Podcast #167: When Watching People Walk Was America’s Favorite Sport | The Art of Manliness

Spectator sports are a multibillion dollar industry. Hundreds of millions of people watch sports worldwide whether on TV or in person, and the personal lives of athletes are fodder for news stories and television shows. Star professionals make huge salaries, plus they rake in boatloads more with endorsement deals. But what’s interesting is that the money-making mania of today’s sports world was kicked off in the 19th century by the riveting, action-packed sport of….walking? In Pedestrianism, writer Matthew Algeo takes a look at the long-forgotten sport of pedestrianism or competitive walking. During the 19th century, it was the absolute bees knees. Tens of thousands of people would fill arenas to watch mustachioed men compete for giant paydays by walking in circles for six days straight. While the history of pedestrianism is interesting in and of itself, Algeo also shows how it laid the groundwork for modern spectator sports. In today’s podcast, Algeo and I discuss some of the more interesting and larger-than-life characters who competed in this old-time sport, as well as the ways in which it birthed the money-fueled sports industry of today. I think you’ll find the conversation anything but pedestrian! Follow us! https://ift.tt/1FOPIX2 http://twitter.com/artofmanliness https://ift.tt/YAd15k https://ift.tt/1DUJeqE