Minimum Sources... Research 1920 Sport Write ... Thesis

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1920s sport: Swimming

The 1920s was called the 'Roaring 20s' in America. It was accompanied by expanded prosperity for many middle class Americans and the rise of the 'flapper,' the sexually liberated and independent young woman. The rise of the middle class and the larger percentage of Americans with considerable disposable income and leisure time also allowed greater participation in sports. "The 1920s has been called the Golden Age of American Sports. It also has been called the Age of the Spectator" (Summer 2004:1). Thanks to the strength of the U.S. economy, more stadiums for professional and recreational sports were constructed, and radio and newspapers enabled fans to keep abreast of the latest developments of professional teams. "Improvements in roads made it possible for fans to travel to athletic events in distant cities. For the first time, large numbers of Americans began to pay money to watch other people compete in athletic contests" (Summer 2004:1). More Americans also began to participate in sports, including baseball, football, basketball -- and swimming. It was the sport of swimming, with its focus on individual athletes and the nearly-naked physical body that perhaps best embodied the spirit and the unique concerns of the 1920s, particularly the sport of women's swimming.

However, women's place in the athletic revolution of the Golden Age of Sports was somewhat controversial. On one hand, the modern flapper's athletic physique and short skirts made it easier for women to participate. But there were still some reservations about whether it was 'correct' or not for women to be physically active. While physical education classes and teams increased for girls in schools, "some educators thought that running, jumping, and sweating were not very ladylike.

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They opposed athletic competition for women. Women had to fight for the right to compete. Many, but not all, colleges and high schools had basketball teams for girls. Some girls competed in sports such as golf, tennis, or swimming" (Summer 2004:2-3). The less constricting swimming suits offered to women during the era also made swimming for women more feasible and increased their ability to compete at this sport. Before the 1920s, even men's swim suits were made of "itchy woolen fabric" and women's bathing suits had full skirts (Drowne & Luber 103). This was yet another reason that "recreational swimming was not a popular activity during the early years of the 20th century" (Drowne & Luber 103). When champion swimmer and actress Annette Kellerman wore a modest one-piece suit without a skirt on a beach in 1908, she was arrested for indecent exposure but by the 1920s, bathing beauty competitions became common as social mores began to shift and change (Drowne & Luber 103).

By 1926, bathing suit manufacturer Jantzen had created a swimming suit for women that resembled modern swim suits and founded the Jantzen Swimming Association, designed to teach Americans to swim (and to buy more bathing costumes as a result) (Drowne & Huber 103). Spurred on by the advertising campaigns of swimsuit vendors and the success of the American swimming teams at the Paris Olympics, indoor swimming pools became popular, even within cities. In Chicago, "many ethnic associations and settlement houses had also built swimming pools and established competitive swim programs. The Chicago Hebrew Institute, which built its first pool in 1915, was noted for its strong women's program" ("Swimming," The Electric Encyclopedia of Chicago, 2013).

Legendary swim coach Bill Bachrach of the Illinois Athletic Club.....

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