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The Golden Age of Sports
-1920’s

Football

Baseball

Tennis

Golf

By:


Summary

The 1920s have been called the Golden Age of Sports. From the very beginning of the decade extraordinary athlete-heroes emerged in virtually every sport—football, baseball, tennis, and golf some of these heroes being Red Grange, Knute Rockne, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Helen Wills, Bill Tilden, BobbyJones, Walter Hagen, established records and, in the process, became legends. Due to the large number of famous athletes during the 1920’s I will only cover the previously stated athletes.

Football

Professional football was established in the 1920's as the American Professional Association and adopted the name National Football League or NFL in 1922. Such sport was not very well knownduring its starting years but later on it would become one of the most appreciated sports in America; and even though football players did not have the same protection they have today they still played the game roughly and with no mercy for the opponent.

Red Grange
He was born June 13, 1903 in Forksville. He had an outstanding college career at the University of Illinois, where in 1924 he ran forfive touchdowns in a single game against the University of Michigan and earned the nickname "the Galloping Ghost." In 1925 he joined the Chicago Bears and set out on a tour that stimulated the public’s interest in professional football. After suffering a knee injury in 1927, he was never again an effective runner. He retired in 1934 and subsequently worked as a sportscaster.
In 2011, Grange wasannounced as #1 on the "Big Ten Icons" series presented by the Big Ten Network.

Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne was Born March 4, 1888 and died March 31, 1931. He was a U.S. football coach. He immigrated with his family to Chicago in 1893. He ran track and played end on the University of Notre Dame football team, combining with quarterback Gus Dorias to popularize the forward pass as a major offensivetactic.
In 1919 he was named head coach at Notre Dame. In Rockne's 13 seasons, his "Fighting Irish" posted an impressive record (105 – 12 – 5) that included 5 undefeated seasons and 3 national championships. He coached players such as George "The Gipper" Gipp and the members of the Four Horsemen, and his colorful personality captured the public's imagination.

Baseball
Here are some factorsthat helped make baseball a national passion:

Radio
During the 1920s, radios could now be massed produced cheaply. It was the way to get the information about the game. Many families in the Midwest and the Mideast tuned in to hear some of the greats of radio bring the game to life.

Newspapers
During the 1920s, many national newspapers began to have their own sports sections solelydevoted the game. While pro football was in its infancy and basketballs not even a national or professional sport yet, baseball had the run of the roost in the pages of the newspapers.

Stability
By the end of the decade, the teams of the next 30 years were established. Until expansion arrived in the 1960s, the league itself did not change much for three decades until the Dodgers and Giants movedwest.

Cork
The ball was now being made with a cork center instead of being wound. This changed the emphasis of the game from pitching and defense to hitting.

The Negro Leagues
Starting in 1920, the National Negro Leagues provided an opportunity for some of the greatest talent the game has never seen. Rube Foster’s business sense provided a sound foundation for the next 30 years forAfrican-Americans and Latin greats to play in the US.

Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth born on Feb. 6, 1895 in Baltimore and died Aug. 16, 1948 in New York U.S. baseball player, one of the greatest hitters and most popular figures in the sport's history. He began his career in 1914 as a member of Baltimore's minor league team and joined the Boston Red Sox later that season. He started as a pitcher,...