Along with all the other grand titles of the decade, the 1920s were also known as "The Golden Age of Sports." Players in almost every sport far exceeded fans' expectations and became heroic legends who are still remembered. They included baseball greats Babe Ruth (1895–1948), Ty Cobb (1886–1961), and Lou Gehrig (1903–1941); football heroes Red Grange (1903–1991) and Knute Rockne (1888–1931); tennis aces Helen Wills (1905–1998) and Bill Tilden (1893–1953); and probably the greatest lightweight boxer Benny Leonard (1896–1947) and heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey (1895–1983). The dominating performance of Americans at the seventh and eighth Olympic games provided Americans with more reasons to follow their favorite sports than ever before. Radio broadcasts of athletic events turned local heroes into national sports icons for the first time.

With so many sports to choose from, Americans became truly sports crazy. Home-run hitter Babe Ruth led the New York Yankees to its first World Series win...