The Strenuous Life
Theodore Roosevelt and the Making of the American Athlete
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Featuring an amazing cast of historical figures, this is the story of how President Theodore Roosevelt led an American sports and fitness revolution.
Give up exercise, Theodore Roosevelt was told by a doctor while attending Harvard, or you might die of a heart attack! This after being plagued by crippling asthma, myopic eyesight, and other ailments as a child. Roosevelt's body was his weakness, the one hill he could never conquer.
But, oh, how he tried!
In vivd detail, The Strenuous Life shows how Roosevelt developed an obsession with athletics, carried it to the nation's highest office, and championed a new age of American athleticism. As President, Roosevelt boxed, practiced Ju-Jitsu, played tennis, conducted harrowing "point-to-point" walks, and invited athletes to the White House. He also made certain that each of his children played sports. Not surprisingly, Roosevelt's personal quest had broad reverberations. During his administration, America saw an unprecedented rise in sports and recreational activities. With Roosevelt in office, baseball's first ever World Series took place, interscholastic sports began, and schools placed a legitimate emphasis on physical education. Additionally, the NCAA formed, and the United States hosted the Olympics for the first time.
Yes, the "Bull Moose," as he'd come to be known, resided squarely in the midst of this upheaval. Filled with amazing anecdotes, a who's who of American political and sports figures from the early 20th century, and Rooseveltian gusto and humor, this book is the play-by-play and color commentary on Roosevelt's "Strenuous Life."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Historian Swanson (When Baseball Went White) presents a fascinating account of president Theodore Roosevelt (1858 1919) and his influence on high school and collegiate sports in America. Swanson looks beyond the legend of Roosevelt the brash masculinity, the exploits of the Rough Riders to describe a man who grew up asthmatic, myopic, undersized, and physically unsure of himself. Swanson explains the future president's belief that achieving physical endurance should be one's goal, and that a "life of toil and effort and strife" was important to both individuals and the country at large. Through Roosevelt, Swanson describes "America's sport revolution" and provides insight as to "how sports in America came to develop as they did." Swanson shares anecdotes of Roosevelt's public support of sports: his attending the Army-Navy football game in 1901 after having just been assigned office, playing tennis with his cabinet members outside the Oval Office, and championing athletes such as boxer Jack Johnson. Swanson details the founding of the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL), and Roosevelt's role in shaping the early days of the NCAA. Sports fans and history buffs alike will enjoy this focused portrait of President Roosevelt.
