{"product_id":"pedestrianism-matthew-algeo-9781613738825","title":"Pedestrianism: When Watching People Walk Was America's Favorite Spectator Sport","description":"\u003cp\u003eStrange as it sounds, during the 1870s and 1880s, America's most popular spectator sport wasn't baseball, boxing, or horseracing--it was competitive walking. Inside sold-out arenas, competitors walked around dirt tracks almost nonstop for six straight days (never on Sunday), risking their health and sanity to see who could walk the farthest--500 miles, then 520 miles, and 565 miles! These walking matches were as talked about as the weather, the details reported from coast to coast.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis long-forgotten sport, known as pedestrianism, spawned America's first celebrity athletes and opened doors for immigrants, African Americans, and women. The top pedestrians earned a fortune in prize money and endorsement deals. But along with the excitement came the inevitable scandals, charges of doping--coca leaves!--and insider gambling. It even spawned a riot in 1879 when too many fans showed up at New York's Gilmore's Garden, later renamed Madison Square Garden, and were denied entry to a widely publicized showdown. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePedestrianism: When Watching People Walk Was America's Favorite Spectator Sport\u003c\/i\u003e chronicles competitive walking's peculiar appeal and popularity, its rapid demise, and its enduring influence, and how pedestrianism marked the beginning of modern spectator sports in the United States.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Matthew Algeo\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 161373882X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781613738825\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Chicago Review Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.90lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.70h x 5.40w x 0.80d","brand":"Matthew Algeo","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44042402857215,"sku":"9781613738825","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_054bcf42-9a91-4f5a-af3a-a5b8ff65a8e5.jpg?v=1684961308","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/pedestrianism-matthew-algeo-9781613738825","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}