ABSTRACT
Although it has escaped the attention of the general public and remained understudied by sport historians, for decades Pacific Islanders have played an important role in American football. This essay explores the ascendancy of players of Pacific Islander ancestry in the National Football League and elite university football. It chronicles their accomplishments and the obstacles they have encountered on and off the field. In the process, it documents the experiences of players, while clarifying the place of sport in the formulation of ethnic identity. Against the backdrop of imperialism, it reveals the ways in which sport has encouraged the crossing of cultural boundaries, struggles for recognition and the hurts of discrimination.
