Modern Women and Sports in Interwar Chicago

Book excerpt: Between World War I and World War II, women flocked to Chicago’s parks, playgrounds, and clubs, becoming enthusiastic participants, players, and fans of the games of the time. Robert Pruter’s Modern Women and Sports in Interwar Chicago; 1918–1941, examines how the Windy City became home to advancements in women’s track and field, swimming, basketball, golf, speed skating, and softball. As a work of sport and urban history, Pruter’s text situates the vibrant world of women’s athletics within the context of interwar Chicago’s new infrastructure and support from its religious and cultural institutions, newspapers, and industrial and retail firms. Woven into this historical analysis are biographies of individual athletes, including Edith Cummings, the 1920s golf star who inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Tidye Pickett, the first African American woman to compete in the Olympic Games. Modern Women and Sports in Interwar Chicago provides a detailed look at developments in the city, the rise of women’s sporting culture, and the lives and social contexts of the athletes who navigated gender norms while embracing more inclusive recreation and competition.