eBook - ePub
The Strenuous Life
Theodore Roosevelt and the Making of the American Athlete
- 320 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
"It seemed as if Theodore Roosevelt's biographers had closed the book on his life story. But Ryan Swanson has uncovered an untold chapter" (Johnny Smith, coauthor of
Blood Brothers: The Fatal Friendship between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X).
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Crippling asthma, a frail build, and grossly myopic eyesight: these were the ailments that plagued Teddy Roosevelt as a child. In adulthood, he was diagnosed with a potentially fatal heart condition and was told never to exert himself again. Roosevelt's body was his weakness, the one hill he could never fully conquerâand as a result he developed what would become a lifelong obsession with athletics that he carried with him into his presidency.
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As President of the United States, Roosevelt boxed, practiced Ju-Jitsu, played tennis nearly every day, and frequently invited athletes and teams to the White House. It was during his administration that America saw baseball's first ever World Series; interscholastic sports began; and schools began to place an emphasis on physical education. In addition, the NCAA formed, and the United States hosted the Olympic Games for the first time.
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From a prize-winning historian, this book shows how Roosevelt fought desperately (and sometimes successfully) to shape American athletics in accordance with his imperialistic view of the world. It reveals that, in one way or another, we can trace our fanaticism for fitness and sports directly back to the twenty-sixth president and his relentless pursuit of "The Strenuous Life."
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"Essential reading for anyone who cares about the history of sports in America." âMichael Kazin, author of War against War: The American Fight for Peace, 1914â1918
Â
Crippling asthma, a frail build, and grossly myopic eyesight: these were the ailments that plagued Teddy Roosevelt as a child. In adulthood, he was diagnosed with a potentially fatal heart condition and was told never to exert himself again. Roosevelt's body was his weakness, the one hill he could never fully conquerâand as a result he developed what would become a lifelong obsession with athletics that he carried with him into his presidency.
Â
As President of the United States, Roosevelt boxed, practiced Ju-Jitsu, played tennis nearly every day, and frequently invited athletes and teams to the White House. It was during his administration that America saw baseball's first ever World Series; interscholastic sports began; and schools began to place an emphasis on physical education. In addition, the NCAA formed, and the United States hosted the Olympic Games for the first time.
Â
From a prize-winning historian, this book shows how Roosevelt fought desperately (and sometimes successfully) to shape American athletics in accordance with his imperialistic view of the world. It reveals that, in one way or another, we can trace our fanaticism for fitness and sports directly back to the twenty-sixth president and his relentless pursuit of "The Strenuous Life."
Â
"Essential reading for anyone who cares about the history of sports in America." âMichael Kazin, author of War against War: The American Fight for Peace, 1914â1918
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Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access The Strenuous Life by Ryan Swanson in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Political Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover Page
- The Strenuous Life
- Also by Ryan Swanson
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Introduction
- ONE : Hit the Line Hard
- TWO : The Strenuous (Like, Really Strenuous) Life
- THREE : Harvard and Its Harvardness
- FOUR : The Tennis Cabinet
- FIVE : Creating the Roosevelt Athletic League
- SIX : 1904
- SEVEN : Tedâs Dangerous Football Adventure
- EIGHT : âWalkingâ
- NINE : Baseballâs Great Roosevelt Chase
- TEN : Legacy
- ELEVEN : WaitâŚJack Johnson?
- TWELVE : One Last Race
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Endnotes
- About the Author
- Footnotes