Everything was different about the 1904 Olympics. For a start, it was only the third Olympiad of the modern era, and really was not much of a big deal at all. More like a sideshow for the World's Fair. The track and field events were at Washington University's Francis Field which seated a few thousand people at best back then. Lots of high schools have better facilities today. Over 80% of the competitors were on the American team, at least in part because international travel to St. Louis was still difficult at the time.

Such an honorable history of sportsmanship in the Olypics..

I KNOW!! Utter insanity! I enjoy this telling of it:

The events in 1904 also included poetry and town planning.
It was a different time.

Holy shit