Roger Bannister's image as the ultimate amateur athlete began to take shape in the US press well before his 3:59.4 mile at Iffley Road. In 1950s America, as the boundaries of amateur athletics became difficult to define and a climate of conformity prevailed, Bannister's image in the press developed in close juxtaposition with the image of Wes Santee, the American contender for the first four-minute mile. As recent American accounts of the four-minute mile expand their focus to include his fellow contenders, Bannister's US image is changing.