<span>During the 1920s sport became popular with the great mass of the people for the first time. For most Americans baseball became the craze. it was a sport in which working class men could excel without any expensive equipment or training. All that was needed was a 'good eye' for the ball. The greatest hero of all was Babe Ruth (right), who became the highest paid sportsmen of his day in 1927 when he earned $80,000.
Boxing also became a very popular sport, largely because of the rivalry between Jack Dempsey (left) and Gene Tunney. Dempsey, like Babe Ruth, was an ordinary working man. They both seemed to represent the idea of the USA. It did not matter what your background was, if you had the talent and the ability, you could succeed.
But sport was not the only new form of entertainment in the 1920s. Dancing became very popular. Not only were there new dances, but for the first time night clubs and dance halls opened that catered for thousands of people. Dancing competitions were organised that went on for days. But the greatest form of entertainment of all was the motorcar. It offered a new form of freedom that people had never experienced before. For the first time Americans were able to explore their own country in comfort at a time when the government was just beginning to build freeways (motorways) all over the country.</span>
