Murray Sperber

Who is Murray Sperber?

Murray Sperber taught at Indiana University, Bloomington, from 1971-2004 and is now a Professor Emeritus of English and American studies of the school.

At Indiana, he published seven books, most recently, Beer & Circus: How Big-Time College Sports is Crippling Undergraduate Education. His previous books on college sports include: College Sports Inc.: The Athletic Department vs. the University; Shake Down the Thunder: The Creation of Notre Dame Football; and Onward to Victory: The Crises That Shaped College Sports. His books have won many awards - Sports Illustrated placed Beer & Circus on its list of "100 Best Sports Books of All-time" and named Shake Down the Thunder as the second best sports history book.

Sperber is also a former chair of the Drake Group, a national faculty committee advocating reform of college sports. In conjunction with his work on college sports he has appeared on many national TV and radio programs, including ABC-TV's Nightline and Good Morning America CBS-TV's 60 Minutes, NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Talk of the Nation, and PBS-TV's Lehrer Newshour. He also frequently contributes op-ed pieces to The Chronicle of Higher Education and other periodicals, including The New York Times.