Rooting for the Home Team

America's love of sports goes back a long way. Baseball, basketball, and football all came of age in America of the 1800s. While men like Abner Doubleday may not have invented these sports, they did much to popularize them as rules were officially standardized and national-level organizations were founded. Amateur (and, later, professional) teams sprang up in towns, factories, and schools across America and ôrooting for the home teamö built strong community bonds and stimulated (usually) friendly rivalries. From horse racing to boxing to competitive target shooting, Americans would watch, cheer for, and bet on just about any contest of strength and skill. The growing class of Americans with leisure land money to spare discovered tennis and golf and polo, and women for the first time participated in competitive sports. Long before the World Series & the Super Bowl, Americans were idolizing their favorite athletes, while they played and watched sports with enthusiasm. Book jacket.