Evolution Of American Sports In The 1920's

Imagine a sporting event with no scoreboard, no clock, no statistics to write up in the next day’s paper, and no way to quantify the difference between the best players and any average player. This is an absurd thought experiment for a modern sports fan who is able to calculate stats for himself or be provided with an amalgam of simple and abstract statistics to explain and motivate the action which he sees on the field of play for elite amateur and professional athletes. Quantification of sporting achievement is the single most important factor in the evolution of American sport from the premodern games of the mid-19th century through the completion of this development in the 1920s. There is certainly a similar argument to be made that the

Batting averages, season stats and game totals allow for a line of educated discussion about the sport based on a simple scan of the sports pages. “The slim schoolboy ten years of age, and the fat, lager-beer saloon proprietor of fifty talk gracefully about the game as it progresses as though they had known each other for years” (Riess 207). Quantification of achievement allows for this fluid conversation. Gambling is also made more scientific by the acquisition of this type of performance data. While gambling is a frowned upon aspect of baseball fandom, it was certainly growing in power and sway over the development of the game up through the 1919 Black Sox World Series. The impacts of statistics on the development of the game also have implications to the development of a history for the game. Harry Wright and the Cincinnati Red Stockings were a group of terrific players in their time, but they are not as easily remembered in history as players such as Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth who are identified with their statistics. While Ruth was a larger than life figure, his 714 home runs give a context to his greatness as a player. Cobb has legendary quality for his temper and reckless play, but his .366 batting average cements him in the memory of a modern fan. (Davies 101). The ability to record greatness and mediocrity alike, and to compare the two, provided a framework for the evolution of the

William Rainey Harper, first president of the University, sought a strong football team in the late 19th century to compliment his creation of a strong academic university. (Davies 83). The 1905 Thanksgiving Day game against Michigan was a huge spectacle for the team and the University. This was because both teams were undefeated, creating a championship feel. Even more so, the team headed by Fielding Yost provided a measuring stick for excellence because they had outscored opponents 550-0 on the season. (Davies 84). This quantity is eye-opening due to the quantification of their great play. It made the 2-0 victory by Chicago that much more impressive and that much more important to the furthering of the game in the