ISBN: 9781613743973

Strange as it sounds, during the 1870s and 1880s, America's most popular spectator sport wasn't baseball, boxing, or horseracing--it was competitive walking. Inside sold-out arenas, compe… Mehr…

Strange as it sounds, during the 1870s and 1880s, America's most popular spectator sport wasn't baseball, boxing, or horseracing--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, and 565 miles! These walking matches were as talked about as the weather, the details reported from coast to coast. This long-forgotten sport, known as pedestrianism, spawned America's first celebrity athletes and opened doors for immigrants, African Americans, and women. The top pedestrians earned a fortune in prize money and endorsement deals. But along with the excitement came the inevitable scandals, charges of doping--coca leaves!--and insider gambling. It even spawned a riot in 1879 when too many fans showed up at New York's Gilmore's Garden, later renamed Madison Square Garden, and were denied entry to a widely publicized showdown. Pedestrianism: When Watching People Walk Was America's Favorite Spectator Sport chronicles competitive walking's peculiar appeal and popularity, its rapid demise, and its enduring influence, and how pedestrianism marked the beginning of modern spectator sports in the United States. Media > Book<

ISBN: 9781613743973

Chicago Review Press. Hardcover. VERY GOOD. Light rubbing wear to cover, spine and page edges. Very minimal writing or notations in margins not affecting the text. Possible clean ex-lib… Mehr…

Chicago Review Press. Hardcover. VERY GOOD. Light rubbing wear to cover, spine and page edges. Very minimal writing or notations in margins not affecting the text. Possible clean ex-library copy, with their stickers and or stamp(s)., Chicago Review Press<

2014, ISBN: 9781613743973

Hard cover, [ No Hassle 30 Day Returns ] [ Edition: unkown ] Publisher: Chicago Review Press Pub Date: 4/1/2014 Binding: Hardcover Pages: 262., Gebraucht, guter Zustand, [PU: Chicago Revi… Mehr…

Hard cover, [ No Hassle 30 Day Returns ] [ Edition: unkown ] Publisher: Chicago Review Press Pub Date: 4/1/2014 Binding: Hardcover Pages: 262., Gebraucht, guter Zustand, [PU: Chicago Review Press]<

ISBN: 9781613743973

Good. [ No Hassle 30 Day Returns ][ Ships Daily ] [ Underlining/Highlighting: NONE ] [ Writing: None ]

2014, ISBN: 9781613743973

Hardcover book. 272 pages. Published by Chicago Review Press (2014) Media > Book