THE 1930s SPORTS OVERVIEW

The 1920s were called the golden age of sports. Every sport seemed to be dominated by a single personality. Though several of these athletes were still active in the 1930s, the golden age essentially ended with the retirement of golfer Bobby Jones in 1930. In the new decade, titles and records would be won and shattered many different times by different people, and no one, with the possible exception of Joe Louis in the second half of the decade, came to dominate his or her respective sport. Sports fans today continue to draw comparisons between modern athletes and those of the 1920s and 1930s.

The Depression forced sporting promoters to look for new ways to increase attendance and interest. As a result sports became more and more commercialized a trend that bothered many sportswriters, who were convinced that sport was becoming a gaudy spectacle for mass entertainment. The 1930s saw the advent of night baseball, particularly in the minor leagues and the Negro League.

Sports fans demanded greater speed and faster games, as records fell in sports from swimming to powerboat racing.

people listening to sports broadcast

Radio, more than other medium, came of age in the 1930s and brought sports into people's homes and, later, their automobiles. Americans could listen to boxing title fights, Army-Navy football games, and horse racing, among other sporting events. In 1934 NBC broadcast tennis matches from England and France, with John R. Tunis, noted author and sports-writer, doing the commentary. A turning point for radio sports was the 1932 Winter Olympics from Lake Placid, New York. Though sports were essentially "free" on the airwaves, broadcast rights and commercial airtime had to be purchased.

johnny Weissmuller and cast of tarzan, king of jungle 

 Being a professional in sports did not just mean playing in professional competitions; to support themselves athletes had to take on other jobs, sometimes modestly paying ones but not always. Rewarding offers to sports heroes from Hollywood made it difficult for many amateur athletes to resist temptation. Early in 1930 swimmer Johnny Weissmuller took a screen test and became filmland's "Tarzan, King of the Jungle."

Women in Sports: The decade began with women seeking to achieve equal opportunities and social development. By the end of the decade various sporting organizations were beginning to recognize the competitive needs of women athletes as well.

 Technology continued to boom, and it swept sports along with it. Accuracy and efficiency became more attainable. A motorboat with a pair of 12-cylinder motors and 2,200 horsepower hit a record 101.351 mph in 1931.By the end of the decade there were twenty-three television stations around the country offering limited programming, including sports. Television was still a decade away from becoming the dominant influence on popular culture and the great link between the American fan and sports, though.

1932 Summer Olympics 

Athletes seemed to be a lot younger in the 1930s 
& in 1932 - The Olympic Games are held in Los Angeles. Photo finish equipment is used for the first time in track events. Kusuo Kitamura of Japan, aged 14 years 309 days, wins the men's 1500m freestyle swimming gold medal.

1936 - Olympics Games held in Berlin. Jesse Owens, the black American athlete wins gold in the 100m, 200m, long jump and 4X100m relay.
1939 - This year's hurling final becomes known as the "thunder and lightning final" when a thunder storm marked the clash between Cork and Kilkenny. This is also the day when war is declared in Europe.

the official match ball of the firts fifa world cup

The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place inUruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930. FIFA, football's international governing body selected Uruguay as host nation as the country would be celebrating the centenary of its first constitution, and the Uruguay national football team had successfully retained their football title at the 1928 Summer Olympics. All matches were played in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo, the majority at the Estadio Centenario, which was built for the tournament.

Thirteen teams, seven from South America, four from Europe and two from North America entered the tournament