{"product_id":"pedestrianism-when-watching-people-walk-was-americas-favorite-spectator-sport-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\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Chicago Review Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781613738825\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\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":"Default Title","offer_id":42925110657205,"sku":"9781613738825","price":13.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_d7d2111e-b13c-42fc-9978-2b0cafaf7e4b.jpg?v=1687845714","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/pedestrianism-when-watching-people-walk-was-americas-favorite-spectator-sport-9781613738825","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}