The American One Way Essay

America: a “Two-Way” Road

The American One Way influenced sport greatly in the decades leading up to the 1960’s. The ideals of strength, teamwork, masculinity, and honor were hallmarks of those eras. Athletes were almost always strong, masculine men, and the sports they played emphasized strength and sometimes teamwork. Sports such as football, wrestling, and boxing were the main sports of the World War II era V-5 Program, whose primary focus was developing strong young men that could fight for their country, and would also be trained physically and mentally for warfare by participating in these sports. Players were expected to train and obey their coaches, as a sign of respect for the authority of the coaches as well as to become as strong as possible. Players were not the only people influenced by the American One Way, as a particular style of football coach came as a result of these One Way ideals. Coaches in the forties and fifties were hard-nosed, tough, and
Rick Sanders was one of those athletes. A wrestler from Portland State, Sanders sported a beard, long hair, and a hand-carved wooden bead necklace. While his style was certainly not orthodox, his wrestling was a sight to see. He consistently toyed with his opponents and was always experimenting with new takedowns and throws to try out in the ring. Sanders presented a picture of arrogance and brashness, one that rubbed many sports fans the wrong way as he did not fit the clean-cut, crew-cut American One Way image. Meanwhile, his rival and friend Dan Gable presented an ideal American athlete. He wrestled in a more traditional manner that was fueled by his insane workout regimen, and his shaven face and not quite as long hair gave him much more appeal to the average American sports fan. The two wrestlers were just one of many pictures of the culture clash of the