American public universities suffered tremendous funding cuts during the 1930s, yet they were also responsible for educating increasing numbers of students. The mounting financial troubles, coupled with a perceived increase in the number of radical student activists, contributed to a general sense of crisis on American college campuses.
University leaders used their athletic programs to combat this crisis and to preserve traditional American values and institutions, prescribing different models for men and women. Educators emphasized the competitive nature of men s athletics, seeking to...