American Sports In The 1920s

I do not accept the thesis that American men living in cities before the Civil War engaged in sport primarily to define themselves, publicly, as manly. I would accept this thesis if it had stated that men living in cities before the Civil War engaged in sports to define themselves, publicly, and manly. The word that made me disagree with the original thesis is the word “primarily”. I am not stating that men did not engage in sport to define themselves, publicly, as manly, but I do not think that it is the primary reason. I would have also accepted this thesis if it had stated that men living in cities before the Civil War engaged in prize fighting primarily to define themselves, publicly, as manly. Prizefighting is a sport but it does not provide the standard for all sports. I will use excerpts from the various sources we have read in class in order to defend my position.

In the 1920s sports started to change. The twenties was the decade for sports that produced sports icons and hall of famers. Players such as Babe Ruth and Red Grange, boxer Jack Dempsey and horse racer Man o’ War were icons of the sport and the decade.

The 1920s, often referred to as the Roaring Twenties, was a time of great change and a time of powerful enthusiasm in many areas of society. The world had just finished the biggest war in history, the First World War, and the United States was left almost unharmed by the war. The United States was able to experience a decade of peace and success following the war. During this decade, America became the wealthiest country in the world (Trueman, 2000). The people in the United States went through a colorful period during the twenties. However, at the same time the 1920s was also a very rebellious and difficult time for many. The culture of the 1920s has influenced the culture of America’s society today.

Although there were many greats in the 1920s, without a doubt, George "Babe" Ruth was the first and most famous out of all the heroes presented in this time. Ruth changed the whole game of baseball. Ruth was traded to the Yankees from the Red Sox on January 3, 1920 for $125,000. This was more than double the highest price paid for a player. The country had just come out of war, and the basic morale was low. Sports however, lightened the spirits

The early 1900 was when sports started being involved with the education system. Educators found that sports could teach lessons to children that they would not necessarily get in the classroom. Sports has been shown to benefit the student athlete in more than one aspect of their lives, but that does not come automatically with just playing sports. While I do believe that participating in sports has a positive effect on players, it is not just the sport that do the trick. No matter the style of coaching, the most important thing a coach can do is be a positive influence on every aspect of the athlete’s life by forming a relationship with their athlete.

sports”(the 1920s sports). Sports where a big part of the 1920s it was shaping it to make the

The 1920s was a time of prosperity and new ideas that challenged the social norm and began the movement into modernism that we know of today. The economy was still coming off of the First World War and tax policies were creating an economic boom with the increase of discretionary income. The United States was in a scary position on what to do after coming home from such a brutal war that was going to end all wars. The young generation brought out the best in people and challenged the intellect of many bright minds that had the solid traditionalist views with the new fast paced modernistic thoughts. The 1920s were a time of growth and led the United States and the modern views came quick and made a lasting impact.

In the 1900’s there were not many African American athletes. In addition, most people wouldn’t picture a professional athlete coming from a small town of less than 3,000 people. However the small town of Humboldt had 2 professional athletes and their names were George Alexander Sweatt and Walter Johnson.

Andrew is a third year chemical engineering student at the University of Louisville. He grew up in Hodgenville, KY. Which is a small town just south east of Elizabethtown. He lives in an apartment with one other student also attending the University of Louisville and myself. This apartment is where the interview took place.

During the 1920s Americans often celebrated materialistic prosperity and made national heroes from their favorite sports figures. The biggest American sports star was undoubtedly Babe Ruth; his only closest rival during the time period was a ruthless heavyweight boxer called Jack Dempsey.

The greatest time in sports history was in the in the 1920’s according to some professional sportscasters. Sports were not always as popular as they are today, but in the 1920’s is when the sports started to become popular. Sports at this time became so popular that the newspapers turned sports into America’s pastime. The sports that were known best during this time period were baseball, football and boxing.

In the mid-late 1800s, the US was in an awkward place where finally, for an extended period of time, they were not at war with anyone. Americans could go home and not have to worry about sending their boys off to the army or navy in order to preserve their nation. However it was strange due to the fact that Americans did not yet have an identity, a true American culture. The free time given to them was met with revelation and the realization of things needing to be created in the US not only to serve as something to do and look forward to but also a social event and get together. Things like baseball started to really catch a flame, however more was needed to bring the country together, something more exciting. Finally, a man named Walter Camp

Baseball is widely known as the “national pastime” in the 1920’s. It was by far the most popular sport of the era. The most famous athlete in the country at the time was George Herman, commonly known as Babe Ruth. The right fielder for the New York Yankees hit homerun after

Handball is a simple game, there is a ball that you’re supposed to hit back to the wall but the lower you could hit it the better of a shot it was. I was introduced to this game in 2014 and I had no idea how much it would have affected me and how who I am as a person today. Handball is what kept me from doing anything i’d regret doing.

not very pleasant. The sport had to be refined by the authorities in order to make it more credible. The sport was much later refined after the World War I which was the foundation of Formula One Racing. In the year 1904 a joint body was formed as the Association Internationale des Automotive Clubs Reconnus (AIACR). After that the Commission Sportive Internationale was built in 1922 which took care of the authoritative aspects.