Boosterism

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For an organization that contributes money to an associated club, sports team, or organization, see Booster club.

Boosterism is the act of "boosting," or promoting, one's town, city, or organization, with the goal of improving public perception of it. Boosting can be as simple as "talking up" the entity at a party or as elaborate as establishing a visitors' bureau. It is somewhat associated with American small towns. Boosting is also done in political settings, especially in regard to disputed policies or controversial events. The term has, in general, a negative connotation.

During the expansion of the American and Canadian West, boosterism became epidemic as the leaders and owners of small towns made extravagant predictions for their settlement in the hope of attracting more residents and not coincidentally inflating real estate prices.

The 1871 humorous speech The Untold Delights of Duluth, delivered by Democratic U. S. Representative J. Proctor Knott, lampooned boosterism. Boosterism is also a major theme of two novels by Sinclair Lewis—Main Street, published in 1920, and Babbitt, published in 1922. As indicated by an editorial that Lewis wrote in 1908 entitled "The Needful Knocker," boosting was the opposite of knocking. The editorial explained, "The booster's enthusiasm is the motive force which builds up our American cities. Granted. But the hated knocker's jibes are the check necessary to guide that force. In summary then, we do not wish to knock the booster, but we certainly do wish to boost the knocker."^[1]