Profile in Vigor: John F. Kennedy and the Quest for Athletic Excellence

This chapter examines the personal origins and political ramifications of John F. Kennedy’s quest for athletic excellence. Born into a highly competitive and sporting family, Kennedy, despite repeated illnesses and chronic back pain, competed actively in a variety of sports throughout his life. In a striking example of how personal characteristics affect the political, Kennedy took his ingrained love of sports and sense of competition to the White House. Not only did he, as president, reinvigorate and expand governmental programs relating to sports and fitness, he was also personally invested in the issue on an unprecedented scale. This chapter discusses how Kennedy sought to establish and project a vigorous and athletic image of himself and how he transferred it to the nation. The chapter further explores how sports and athleticism became core components of American soft power during the height of the Cold War. In this context, particular attention is paid to the role of Kennedy as an individual. With competition and athletic excellence central to Kennedy both privately and as a public persona, the chapter argues that the Kennedy years indeed constitute a “Profile in Vigor.”