The Greatness of Seabiscuit And What He Meant to American Society

Greatness can only be discussed in context. The majority of the greatest football players from the 1950's would lose in a game to mediocre players of today's age. The unbridled size, speed, training methods and dedication would be overwhelming. However, greatness should be measured with more than mere physical success. The most important aspect in determining greatness is societal impact, and changes developed and created by or because of you. The book Seabiscuit written by Laura Hillenbrand, beautifully portrays how a great horse and a great team can evolve beyond their own being to change sport and even society. Seabiscuit and his owner Charles Howard changed every aspect of sports, including fan interest and money making, media coverage and most importantly sports as an entertainment and business.

The first area that Seabiscuit changed in sports, and the reason for many of the other changes that followed, was his immense and far reaching popularity. Simply put, Seabiscuit was a superstar before there were superstars. He was one of a kind, a household name across the country. In a time when radios and newspapers were the only means to get information, Seabiscuit was an icon that, "[Enjoyed] adulation so intense and broad-based that it transcended sport," (pfc). Seasbiscuit was so popular that he, "Smashed attendance records at nearly every major track, and drew two of the three largest throngs ever to see a horse race," (pfc). Seabiscuit's last race drew over 78,000 fans, easily equivalent to the largest draws in today's sports including the Super Bowl; and this in a population about half of it's current size, with a horribly depressed economy.