Sports changed in the 1920’s and were known as the Global Age of Sports because there was a change from few locally famous athletes to many nationally known athletes. The rise of technology such as the radio and newspaper helped increase major athletes fame. One in particular was the Great Bambino, the Sultan of Swat, and the King of Clouds, Babe Ruth. He gained fame as a home run record hitter for the Yankees and most importantly helped win back fans from a gambling scandal. Other famous athletes include football player Red Grange, Boxer Jack Dempsey, golfer Bobby Jones, tennis player Bill Tilden, and for the first time women athletes in tennis and swimming. Since Word War 1 shattered American faith we needed heroes that were capable of great feats and gave Americans hope. World War 1 not only made people more money to spend on entertainment but it led to a revival in creating new stadiums and making people want to reach the step from being an amateur to a professional. Professional athletes reached this status because of journalists capturing the excitement of sports and portraying them as gods. On the other hand sports were not the only thing that gained America’s attention to lift our hopes. Charles Lindberg was the first to fly from New York to Paris France non stop and became an instant media celebrity as the adventure took 33 hours. At this time airline industry was young as the only thing they were used for was war. They would carry few mail and passengers and were considered luxuries as well as risking death every time one would take flight.
Sports Icons
Babe Ruth (Pictures here with his wife), was one of the first American Sports heroes.
American Heroes
Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean.