This Too Was America

Cricket in America achieved its greatest acclaim, most extensive organisation and highest level of competition in Philadelphia in the mid-19th century. The city took on the burden of representing the entire US during the sport’s emerging international popularity. This history examines the origin, rise and demise of America’s cricket legacy.

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Cricket in America achieved its greatest acclaim, most extensive organization and highest level of competition in Philadelphia in the mid-19th century. The city took upon itself the burden of representing the entire U.S. during the sport's emerging international popularity.

It was a story of amazing successes, abysmal failures and engaging personalities--like John B. King, revered to this day as one of the all-time greatest players--and eventual decline and demise. This meticulously researched history examines the origin and rise of a sport's legacy that, even in its demise, would endure as a lost vision of America's sporting destiny.