{"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\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMatthew Algeo\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eHarry Truman's Excellent Adventure\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe President Is a Sick Man\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eLast Team Standing\u003c\/i\u003e. An award-winning journalist, Algeo has reported from three continents for public radio's \u003ci\u003eAll Things Considered\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMarketplace\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eMorning Edition\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Chicago Review Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50360375968018,"sku":"9781613738825","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_5cca65eb-bd58-45b7-a5b8-e2e913fbc20b.jpg?v=1728361331","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/pedestrianism-when-watching-people-walk-was-americas-favorite-spectator-sport-9781613738825","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}