1. Sport in the Twentieth Century
Chapter 13
Sport in the Twentieth Century
Mechikoff /Estes, A History and Philosophy of Sport and Physical Education, Fourth Edition © 2006, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

2. Sport in America Model for sport in place by late 1800s
Movement to the cities supported the push for sport and recreational activities
Technological advancements were used in the sport world
Telegraphs, radio, and television contributed in the spread of sport information
Sports journalism developed

3. Sport and Playful Activities
Became increasingly accepted because Americans felt more
Comfortable with the body
Became free of religious restrictions
Became related to the physical aspect of humans

4. Attitude Towards Sport
Many different views
Generalizations difficult to make
Sport is practiced in rural and urban areas
Sport exists in premodern and modern form
Sometimes viewed as exercise of body only
Also viewed as means of achieving integration of mind and body
Changes in attitude occurred and are illustrated by trends in sports

5. College Football
Evolved into the most popular sport on American college campuses
“King of Intercollegiate Athletics”
Coaches became national heroes
Bowl games began with Rose Bowl in 1902
Trophies and awards were granted
Heisman Trophy

6. Intercollegiate football, 1902
Football game, 1902
Image source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C.
Intercollegiate football, 1902

7. College Football
Integration of football programs began in the late 1800s
1892: first game between two black colleges
Safety of the game was in question
1905: 18 football players were killed
Pres. Roosevelt called meeting to reform the game
Agreement to keep football
Formed a governing agency for football
Recruiting violations were also a problem

8. College Football 1910: governing agency was renamed the NCAA
Held an educational role
Adopted minimum eligibility rules
38 charter members who developed the forward pass rule

9. Professional Football
Played as early as 1894
Players were blue-collar workers and former college football players
Struggled to gain legitimacy
1920: the American Professional Football Association (APFA) was formed
Jim Thorpe was the first president
Teams were first of modern professional football

10. Professional Football
APFA name changes to National Football League (NFL)
Early struggle for respect and popularity
Key players and advertising help build fan base
1946: Color barrier broken when Kenny Washington and Woody Strode join the Los Angeles Rams

11. Professional Football
1960: American Football League (AFL) is formed
1966: First Super Bowl
1970: Merger of AFL and NFL

12. Baseball
Hugely popular at all levels (professional, community, school)
Reflected societal trends: whites played in the Major League and African Americans played in the Negro League
Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the first black to play in the Major League
Eddie Kelp, a white man, briefly played in the Negro League
Both men were the object of racial taunting

13. Baseball First Negro League World Series, 1924
First Negro League World Series, opening game, October 11, 1924, Kansas City; Group portrait of players from the Kansas City Monarchs and Hilldale Daisies baseball teams
Image source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C.
First Negro League World Series, 1924

14. Basketball
1891: Dr. James Naismith invented basketball at Springfield College (originally the YMCA)
Game was an instant success
YMCA became the “hotbed” of basketball
High school and colleges adopted the sport
Popular with both men and women
Colleges, YMCA, and the AAU all had different sets of rules

15. Basketball 1915: Joint Committee developed
Representatives from the NCAA, AAU, and YMCA
Agreement on uniform rules
Game caught on quickly around turn of 20th century
1896: first basketball leagues formed in Denver
1901: Eastern colleges formed Intercollegiate League
American military introduced the game around the world during World War I

16. New York University, winner of AAAU basketball championship, ca. 1920
New York University Team, Winner of AAAU Basketball Championship, ca. 1920
Image source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C.
New York University, winner of AAAU basketball championship, ca. 1920

17. Boxing Outlawed in many states in early 20th century
Popular sport for betting
Matches often took place in remote locations to avoid bans on boxing and gambling

18. Boxing: Jack Johnson (1879-1946)
First African American heavyweight champion ( )
Often barred from fighting champion white boxers
Flouted social conventions of the time
Authorities misapplied the Mann Act; Johnson convicted
Johnson lived abroad but eventually returned to the U.S. and served his sentence

19. Boxing Jack Johnson (left); Jack Dempsey (right)
Jack Johnson in the ring with Marty Cutler (left); Jack Dempsey, 1921 (right)
Images source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C.
Jack Johnson (left); Jack Dempsey (right)

20. Volleyball 1895: William Morgan developed the game Massachusetts YMCA
Originally called “minonette” and played over nine innings
July 1896: first published account of game
Game was promoted by the YMCA
Also adopted by the American military

21. Women and Sport Attitudes reflect cultural biases about play and sport
Sport builds manliness—so not for women
Dance became integral component of physical education programs
Some women’s colleges did provide athletic programs
Female physical educators discouraged competitive events

22. Women and Sport Key early figures Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias
Blanche Trilling
Mabel Lee
Agnes Wayman
Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias
Success in 1932 Olympics and as professional golfer
Undermined idea that women were unsuited for athletic competition

23. Women and Sport
1957: Formation of organization to administer women’s athletics, eventually called Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW)
1972: Title IX
All teams in high schools and colleges are open to both sexes
Equal opportunities and financial support must be provided
: NCAA takes control of women’s intercollegiate sports, AIAW disbands