There is a sport that bears Hoover’s name

Hoover visited with White House physician Joel T. Boone for a routine checkup soon after taking office. With two notable exceptions, Boone, who had previously worked for Presidents Harding and Coolidge, said that Hoover's health was generally excellent. Hoover was obese, and a chest expansion test revealed that his lung function wasn't at its best. This discovery did not surprise the doctor because Hoover was a 54-year-old desk-bound bureaucrat who liked eating and smoking cigars. Boone suggested that Hoover follow a low-calorie diet to shed 25 pounds and work on his lungs by doing deep breathing exercises outside.

Hoover and Boone had a lengthy conversation on the nature of this outdoor workout. Hoover yearned for something to energize both his body and intellect. He didn't have the time to stroll or ride a horse, nor did he have the patience for calisthenics. Throwing an eight-pound medicine ball back and forth was Boone's suggestion. While on their South American trip following the election, Hoover and Boone had observed sailors kicking the ball about. The sailors' game, known as "bull in the ring," was quite similar to keep-away. Each morning for thirty minutes, Hoover, Boone, and a few other men gathered on the White House's south lawn to toss the leather ball.

This workout quickly becomes monotonous. Boone changed the situation such that it was more like a game and less like a setup exercise. The activity stressed muscles, lungs, and nerves as it combined volleyball and tennis. The contest took place on a grass tennis court that had an eight-foot-tall volleyball net dividing it. Six-pound balls were tossed over the net by teams of two to four men, who would then score points like in tennis. The game required intense cardiovascular exercise since it moved so quickly. Men would engage in a game while replacing as necessary to catch their breath.

The sport, which a New York Times reporter dubbed "Hooverball" in 1931, was played on a court resembling tennis and scored similarly with the difference that the ball was tossed rather than hit with a racket. According to Hoover's memoirs, "it needed less skill than tennis, was quicker and more intense, and so delivered more exercise in a short period." In Hoover's hometown of West Branch, Iowa, a national Hooverball tournament is conducted each year.