For more than a century the American farm, factory and frontier provided opportunities for physical workers to display their skill, win a bet, brag or perhaps just have some fun. Competitions that emphasized useful skills, like plowing, corn-husking, rock drilling, typesetting, and tree cutting, was common in the antebellum and post-Civil War periods, often drawing large crowds and the attention of sporting journals. For many years conventional American sports occurred in the workplace. This may help explain why the nicknames of so many prominent collegiate or professional sporting teams--Cornhuskers, Lumberjacks, Miners, Cowboys, Packers and Boilermakers--are also the occupations of 19th century worker-athletes. By examining the American experience with worker competitions, this book provides a new understanding of the interrelated nature of occupation and leisure.
- ISBN13 9780786467846
- Publish Date 20 October 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint McFarland & Co Inc
- Format Paperback
- Pages 240
- Language English