Boxing Vs. Baseball

In the twentieth century vast numbers of people immigrated to the United States in search of a better life in the “Land of Opportunity.” Some were fleeing harsh economic or political conditions. Some viewed America as a place to increase or gain wealth. Many came to stay and adopt this land as their own. Others sought to seek their fortune and return to their homelands. Frequently, what they found in this new land was a struggle and new hardships. In Adrian Burgos Jr.’s book, Playing America’s Game: Baseball, Latinos, and the Color Line, and Allen Bodner’s work, When Boxing Was a Jewish Sport, the reader gains insight into two of these immigrant groups and how they utilized the space available for them in the attempt to improve their lives in America. By establishing their own social and economic space through the sporting culture of this nation, these two immigrant groups greatly impacted the development of professional sports in the United States and helped to break down ethnic and racial barriers that limited opportunity for many “foreigners” and citizens alike.

In the late eighteen hundreds and the early twentieth century New York City became the home of hundreds of thousands of Jewish immigrants and most Jewish immigrants desired to build a new life in the United States. New York, Bodner states in When Boxing Was a Jewish Sport, also remained the focal point of “American Jewry throughout much of the twentieth century.” The first generation of Jewish immigrants struggled to assimilate into American culture and faced limitations and opposition as they attempted to establish their new lives and earn a living as foreigners. Bodner points out that the second generation became Americanized and began to find their space in New York City. The author wrote, “The overwhelming number of immigrant Jews remained working class. It was up to their children to achieve the American dream of stable middle-class life.” This second generation learned to speak English and took on more customs and appearances of America. Still this generation’s opportunities faced limits. As these young men began entering the workspace they encountered few options. Due to the inability to finance further education, most became common laborers. One alternative to that labor opened up to these young Jewish men: boxing. The gyms in the area provided access for them and many discovered that through boxing a young man could make a living. Many chose a professional boxing career over working in the tailoring industry for a few dollars a week. By participating in boxing, these second generation Jewish immigrants created a space in which they could succeed and make it possible for their children to gain greater opportunities in American society. These Jewish men used the sport of boxing as a way to enter the American economic system.

In Playing America’s Game written by Adrian Burgos Jr., a different approach in immigration