle superintendent Moses Friedman. Most likely, so did AAU head James Sullivan.

He also shows how thousands of other college athletes did the same. Like a West Point cadet from Abilene, Kansas, who played against Thorpe in college football. But, unlike this certain cadet, and all the other thousands, Thorpe never used an alias.

Why? Thorpe apparently never said so, but per Maraness’ overall portrayal, it was surely Thorpe’s guilelessness.

And, that’s the central theme of the sympathetic, but not whitewashing, treatment.

Thorpe’s alcohol problems were surely part of his post-athletic semi-penury. So too was his guilelessness in helping out people he thought in greater need.

The societal problems Thorpe faced as an American Indian were bad — but not as bad as African-Americans (Fritz Pollard and Paul Robeson both played football against Thorpe) — and Maraniss notes all angles of this. The guielessness, as well as the alcohol, and a disordered family of origin, were surely all factors in why Thorpe didn’t “succeed” the way some other Carlisle alumni did. So, too, was Thorpe’s somewhat Ruthian-like lack of discipline and lack of professionalism, as well as a wanderlust that seems fueled by more than just alcohol and the latest make-a-buck idea.

In addition to that “certain cadet” at West Point also violating his amateur status, there were a few other things I learned. One was that American football at time of Thorpe was 110 yard field and 3 downs. So, US football changed, not Canadian.

That said, there are a couple of minor baseball errors. 

While it was new to me that Ty Cobb was in the “Gas and Flame Division” in WWI, along with Christy Mathewson and Branch Ricky, he didn’t retire until 1928. Doubtful any gassing in WWI hastened that. And, he didn’t miss major time in 1918, and won a batting title then. (His last was in 1919.)

It’s a myth that Charles Comiskey was penurious, at least by MLB standards of that time. White Sox were paid median or above of MLB average.

And, while Babe Ruth may have gotten his big break as a position player due to WWI thinning MLB rosters in general and Boston ones in particular, he had been pushing for it since the year before, in part by complaining about pitching so much, and Ed Barrow first experimented with it in 1918 spring training.

Because of the tidbits being wrong on baseball, I put it at 4.75 stars not 5 over here.