Popular Culture

Popular Culture

New Forms of Recreation

Polo

Baseball

Boxing

Basketball

The late nineteenth century saw a huge surge in the popularity of sports and other forms of recreation such as polo, boxing, baseball, football, basketball, circuses, and ''Wild West'' shows. This surge can be attributed to changes in workplace policies such as the introduction of shorter workdays and unpaid vacations. The working and middle class started taking up these new sports with the rise of public recreational centers such as the YMCA.

1890 Boston Reds

Football

Recreation and Industrialization

The Post-Bellum era saw a definite increase in the popularity of sports and other forms of recreation, but why? The answer lies in a few key developments:1.) Industrialization (8-hour day)2.) Completion of Manifest Destiny3.) Rise of bigger and better cities

''Wild West" Shows

1893 Iron BowlMost competitive American sports rivalry

Circuses

1909 Polo GameAmericans vs England

1870 Boxing Tournement

1901 Kentucky Womens Basketball