America's Sporting Culture In The 19th Century

America’s sporting culture of the late 19th century and into the early 20th century largely reflected ideals the country enforced during colonial times, as the same ruling parties (upper class white males and the newly forming “middle class” white male) were charged with shaping and influencing society. These ideas, that enforced white male (unless poor except in certain cases) dominance, limited women’s involvement and ranked “others” (blacks, immigrants, poorer whites) below the upper white class largely impacted sports and recreation as a whole during 1850-1900 and can still be noted in the US today.
Hostilities with Natives that was prevalent in the early 17th century shifted to class distinctions within the white race and a clear distancing from African slaves in the 19th century. By 1850, there were three groups within sports culture: the gentry class (elite or 5 percenters), poor whites and African slaves. Poor whites and African slaves were routinely ranked lower in
Similarly, although it was approved more by Anglo-Saxon males, baseball was heralded as a “man’s game” that required “great muscular skill, readiness of hand, quickness of eye” and other faculties that “make a man of nerve” (Henry Chadwick). However, from 1857-1864, baseball was seen as less manly than cricket due to restricting rules. Despite this, baseball still taught self control as a “manly virtue” by encouraging players to refrain from fighting and swearing. Going into the Progressive Era, baseball developed a creed of self restraint, “manly” self control and the building of a “good man” image. Through this creed, white males justified their attempts to teach immigrant youths American values while at the same time excluding African American males