1904 Summer Olympics

When the modern Olympic Games began in 1896, winners actually received silver medals.

It wasn't until the 1904 Olympics that the now famous tradition of gold for first, silver for second, and bronze for third became standard.

The medals symbolize excellence in a simple way.

Gold represents the highest achievement.

And by the 1910s, Bethlehem Steel has built one of the strongest teams in the country.

Even at the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis, however, the American entries are clubs rather than genuine United States national teams.

The problem is institutional.

Who actually governs American soccer? The old AFA fades away in 1899, then revives in 1906, but it remains heavily Eastern and increasingly associated with professional football.

I don't know.

Oh, apparently it was the home of the 1904 Summer Olympics and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition the same year.

Oh, Louisiana Purchase, isn't that the thing where...

Ah, I don't know the exact history of the United States, but wasn't there something where you decided, oh, there's St. Louis, let's just buy it, or something like that happened, I don't know.