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Pedestrianism : When Watching People Walk Was America's Favorite Spectator Sport by Matthew Algeo is a history book available to read on EtoBox.

What is Pedestrianism : When Watching People Walk Was America's Favorite Spectator Sport about?

Strange 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. This 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. Pedestrianism: When Watching People Walk Was America's Favorite Spectator Sport chronicles competitive walking's peculiar appeal and popularity, its rapid demise, and its enduring influ

Who reads Pedestrianism : When Watching People Walk Was America's Favorite Spectator Sport?

Author

Matthew Algeo

Publisher

Independent Publishers Group (Chicago Review Press)

Published

2014

Language

EN

ISBN

9781613743980

Category

history

Subjects

History, Sports, Anthropology

Rating

3.9 / 5 (25 ratings)

Updated

2026-03-14