美国体育的反叛起源

The sentry box at the royal governor’s residence in Boston was a too-inviting target for young Americans with an urge to kick, throw, or swing at something British. The regiments who occupied the city to enforce the Crown’s taxation were accustomed to dodging snowballs, oyster shells, and burning coals. Then, one January day in 1769, a gang of boys found a novel form of harassment: They launched an unruly game of “foot-ball” in the street facing the sentry box. As the boys played, the action came ever closer to grazing the redcoat on duty. What happened next infuriated Royal Governor Sir Francis Bernard, a meaty-faced, tilt-chinned baronet. …