In the 1930s sports and smoking seemed to go hand in hand. Cigarettes were prime endorsements for some athletes, though a familiar stereotype was that of the clean-cut sports hero who "did not smoke or drink." Fans, on the other hand, lit up at sporting events as a matter of course.

Even though he won in smoke-filled arenas, track star Glenn Cunningham was often bothered by cigarette smoke, which affected his breathing. Fans thought him eccentric to begin with. He would jog up and down the track to warm up. He was also an unorthodox runner who could surge to a finish even if it didn't look pretty (unlike his rival Bill Bonthron, whose form resembled that of a Greek statue).

Cunningham was one of the first athletes to insist that fans refrain from smoking. When a crowd at Dartmouth University...