America’s First Olympics: The St. Louis Games of 1904 (Sports and American Culture)

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Description

America in 1904 used to be a nation bristling with energy and confidence. Inspired by Theodore Roosevelt, the nation’s young, spirited, and athletic president, a sports mania rampaged across the country. Eager to celebrate its history, and to display its athletic potential, america hosted the world at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. One a part of the World’s Fair used to be the nation’s first Olympic games.

Revived in Greece in 1896, the Olympic movement used to be also young and energetic. In reality, the St. Louis Olympics were only the third in modern times. Even supposing the games were initially awarded to Chicago, St. Louis wrestled them from her rival city against the wishes of International Olympic Committee President Pierre de Coubertin. Athletes came from eleven countries and four continents to compete in cutting-edge facilities, which included a ten-thousand-seat stadium with gymnasium equipment donated by sporting goods magnate Albert Spalding.

The 1904 St. Louis Olympics garnered only praise, and all agreed that the games were a success, making improvements to both the profile of the Olympic movement and the prestige of america. But within a couple of years, the games of 1904 receded in memory. They suffered a worse fate with the publication of Coubertin’s memoirs in 1931. His selective recollections, exaggerated claims, and false statements turned the forgotten Olympics into the failed Olympics. This prejudiced account used to be furthered by the 1948 publication of An Approved History of the Olympic Games by Bill Henry, which used to be reviewed and endorsed by Coubertin.

America’s First Olympics, by George R. Matthews, corrects common misconceptions that began with Coubertin’s memoirs and presents a fresh view of the 1904 games, which featured first-time African American Olympians, an eccentric and controversial marathon, and documentation by pioneering photojournalist Jessie Tarbox Beals. Matthews provides a very good overview of the St. Louis Olympics over a six-month period, beginning with the intrigue surrounding the transfer of the games from Chicago. He also gives detailed descriptions of the major players in the Olympic movement, the events that were held in 1904, and the athletes who competed in them. This original account will be welcomed by history and sports enthusiasts who are interested in a new perspective on this misunderstood event.

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