Rowing's reputation as a sport was also tarnished as it gradually became associated with wagering. The last two boat clubs survived into the late 1970s, when New York City was suffering financial crisis and the neighborhood surrounding the Harlem River descended into crime and poverty. The Fordham University Boathouse and the Non-Pareil Boathouse burned to the ground in two separate cases of arson. Another famous rowing race, known as Head of the Charles, also takes place in Boston every year. Though rowing was historically a male-oriented sport, men and women now continue to row on the Harlem, considered by many an ideal river for the sport.
Crew is an expensive sport.
Boats are no longer made from wood as they once were, but rather from graphite and fiberglass. The establishment of Roberto Clemente State Park in the early '80s conserved to some extent what was once a densely forested area along the river's banks. The group launched its campaign for a public boathouse 10 years ago. But it is only now finally making some headway with the state. James Sciales, an enthusiastic rowing historian and ESRA's president, says that the need for a community boathouse goes beyond rowing.