American Heroes
The 1920’s was a hard time for Americans, as they were coming off of a war, and their economy was slowly getting worse. As a result of this, many Americans looked up to heroes, which gave them a sense of hope.
With the advancements of communication devices, especially radios, Americans were listening and following sports more than ever before. In baseball, the most popular sport at the time, the dynamic duo of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees were both looked up to as heroes by many people. From 1926-1932, Ruth average 49 home runs, 152 RBI’s, and a .353 batting average, which are all remarkable stats to achieve year after year. Although his most famous moment in his life did not come until 1932, where he supposedly “called his shot” in the World Series, all throughout the 1920’s, he had many Americans who praised him for his athletic ability. His teammate, Lou Gehrig was also a very impressive baseball player and a fan-favorite of the Yankees.He appeared in 2,130 consecutive games, setting a record that stood for many years. However, later in his career he was diagnosed with ALS, a muscle disorder that is now known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and eventually died from it. He is most remembered for giving his very famous speech to the Yankees fans, claiming he was the luckiest man on the Earth.Overall, both players increased the popularity of baseball, and were viewed as icons to most Americans.
Football, which was slowly working its way up to becoming one of America’s most popular sports, also featured some heroes.Red Grange
was the most looked up to football player at the time, a star Chicago Bears. College football was also generating some popularity during this time.The University of Michigan dominated the collegiate level and throughout most of the 1920’s were lead by wide receiver Bennie Oosterbaan. Along with football, Oosterbaan was also the star of the Michigan basketball team, and a consistent contributor to the baseball team.In his three years playing football, he was an All-American all three years.In his two years playing basketball, he was an All-American for both years.On the baseball diamond, he received All-Big Ten honors.With the amazing all around athlete Oosterbaan was, he was looked up to by many.
Besides the major sports, some minor sports also featured some heroes.Jack Dempsey, a well-known boxer, Bobby Jones, a terrific golfer, and Bill Tilden, a prolific tennis player all caught the eyes of many Americans and were highly looked up to.Although
it was mostly men that were sports heroes, there were a few women who also were viewed as heroes.Gertrude Ederle was a women’s swimmer, who set many records in the pool.However, her biggest accomplishment came in 1926, when she became the first women to
swim across the English Channel.
Besides athletes, Charles Lindbergh was a famous aviator who was the face of America at this time.At this time, the concept of aviation was
somewhat new, so any pilot was viewed as a hero, for participating in such a dangerous job.However, Lindbergh wasn’t an ordinary pilot. He became the fist person to fly from New York to Paris without stopping. He instantly became an American hero once he landed safely in Paris. A
few years later, when his newborn son was kidnapped, which was called the crime of the century, the spotlight was back on Lindbergh. He
was considered the greatest American hero of his time.
With the advancements of communication devices, especially radios, Americans were listening and following sports more than ever before. In baseball, the most popular sport at the time, the dynamic duo of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees were both looked up to as heroes by many people. From 1926-1932, Ruth average 49 home runs, 152 RBI’s, and a .353 batting average, which are all remarkable stats to achieve year after year. Although his most famous moment in his life did not come until 1932, where he supposedly “called his shot” in the World Series, all throughout the 1920’s, he had many Americans who praised him for his athletic ability. His teammate, Lou Gehrig was also a very impressive baseball player and a fan-favorite of the Yankees.He appeared in 2,130 consecutive games, setting a record that stood for many years. However, later in his career he was diagnosed with ALS, a muscle disorder that is now known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and eventually died from it. He is most remembered for giving his very famous speech to the Yankees fans, claiming he was the luckiest man on the Earth.Overall, both players increased the popularity of baseball, and were viewed as icons to most Americans.
Football, which was slowly working its way up to becoming one of America’s most popular sports, also featured some heroes.Red Grange
was the most looked up to football player at the time, a star Chicago Bears. College football was also generating some popularity during this time.The University of Michigan dominated the collegiate level and throughout most of the 1920’s were lead by wide receiver Bennie Oosterbaan. Along with football, Oosterbaan was also the star of the Michigan basketball team, and a consistent contributor to the baseball team.In his three years playing football, he was an All-American all three years.In his two years playing basketball, he was an All-American for both years.On the baseball diamond, he received All-Big Ten honors.With the amazing all around athlete Oosterbaan was, he was looked up to by many.
Besides the major sports, some minor sports also featured some heroes.Jack Dempsey, a well-known boxer, Bobby Jones, a terrific golfer, and Bill Tilden, a prolific tennis player all caught the eyes of many Americans and were highly looked up to.Although
it was mostly men that were sports heroes, there were a few women who also were viewed as heroes.Gertrude Ederle was a women’s swimmer, who set many records in the pool.However, her biggest accomplishment came in 1926, when she became the first women to
swim across the English Channel.
Besides athletes, Charles Lindbergh was a famous aviator who was the face of America at this time.At this time, the concept of aviation was
somewhat new, so any pilot was viewed as a hero, for participating in such a dangerous job.However, Lindbergh wasn’t an ordinary pilot. He became the fist person to fly from New York to Paris without stopping. He instantly became an American hero once he landed safely in Paris. A
few years later, when his newborn son was kidnapped, which was called the crime of the century, the spotlight was back on Lindbergh. He
was considered the greatest American hero of his time.