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Pedestrianism

Pedestrianism

by Matthew Algeo

WalkingSpectatorsHistorySports spectatorsHISTORY / United States / 19th Century
0.0
Open Library
Open Library

About this book

"Strange as it sounds, during the 1870s and 1880s, America's most popular spectator sport wasn't baseball, football, or horse racing--it was competitive walking. Inside sold-out arenas, competitors walked around dirt tracks almost nonstop for six straight days (never on Sunday), risking their health and sanity to see who could walk the farthest--500 miles, then 520 miles, then 565 miles! These walking matches were as talked about as the weather, the details reported in newspapers and telegraphed to fans from coast to coast. This long-forgotten sport, known as pedestrianism, spawned America's first celebrity athletes, the forerunners--forewalkers, actually--of LeBron James and Tiger Woods. The top pedestrians earned a fortune in prize money and endorsement deals. The sport also opened doors for immigrants, African Americans, and women. But along with the excitement came the inevitable scandals, charges of doping--coca leaves!--and insider gambling. PEDESTRIANISM chronicles competitive walking's peculiar appeal and popularity, its rapid demise, and its enduring influence"--

Themes & subjects

WalkingSpectatorsHistorySports spectatorsHISTORY / United States / 19th CenturySPORTS & RECREATION / Walking

Setting

United States19th century

Author

Matthew Algeo

Pages

272

Read time

≈ 7h

Editions

6

Language

English

Publisher

Chicago Review Press, Incorporated

ISBN

9781613743997

Where to buy

TR
Amazon Bookshop

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