Theodore Roosevelt, a Sporting President
President Theodore Roosevelt may have influenced sport during his time in office (1901–
1908) more than any other American leader in the nation's history. He created the National Parks
System providing space for outdoor enthusiasts, promoted healthy activity and sport, and helped
set in motion the development of bureaucratic structures such as the NCAA. He helped craft an
image of American identity that emphasized strenuous activity with a competitive will to fight
and compete with whomever and whatever would be the challenge. Roosevelt constantly
challenged and encouraged American Olympic teams to fight for victory. He interjected himself
in sports debates using his authority as the president of the United States to make decisions.
He selected James E. Sullivan as the head of the U.S. Olympic team in both 1906 and
1908 and injected his views in the debate between Chicago and St. Louis when both were vying
for the rights to host the 1904 Olympic Games. However, he is remembered most for his
interdiction with the football crisis of 1905.
In October, he gathered the leaders of eastern football powers Harvard, Yale, and
Princeton (The Big 3) to the White House and demanded that they find a solution to the brutality
of the game. Realizing his limited authority over the universities Roosevelt implored the
representatives to draft a statement on their train ride home. The statement released by
Intercollegiate Football Rules Committee Secretary Walter Camp the next day stated that the
schools would carry out the rules of the game in both letter and spirit. Because the season still
exhibited numerous violations and examples of unsportsmanlike behavior, Roosevelt continued
to press the issue and, in November, summoned Dr. J. William White, professor of surgery at the
University of Pennsylvania, to the White House to discuss the subject. White reported that
Roosevelt emphatically believed in continuing the game, but that referees should punish the
brutality and foul play harshly and, if the referees would not do so, then college presidents
should sanction them. Roosevelt loved gridiron and followed his alma mater, Harvard, faithfully.
Roosevelt praised the character-building elements of the game and emphasized that the rough
nature of the contests were essential to the nature of American strength.
To survive in a competitive international world Roosevelt believed that Americans had to
develop a tough, manly demeanor and football provided a key venue for that goal. Roosevelt
continued to work behind the scenes in order to move university leaders to address the issues of
intentional injury, but withdrew from the public debate on the subject, believing that a form of
hysteria had developed surrounding the game. Roosevelt's efforts in initiating discussions among
college leaders led to the development of the Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association (ICAA) in
1906, an organization that would change its name in five years to the National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA).