From: George Mason’s University’s History News Network http://www.hnn.us
Randy Roberts Interview
Professor analyzes pop culture, looks at court cases historically
By John Jeanguenat Summer Reporter Randy Roberts researches and writes about the popular culture of American history, but he would never author a book solely on an athlete or actor. "Somehow they have to intersect with major issues in America," said Roberts, a professor of history. That's why Roberts didn't hesitate to delve into researching the 1992 trial involving professional boxer Mike Tyson when the opportunity presented itself in an unlikely place. "I was on a golf course," said Roberts as he leaned back in his recliner inside his University Hall office, "talking to a friend and he was asking me, 'how do you pick the books that you do?' And I said, 'I'm interested in popular culture and somehow there has to be an issue that is not just about sports.'"
Courtesy of Randy Roberts Randy Roberts, a history professor in the School of Liberal Arts, specializes in American history and popular culture.
One of the issues during that time was the Tyson trial, in which the star boxer was accused and convicted of rape, which occurred in an Indianapolis hotel room. When Roberts' friend, who had attended law school with J. Gregory Garrison, the prosecutor in the Tyson case, offered Roberts the opportunity to meet Garrison to discuss the case, the author of numerous popular culture works agreed. "I said, 'That's an interesting story.'" "Heavy Justice: The State of Indiana v. Michael G. Tyson" was born.
"What I wanted to do there is look at an athlete who suddenly was caught in a situation that dealt with issues that America was dealing with in the early 1990s and still are today," said Roberts of the book, which was published in 1994. These were issues including date rape and violence, among others. And at the time these were issues that didn't directly involve high-profile professional athletes. "When I look at it, the case was in early 1992," Roberts said. "At that point there hadn't been a major athlete in his prime who had ever been accused of a crime like that where he'd have to go to prison." After talking to Garrison and other major players in the case � except Tyson � and researching thousands of court documents and newspaper articles, Roberts had enough information to write the book, which he said is from the prosecution's side. Despite his in-depth research on the Tyson trial and the court's conviction of the championship fighter, Roberts said there is always uncertainty surrounding rape cases. "They went up and, boom, door shuts," Roberts said. "She said she was raped; he was convicted of rape. We don't know, ultimately, what happened in that room." The same can be said about the latest star-athlete sexual crime case in which Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Kobe Bryant is accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in Colorado. There are many similarities between the Tyson and Bryant cases, Roberts said. Both are high-profile athletes staying in exclusive hotels and resorts, Roberts added, and there are even more rumors than facts right now surrounding the Bryant case. Although he hasn't researched this case much since it surfaced, Roberts said he is sure of one fact. "Right now we know one thing definitively, two people know what took place in that hotel room and they're saying two absolutely different things," Roberts said. "You don't know, I don�t know and all the spin doctors that you see out there talking about this, they don�t know. It's a he-said, she-said and we don't know."
Nevertheless, this case has captured the attention of the American people and that is the reason why popular culture is so important to American history, Roberts said. "A lot of people are more interested in sports than (President) Bush," he said. Roberts researches the effects of popular culture, such as the country's obsession with sports and movies, and uses that information and awareness of what people want to learn when he teaches his classes. James Olson, history professor at Sam Houston State University in Texas, has co-authored books with and known Roberts for nearly 25 years. He said that Roberts is unrivaled in the classroom, mainly due to his appreciation for what the audience is interested in hearing. And Roberts, who will have books on Charles Lindbergh and Boston sports history published in the next year, said teaching history doesn't have to always be about politics and economics. "Tell us something about our culture, what we're interested in."