In the 1970s sitcom The Odd Couple, Felix and Oscar argue over a
racing greyhound that Oscar won in a bet. Animal lover Felix wants
to keep the dog as a pet; gambling enthusiast Oscar wants to race
it. This dilemma fairly reflects America's attitude toward
greyhound racing.
This book, the first cultural history of greyhound racing in
America, charts the sport's meteoric rise-and equally meteoric
decline-against the backdrop of changes in American culture during
the last century. Gwyneth Anne Thayer takes us from its origins in
"coursing" in England, through its postwar heyday, and up to its
current state of near-extinction. Her entertaining account offers
fresh insight into the development of American sport and leisure,
the rise of animal advocacy, and the unique place that dogs hold in
American life.
Thayer describes greyhound racing's dynamic growth in the 1920s
in places like Saint Louis, Chicago, and New Orleans, then explores
its phenomenal popularity in Florida, where promoters exploited its
remote association with the upper class and helped foster a
celebrity culture around it. By the end of the century media
reports of alleged animal cruelty had surfaced as well as
competition from other gaming pursuits such as state lotteries and
Indian casinos. Greyhound racing became so suspect that even Homer
Simpson derided it.
In exploring the socioeconomic, political, and ideological
factors that fueled the rise and fall of dog racing in America,
Thayer has consulted participants and critics alike in order to
present both sides of a contentious debate. She examines not only
the impact of animal protectionists, but also suspected underworld
ties, longstanding tensions between dogmen and track owners over
racing contracts, and the evolving relationship between consumerism
and dogs. She captures the sport's glory days in dozens of
photographs that recall its coursing past or show celebrities like
Frank Sinatra and Babe Ruth with winning racing hounds. Thayer also
records the growth of the adoption movement that rescues ex-racers
from possible euthanasia.
Today there are fewer than half as many greyhound tracks, in
half as many states, as there were 10 years ago-and half of them
are in Florida. Thayer's in-depth, meticulously balanced account is
an intriguing look at this singular activity and will teach readers
as much about American cultural behavior as about racing
greyhounds.
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