{"product_id":"pedestrianism-book-matthew-algeo-9781613738825","title":"Pedestrianism","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","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49528077549841,"sku":"GOR009819222","price":4.7,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50283318804753,"sku":"CIN161373882XG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53645209272593,"sku":"CIN161373882XVG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/161373882X.jpg?v=1750763737","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/products\/pedestrianism-book-matthew-algeo-9781613738825","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}