Language Arts 2 Period 6
2 march 2014
Sports In The 1930’s
The 1930’s witnessed a worldwide financial depression, which affected the lives of many citizens in the United States. In the Depression, sports provided a way for athletes to be successful and a major distraction at large. Many baseball owners feared the worst. They would have trouble drawing fans. In an effort to get more fans to the game the Cincinnati reds brought lights into the game. This would bring a whole new meaning to the game. There were three sports that were popular in the United States during the great Depression: boxing, baseball and football.
Boxing became a very popular sport during the depression. Boxing was such a huge sport it carried another industry, broadcasting. Sales of radios went up because people wanted to hear the call of the “big fight” (ehow). Six boxers held the title of the heavy weight Champion, considered the most famous athletes in the world were max Schmeling, max baer and “Cinderella man” James Braddock. They held the title in the 30’s until African-American boxer Joe Luis claimed it in 1937. The fights were so big that 70,000 people packed Yankee stadium for the rematch between Louis and Schmeling.
A second game that was popular during the depression was baseball. People went to baseball games only to forget about their own troubles for a while. The New York Yankees were the best team of the ‘30’s winning five World Series titles. Some of the Yankees’ most notable players were Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and babe Ruth (The history rat). Baseball began to boom when newspapers and radio combined to turn the game into a way to forget about their problems for a couple of days. National baseball hall of fame starts with the players to be chosen: Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson and Babe Ruth.
Football was a third popular sport in the 1930’s. In 1936, the National Football League, NFL, hosted its first college football draft. The...