How American Sports Reveal, Reflect, and Reaffirm Wider American History

How American Sports Reveal, Reflect, and Reaffirm Wider American History

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, sports began to widely popularize America; the analysis of sports in the topics of gender, race, and Americanism reflect broader American society. Through the study of American sports during the historical era of the late 1800s to the early 1900s, one can gain insight on the difference in standards for men and women, the fight between white supremacy and equal rights for blacks, and the process of defining the American identity. The study of American sports reaffirms the importance of male masculinity and the strict standards for women during the time period of the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. To Americans during that time, a successful man was defined as a robust man, and men who participated in non-athletic events were harshly criticized. Americans believed that manly exercise was necessary in order to obtain true physical happiness, and society encouraged all men in America to be strong and masculine. The assumption that men were naturally active and women were naturally passive was upturned during the Gilded Age; women were breaking out of the stereotypes and were entering into the public sphere at a rapid pace. Women in America began to implant themselves into things that were once exclusive to men, such as voting, attending school, and participating in sporting activities. Due to the advancement of cities during the end of the nineteenth century, men were no longer participating in physical work or working for themselves; instead, they were working under other individuals as businessmen, lawyers, and clerks. Men in America felt that these social changes were a major threat to their masculinity, known by historians as “The Crisis of Manliness.” Due to this crisis, men turned to sports in order to retrieve their lost virility. The proposition of Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Strenuous Life” promoted the idea that men in America needed to live strenuous, vigorous, and physical lives, which led to the introduction of Boy Scouts of America, college fraternities, bodybuilding, and sports in which women could not participate. Sports reinforced the idea that male values were the basic fundamentals of life during the era. Baseball players were given standards on which they must uphold, including requirements on their physicality, masculinity, and overall attitude, which excluded women from the sport altogether. However, many American women enjoyed the game of baseball, but these women were criticized, ridiculed, and thought of as bizarre. Women’s baseball games were rarely taken seriously and were mostly attended for comedic purposes. Gender stereotypes were additionally revealed through sports through the game of basketball. By the beginning of the twentieth century, basketball began to attract many women, and women’s basketball was surprisingly accepted. However, the rules were drastically altered to fit the assumption that women were too feminine and frail for a manly sport such as basketball. Women who participated in basketball were not allowed to grab the ball out of another player’s hand and each woman had a designated space in which they must remain during the entirety of the game, thus emphasizing the premise that women must know their place. Some individuals may argue that the rights women had during the time period were completely acceptable, and that women were only engaging themselves in sports and politics in hopes of finding their place in society and gaining attention from the public. However, the argument is invalid because, despite the stereotypes, it is clear that men and women were not receiving equal treatment. Race is a major contribution to the reflection of wider American history through sports in that racial inequality was an enormous factor in athletics during the time period. Just as racial discrimination was viewed in America as normality during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it was also considered as normality in athletics. Sports made the pattern of discrimination clear; whites perceived themselves as supreme and considered all other races, especially black Americans, as worthless and irrelevant. In the age of Jim Crow, there was much tension between rhetoric and reality. Sports were initially supposed to be based on fairness and equality, but during that time period, sports were far from fair and equal in regards to race. Black jockeys dominated the sport of horse racing until white jockeys began to gang up on the blacks through violence on the horse track, leading to the creation of The Jockey Association in 1896, in which no blacks were allowed. Racial inequality was also seen in cycling and baseball, in which white players refused to compete with black players, creating agreements and organizations that excluded blacks from the sports entirely, claiming that they were not good enough to participate. The allure of boxing began to flood the United States during the late nineteenth century, and one of the major reasons in the rise in popularity of the sport was racial tension between white Americans and black Americans. American journalist Charles Dana claimed that the black race was threatening white supremacy during the time, and boxing painted a clear picture that white individuals held themselves supreme. Prior to 1908, every heavyweight champion was white, but this was not because white Americans were more skilled; it was due to the fact that all of the previous champions “drew the color line” and refused to fight black men. African American Jack Johnson was the greatest defensive fighter in boxing history, but because of his racial background, he did not gain fame easily. Initially, Johnson was not even given a chance at the heavyweight title because he was viewed as a racial problem in America. Even after Jackson won the heavyweight title, he was still condemned by white Americans because of his race. Americans were doing all that they could to punish him for his “many transgressions,” leading him to be found guilty under the Mann Act and sentenced to a year in federal prison. Historians may argue that some black athletes actually did become famous through sports during the time of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, this number is very few compared to the amount of white males, such as James Corbett, who rose to fame due to sports. Americans idolized Corbett for his boxing skills, but ignored the fact that he was an alcoholic and he beat his wife. Black American citizens, such as Marshall “Major” Taylor, were forcibly driven from the sports that they were passionate about simply because of their race. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, sports were becoming a major part of the articulation of American identity, reflecting the broader topic of Americanization during the era. Americans thought that they were superior to immigrants of all other ethnicities and that proof of their supremacy could be seen on the fields of athletic events. Through the Melting Pot theory of ethnic relations, Americans attempted to Americanize all individuals who resided in the United States by “melting” away their ethnicities. President Theodore Roosevelt made a claim that there is no room for “hyphenated-Americans” and wholeheartedly believed that, to be a United States citizen, one must pledge allegiance to the flag, speak English, and act certain ways in public. Sports were utilized as a primary way to Americanize individuals. Through G. Stanley Hall’s “The Gospel of Play,” and Joseph Lee’s “Playground Movement,” sports were beginning to advance in the hopes of teaching American values such as teamwork, loyalty, self-sacrifice, and obedience to young children. The Playground Association of America was founded in order to build playgrounds across America in order to Americanize youths, and between 1911 and 1917, the number of playgrounds in urban cities more than doubled. In addition, “Physical Education” began to arise in schools across the United States in attempts to teach students what it means to be ideal American citizens, how to follow rules, and how to act as team players. Americans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries took great pride in sports such as football and baseball because of their inception and evolution in America. Baseball was considered the national game in America and was thought of as one of the purest forms of Americanism in the United States. Baseball appealed to Americans for both entertainment purposes, and for the physical development of the American youth. The argument that Americans did not create the concept of sports is prevalent, and historians may argue that sports should not be so highly esteemed in the United States if the sports did not, first, come from America. However, although not all athletics were initially derived in America, the United States molded, shaped, and transfigured sports by changing the rules and making the sports more enjoyable for spectators and players alike, in order for them to become Americanized. By analyzing the topics of gender, race, and Americanism in sports, it is evident that sports clearly reflect the broader American Society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Through athletics, one can reveal an abundant amount of information on American history during the society in which the sports endure.