Robert Peterson
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195076370
- eISBN:
- 9780199853786
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195076370.003.0059
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This chapter describes a view that recognition should be afforded to the great stars of Negro baseball at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. The chapter states ...
More
This chapter describes a view that recognition should be afforded to the great stars of Negro baseball at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. The chapter states the arguments that may be made not to support such recognition including the lack of records and experience with major league players of Negro clubs. Nonetheless, the chapter presents answers to these arguments with humor. The chapter also provides a mechanism to determine the number of Negros who may be added by means of percentage and also a way to determine who may be included in the Hall of Fame. The chapter expresses a desire for Negro baseball players to be recognized albeit belatedly for their contributions in baseball history.Less
This chapter describes a view that recognition should be afforded to the great stars of Negro baseball at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. The chapter states the arguments that may be made not to support such recognition including the lack of records and experience with major league players of Negro clubs. Nonetheless, the chapter presents answers to these arguments with humor. The chapter also provides a mechanism to determine the number of Negros who may be added by means of percentage and also a way to determine who may be included in the Hall of Fame. The chapter expresses a desire for Negro baseball players to be recognized albeit belatedly for their contributions in baseball history.
Matthew C. Ehrlich
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780252042652
- eISBN:
- 9780252051500
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5622/illinois/9780252042652.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
The book discusses a sports rivalry between two cities--Kansas City, Missouri and Oakland, California--during one of the most tumultuous periods in U.S. history, the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s. ...
More
The book discusses a sports rivalry between two cities--Kansas City, Missouri and Oakland, California--during one of the most tumultuous periods in U.S. history, the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s. Kansas City and Oakland sought major league teams to show the rest of the world that they were no longer minor league in stature. Their efforts to attract big-league franchises pitted the two cities against each other. After they succeeded in landing those franchises, the cities’ football and baseball teams regularly fought each other--sometimes literally--on the field. By 1977 Kansas City and Oakland would be much changed from what they had been only a decade previously. Their sports teams had brought them widespread attention and athletic glory, just as they had craved. They also had done much to try to improve themselves by building not only new sports facilities but also new cultural, retail, and transportation centers. But those triumphs came at a cost amid wrenching clashes over race and labor relations, pitched battles over urban renewal, and heated controversies over the lot of professional athletes. The book tells parallel stories: that of the clashes between the cities’ sports teams, and that of the struggles of the cities themselves to show that they had become “big league” through sports and other major civic initiatives.Less
The book discusses a sports rivalry between two cities--Kansas City, Missouri and Oakland, California--during one of the most tumultuous periods in U.S. history, the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s. Kansas City and Oakland sought major league teams to show the rest of the world that they were no longer minor league in stature. Their efforts to attract big-league franchises pitted the two cities against each other. After they succeeded in landing those franchises, the cities’ football and baseball teams regularly fought each other--sometimes literally--on the field. By 1977 Kansas City and Oakland would be much changed from what they had been only a decade previously. Their sports teams had brought them widespread attention and athletic glory, just as they had craved. They also had done much to try to improve themselves by building not only new sports facilities but also new cultural, retail, and transportation centers. But those triumphs came at a cost amid wrenching clashes over race and labor relations, pitched battles over urban renewal, and heated controversies over the lot of professional athletes. The book tells parallel stories: that of the clashes between the cities’ sports teams, and that of the struggles of the cities themselves to show that they had become “big league” through sports and other major civic initiatives.
Rebecca T. Alpert
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195399004
- eISBN:
- 9780199897360
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195399004.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This book explores the many-faceted relationship between Jews and black baseball in Jim Crow America. Jewish sports entrepreneurs, political radicals, and a team of black Jews called the Belleville ...
More
This book explores the many-faceted relationship between Jews and black baseball in Jim Crow America. Jewish sports entrepreneurs, political radicals, and a team of black Jews called the Belleville Grays—the only Jewish team in the history of black baseball—made their mark on the segregated world of the Negro Leagues. The book tells the stories of the Jewish businessmen who owned and promoted teams as they both acted out and fell victim to pervasive stereotypes of Jews as greedy middlemen and hucksters. Some Jewish owners produced a kind of comedy baseball, akin to basketball’s Harlem Globetrotters—indeed, Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein was very active in black baseball—that reaped financial benefits for both owners and players but also played upon the worst stereotypes of African Americans and prevented these black “showmen” from being taken seriously by the major leagues. But Jewish entrepreneurs, motivated in part by the traditional Jewish commitment to social justice, helped grow the business of black baseball in the face of the oppressive Jim Crow restrictions, and radical journalists writing for the communist Daily Worker argued passionately for an end to baseball's segregation. This book offers a unique perspective on the economic and social negotiations between blacks and Jews in the first half of the twentieth century, shedding new light on the intersection of race, religion, and sports in America.Less
This book explores the many-faceted relationship between Jews and black baseball in Jim Crow America. Jewish sports entrepreneurs, political radicals, and a team of black Jews called the Belleville Grays—the only Jewish team in the history of black baseball—made their mark on the segregated world of the Negro Leagues. The book tells the stories of the Jewish businessmen who owned and promoted teams as they both acted out and fell victim to pervasive stereotypes of Jews as greedy middlemen and hucksters. Some Jewish owners produced a kind of comedy baseball, akin to basketball’s Harlem Globetrotters—indeed, Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein was very active in black baseball—that reaped financial benefits for both owners and players but also played upon the worst stereotypes of African Americans and prevented these black “showmen” from being taken seriously by the major leagues. But Jewish entrepreneurs, motivated in part by the traditional Jewish commitment to social justice, helped grow the business of black baseball in the face of the oppressive Jim Crow restrictions, and radical journalists writing for the communist Daily Worker argued passionately for an end to baseball's segregation. This book offers a unique perspective on the economic and social negotiations between blacks and Jews in the first half of the twentieth century, shedding new light on the intersection of race, religion, and sports in America.
Robert Peterson
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195076370
- eISBN:
- 9780199853786
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195076370.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
Early in the 1920s, the New York Giants sent a scout to watch a young Cuban play for Foster's American Giants, a baseball club in the Negro Leagues. The scout liked what he saw, but was disappointed ...
More
Early in the 1920s, the New York Giants sent a scout to watch a young Cuban play for Foster's American Giants, a baseball club in the Negro Leagues. The scout liked what he saw, but was disappointed in the player's appearance. “He was a light brown,” recalled one of Torrienti's teammates, “and would have gone up to the major leagues, but he had real rough hair.” Such was life behind the color line, the unofficial boundary that prevented hundreds of star-quality athletes from playing big-league baseball. This book tells the forgotten story of excluded baseball players, and gives them the recognition they were so long denied. Reconstructing the old Negro Leagues from contemporary sports publications, accounts of games in the black press, and through interviews with the men who actually played the game, the book brings to life the period that stretched from shortly after the Civil War to the signing of Jackie Robinson in 1947. We watch as the New York Black Yankees and the Philadelphia Crawfords take the field, look on as the East-West All-Star line-ups are announced, and listen as the players themselves tell of the struggle and glory that was black baseball. In addition to these accounts, the book includes yearly Negro League standings and an all-time register of players and officials, making the book a treasure trove of baseball information and lore. The book reminds us that what was often considered the “Golden Age” of baseball was also the era of Jim Crow.Less
Early in the 1920s, the New York Giants sent a scout to watch a young Cuban play for Foster's American Giants, a baseball club in the Negro Leagues. The scout liked what he saw, but was disappointed in the player's appearance. “He was a light brown,” recalled one of Torrienti's teammates, “and would have gone up to the major leagues, but he had real rough hair.” Such was life behind the color line, the unofficial boundary that prevented hundreds of star-quality athletes from playing big-league baseball. This book tells the forgotten story of excluded baseball players, and gives them the recognition they were so long denied. Reconstructing the old Negro Leagues from contemporary sports publications, accounts of games in the black press, and through interviews with the men who actually played the game, the book brings to life the period that stretched from shortly after the Civil War to the signing of Jackie Robinson in 1947. We watch as the New York Black Yankees and the Philadelphia Crawfords take the field, look on as the East-West All-Star line-ups are announced, and listen as the players themselves tell of the struggle and glory that was black baseball. In addition to these accounts, the book includes yearly Negro League standings and an all-time register of players and officials, making the book a treasure trove of baseball information and lore. The book reminds us that what was often considered the “Golden Age” of baseball was also the era of Jim Crow.
Neil J. Sullivan
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195331837
- eISBN:
- 9780199851607
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195331837.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter examines the history of the New York Yankees baseball team and their Yankee Stadium in New York City. The Yankees started their history as the bankrupt remnants of an old National League ...
More
This chapter examines the history of the New York Yankees baseball team and their Yankee Stadium in New York City. The Yankees started their history as the bankrupt remnants of an old National League powerhouse, the Baltimore Orioles. When the team moved to New York in 1930 it was renamed the New York Highlanders with the Hilltop Park as its home stadium. In January 1915, the team was sold to Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston. The team's dynasty started with the inaugural season of Babe Ruth in 1920, winning its first pennant in the 1921 season. The planning, design and acquisition of a property for the construction of the stadium started in January 1921.Less
This chapter examines the history of the New York Yankees baseball team and their Yankee Stadium in New York City. The Yankees started their history as the bankrupt remnants of an old National League powerhouse, the Baltimore Orioles. When the team moved to New York in 1930 it was renamed the New York Highlanders with the Hilltop Park as its home stadium. In January 1915, the team was sold to Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston. The team's dynasty started with the inaugural season of Babe Ruth in 1920, winning its first pennant in the 1921 season. The planning, design and acquisition of a property for the construction of the stadium started in January 1921.
Neil J. Sullivan
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195331837
- eISBN:
- 9780199851607
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195331837.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter examines the crowd cheering for the New York Yankees baseball team at the Yankee Stadium in New York City during the 1920s. It suggests that the commercial success of the stadium and the ...
More
This chapter examines the crowd cheering for the New York Yankees baseball team at the Yankee Stadium in New York City during the 1920s. It suggests that the commercial success of the stadium and the team can be attributed to the transformation of the Bronx itself from a bucolic region north of New York City to a middle-class borough that defined modern urban living. Its population increased more than three-fold from 1900 to 1920 and it experienced revolutions in mass transportation, housing, and public works. Both the team's star Babe Ruth and the fans that cheered for him beat long odds to climb out of poverty.Less
This chapter examines the crowd cheering for the New York Yankees baseball team at the Yankee Stadium in New York City during the 1920s. It suggests that the commercial success of the stadium and the team can be attributed to the transformation of the Bronx itself from a bucolic region north of New York City to a middle-class borough that defined modern urban living. Its population increased more than three-fold from 1900 to 1920 and it experienced revolutions in mass transportation, housing, and public works. Both the team's star Babe Ruth and the fans that cheered for him beat long odds to climb out of poverty.
Neil J. Sullivan
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195331837
- eISBN:
- 9780199851607
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195331837.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter examines Jacob Ruppert's sale of the New York Yankees and the Yankee Stadium. On January 25, 1945, Del Webb and Dan Topping, together with Larry McPhail purchased the Yankees and the ...
More
This chapter examines Jacob Ruppert's sale of the New York Yankees and the Yankee Stadium. On January 25, 1945, Del Webb and Dan Topping, together with Larry McPhail purchased the Yankees and the stadium for $2.8 million. McPhail was bought in 1947. The new owners experienced some of the same problems encountered by Ruppert. The Webb and Topping era covered a time when the World War I generation of stadiums were largely abandoned as obsolete. In 1964, they sold the franchise to Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS).Less
This chapter examines Jacob Ruppert's sale of the New York Yankees and the Yankee Stadium. On January 25, 1945, Del Webb and Dan Topping, together with Larry McPhail purchased the Yankees and the stadium for $2.8 million. McPhail was bought in 1947. The new owners experienced some of the same problems encountered by Ruppert. The Webb and Topping era covered a time when the World War I generation of stadiums were largely abandoned as obsolete. In 1964, they sold the franchise to Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS).
Neil J. Sullivan
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195331837
- eISBN:
- 9780199851607
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195331837.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter examines the history of Columbia Broadcasting System's (CBS) sale of the New York Yankees franchise to the twelve-member syndicate headed by Mike Burke and George Steinbrenner for $10 ...
More
This chapter examines the history of Columbia Broadcasting System's (CBS) sale of the New York Yankees franchise to the twelve-member syndicate headed by Mike Burke and George Steinbrenner for $10 million in cash in January 1973. Though the sale was about $4 million lower than the price when CBS purchased the franchise in 1964, analyst Red Smith explained that CBS broke even on the deal. The opening of the renovated stadium on April 15, 1976 signalled the resurgence of the Yankees to a championship team.Less
This chapter examines the history of Columbia Broadcasting System's (CBS) sale of the New York Yankees franchise to the twelve-member syndicate headed by Mike Burke and George Steinbrenner for $10 million in cash in January 1973. Though the sale was about $4 million lower than the price when CBS purchased the franchise in 1964, analyst Red Smith explained that CBS broke even on the deal. The opening of the renovated stadium on April 15, 1976 signalled the resurgence of the Yankees to a championship team.
Neil J. Sullivan
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195331837
- eISBN:
- 9780199851607
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195331837.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter examines the history of the New York Yankee's search for a new stadium during the 1990s. In 1993, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner considered several sites for the stadium including Van ...
More
This chapter examines the history of the New York Yankee's search for a new stadium during the 1990s. In 1993, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner considered several sites for the stadium including Van Cortland Park, Street and 11th Avenue on Manhattan's West Side, Coney Island in Brooklyn, the Meadowlands in New Jersey, Staten Island, three locations in Queens, and the Yonkers Raceway. Though the plan never materialized, the city council voted to spend $76 million to build a minor league ballpark in Staten Island for a Yankee farm team in 1999.Less
This chapter examines the history of the New York Yankee's search for a new stadium during the 1990s. In 1993, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner considered several sites for the stadium including Van Cortland Park, Street and 11th Avenue on Manhattan's West Side, Coney Island in Brooklyn, the Meadowlands in New Jersey, Staten Island, three locations in Queens, and the Yonkers Raceway. Though the plan never materialized, the city council voted to spend $76 million to build a minor league ballpark in Staten Island for a Yankee farm team in 1999.
Robert Peterson
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195076370
- eISBN:
- 9780199853786
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195076370.003.0014
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
The chapter discusses how baseball started in the United States during the war as the game spread in army camps and military prisons. When the National Association of Base Ball Players was faced with ...
More
The chapter discusses how baseball started in the United States during the war as the game spread in army camps and military prisons. When the National Association of Base Ball Players was faced with the question of how it was to deal with colored players, it chose the side of repression and banned black players from joining. Being Negro was already a political issue during that time but the reason for this decision was discrimination. As a result, Negroes just played among themselves. However, this move was frowned upon by local publications. The chapter also tells about Moses Fleetwood Walker who became the first Negro major league baseball player. Others followed in his footsteps including Bud Fowler, George W. Stovey, and Frank Grant.Less
The chapter discusses how baseball started in the United States during the war as the game spread in army camps and military prisons. When the National Association of Base Ball Players was faced with the question of how it was to deal with colored players, it chose the side of repression and banned black players from joining. Being Negro was already a political issue during that time but the reason for this decision was discrimination. As a result, Negroes just played among themselves. However, this move was frowned upon by local publications. The chapter also tells about Moses Fleetwood Walker who became the first Negro major league baseball player. Others followed in his footsteps including Bud Fowler, George W. Stovey, and Frank Grant.
Robert Peterson
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195076370
- eISBN:
- 9780199853786
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195076370.003.0019
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
Three negroes entered the International League, however, that doesn't mean they were treated any differently than any other negroes. Discrimination existed even between the players ranging from wrong ...
More
Three negroes entered the International League, however, that doesn't mean they were treated any differently than any other negroes. Discrimination existed even between the players ranging from wrong directions relayed up to pitchers angling for Grant's head instead of the bat. Due to this, the first ever baseball shinguards were invented by Grant and even the invention of feet-first slide was credited to him as they were practiced by some players with the express purpose of aiming for the shinguards of the black players. The chapter also discusses the trial and acquittal of Fleet Walker from a charge of second-degree murder. The chapter ends with the optimism of the coming of a new century for the Negro Baseball League.Less
Three negroes entered the International League, however, that doesn't mean they were treated any differently than any other negroes. Discrimination existed even between the players ranging from wrong directions relayed up to pitchers angling for Grant's head instead of the bat. Due to this, the first ever baseball shinguards were invented by Grant and even the invention of feet-first slide was credited to him as they were practiced by some players with the express purpose of aiming for the shinguards of the black players. The chapter also discusses the trial and acquittal of Fleet Walker from a charge of second-degree murder. The chapter ends with the optimism of the coming of a new century for the Negro Baseball League.
Robert Peterson
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195076370
- eISBN:
- 9780199853786
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195076370.003.0032
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
The chapter discusses the story of John Henry Lloyd or more commonly, Black Wagner, in the United States, and El Cuchara or the Shovel, in Cuba, due to his protruding jaw and shovel-like hands. He ...
More
The chapter discusses the story of John Henry Lloyd or more commonly, Black Wagner, in the United States, and El Cuchara or the Shovel, in Cuba, due to his protruding jaw and shovel-like hands. He played for major league baseball and even had a managing career afterwards. His professional balling was put in the limelight and even after he retired and went to work as a school janitor, he was known for his mild manners and good nature and he was regarded as a legend by school children. He was regarded as the greatest baseball player in the annals of Negro baseball. One St. Louis reporter was even quoted saying that the best player in organized baseball was Babe Ruth but taking into consideration all baseball—organized or unorganized—, his answer would be John Henry Lloyd.Less
The chapter discusses the story of John Henry Lloyd or more commonly, Black Wagner, in the United States, and El Cuchara or the Shovel, in Cuba, due to his protruding jaw and shovel-like hands. He played for major league baseball and even had a managing career afterwards. His professional balling was put in the limelight and even after he retired and went to work as a school janitor, he was known for his mild manners and good nature and he was regarded as a legend by school children. He was regarded as the greatest baseball player in the annals of Negro baseball. One St. Louis reporter was even quoted saying that the best player in organized baseball was Babe Ruth but taking into consideration all baseball—organized or unorganized—, his answer would be John Henry Lloyd.
Robert Peterson
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195076370
- eISBN:
- 9780199853786
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195076370.003.0041
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
Negro baseball is here to stay and it was baseball for keeps as it was tough on the field as well as off. A game between a black club and a white semi pro is nowhere as brutal as a game between two ...
More
Negro baseball is here to stay and it was baseball for keeps as it was tough on the field as well as off. A game between a black club and a white semi pro is nowhere as brutal as a game between two black clubs. Daring baserunning was always a feature of Negro baseball. Pitchers have it difficult as well spitballs, emery balls, and shine balls were use even after then had been officially outlawed. This chapter also discusses the connection between economic conditions and Negro baseball. In this chapter, the events that transpired leading to the more common practice of night baseball are also discussed. Technology like portable lighting systems was used at first but later on permanent lighting fixtures were installed on baseball parks.Less
Negro baseball is here to stay and it was baseball for keeps as it was tough on the field as well as off. A game between a black club and a white semi pro is nowhere as brutal as a game between two black clubs. Daring baserunning was always a feature of Negro baseball. Pitchers have it difficult as well spitballs, emery balls, and shine balls were use even after then had been officially outlawed. This chapter also discusses the connection between economic conditions and Negro baseball. In this chapter, the events that transpired leading to the more common practice of night baseball are also discussed. Technology like portable lighting systems was used at first but later on permanent lighting fixtures were installed on baseball parks.
Robert Peterson
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195076370
- eISBN:
- 9780199853786
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195076370.003.0046
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This chapter discusses the connection between Negro baseball and barnstorming. Negro clubs tour the country to join leagues and sometimes they encounter food and lodging issues due to the cool ...
More
This chapter discusses the connection between Negro baseball and barnstorming. Negro clubs tour the country to join leagues and sometimes they encounter food and lodging issues due to the cool reception of the towns they go to. However, not all Negro baseball leagues barnstorm—most of them follow a schedule. This chapter also discusses the extinction of clowning around in baseball cups. Barnstorming was particularly difficult for the players during the Depression. Their means of transportation ranges from the creaking battered buses to state-of-the-art vehicles of those days. However, Negro baseball cups are not the only ones who barnstorm; even white baseball clubs do. However, the difference is that the white baseball clubs have no trouble finding food and lodging accommodations. Nonetheless, barnstorming for Negro baseball was necessary for survival.Less
This chapter discusses the connection between Negro baseball and barnstorming. Negro clubs tour the country to join leagues and sometimes they encounter food and lodging issues due to the cool reception of the towns they go to. However, not all Negro baseball leagues barnstorm—most of them follow a schedule. This chapter also discusses the extinction of clowning around in baseball cups. Barnstorming was particularly difficult for the players during the Depression. Their means of transportation ranges from the creaking battered buses to state-of-the-art vehicles of those days. However, Negro baseball cups are not the only ones who barnstorm; even white baseball clubs do. However, the difference is that the white baseball clubs have no trouble finding food and lodging accommodations. Nonetheless, barnstorming for Negro baseball was necessary for survival.
Nathaniel Grow
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038198
- eISBN:
- 9780252095993
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038198.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
The 1922 Federal Baseball Supreme Court ruling held that the “business of base ball” was not subject to the Sherman Antitrust Act because it did not constitute interstate commerce. This book explains ...
More
The 1922 Federal Baseball Supreme Court ruling held that the “business of base ball” was not subject to the Sherman Antitrust Act because it did not constitute interstate commerce. This book explains why the unanimous Supreme Court opinion authored by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, which gave rise to Major League Baseball's exemption from antitrust law, was correct given the circumstances of the time. Currently a billion-dollar enterprise, professional baseball teams crisscross the country while the games are broadcast via radio, television, and Internet coast to coast. The sheer scope of this activity would seem to embody the phrase “interstate commerce.” Yet baseball is the only professional sport—indeed the sole industry—in the United States that currently benefits from a judicially constructed antitrust immunity. Using recently released documents from the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the book analyzes how the Supreme Court reached this seemingly peculiar result by tracing the Federal Baseball litigation from its roots in 1914 to its resolution in 1922, in the process uncovering significant new details about the proceedings. The book observes that while interstate commerce was measured at the time by the exchange of tangible goods, baseball teams in the 1910s merely provided live entertainment to their fans, while radio was a fledgling technology that had little impact on the sport. The book concludes that, despite the frequent criticism of the opinion, the Supreme Court's decision was consistent with the conditions and legal climate of the early twentieth century.Less
The 1922 Federal Baseball Supreme Court ruling held that the “business of base ball” was not subject to the Sherman Antitrust Act because it did not constitute interstate commerce. This book explains why the unanimous Supreme Court opinion authored by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, which gave rise to Major League Baseball's exemption from antitrust law, was correct given the circumstances of the time. Currently a billion-dollar enterprise, professional baseball teams crisscross the country while the games are broadcast via radio, television, and Internet coast to coast. The sheer scope of this activity would seem to embody the phrase “interstate commerce.” Yet baseball is the only professional sport—indeed the sole industry—in the United States that currently benefits from a judicially constructed antitrust immunity. Using recently released documents from the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the book analyzes how the Supreme Court reached this seemingly peculiar result by tracing the Federal Baseball litigation from its roots in 1914 to its resolution in 1922, in the process uncovering significant new details about the proceedings. The book observes that while interstate commerce was measured at the time by the exchange of tangible goods, baseball teams in the 1910s merely provided live entertainment to their fans, while radio was a fledgling technology that had little impact on the sport. The book concludes that, despite the frequent criticism of the opinion, the Supreme Court's decision was consistent with the conditions and legal climate of the early twentieth century.
Peter Winkler
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691164038
- eISBN:
- 9781400881338
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691164038.003.0001
- Subject:
- Mathematics, History of Mathematics
This chapter discusses a method of computing probabilities called “coupling.” The idea of coupling is that, when comparing probabilities of two events A and B, one tries to put them into the same ...
More
This chapter discusses a method of computing probabilities called “coupling.” The idea of coupling is that, when comparing probabilities of two events A and B, one tries to put them into the same experiment. All one would need to do is compare Pr(A but not B) with Pr(B but not A). This might be quite easy, especially if most of the time either both A and B occur or neither. The chapter illustrates this method through a Venn diagram showcasing the desired situation. In addition, this chapter applies this method through a series of problems: an argument involving chess games, the probability of a baseball team winning games, and finally, an application to squash strategy.Less
This chapter discusses a method of computing probabilities called “coupling.” The idea of coupling is that, when comparing probabilities of two events A and B, one tries to put them into the same experiment. All one would need to do is compare Pr(A but not B) with Pr(B but not A). This might be quite easy, especially if most of the time either both A and B occur or neither. The chapter illustrates this method through a Venn diagram showcasing the desired situation. In addition, this chapter applies this method through a series of problems: an argument involving chess games, the probability of a baseball team winning games, and finally, an application to squash strategy.
Rebecca T. Alpert
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195399004
- eISBN:
- 9780199897360
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195399004.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter recounts the role played by Jewish entrepreneurs and comedians incorporating amusements into the serious game of baseball. Precursors to the costumed mascots of today, clowning and ...
More
This chapter recounts the role played by Jewish entrepreneurs and comedians incorporating amusements into the serious game of baseball. Precursors to the costumed mascots of today, clowning and novelty performers were part of a contested history that was particularly troublesome in black baseball given their association with blackface minstrelsy based on the worst stereotypes of African Americans. The chapter chronicles the role of Jews in minstrel and vaudeville traditions exemplified by the Jewish “clown princes of baseball” Al Schacht and Max Patkin. It examines the influence of the House of David, a team from a white Christian apocalyptic group in the Midwest that invented the pepper ball routine. It looks at the traditions of showmanship in black baseball, focusing on the controversial team the Ethiopian (Indianapolis) Clowns, owned and operated by Jewish entrepreneur Syd Pollock, and analyzes the contributions of the team's comedic stars, Richard King “Tut” and Reece “Goose” Tatum.Less
This chapter recounts the role played by Jewish entrepreneurs and comedians incorporating amusements into the serious game of baseball. Precursors to the costumed mascots of today, clowning and novelty performers were part of a contested history that was particularly troublesome in black baseball given their association with blackface minstrelsy based on the worst stereotypes of African Americans. The chapter chronicles the role of Jews in minstrel and vaudeville traditions exemplified by the Jewish “clown princes of baseball” Al Schacht and Max Patkin. It examines the influence of the House of David, a team from a white Christian apocalyptic group in the Midwest that invented the pepper ball routine. It looks at the traditions of showmanship in black baseball, focusing on the controversial team the Ethiopian (Indianapolis) Clowns, owned and operated by Jewish entrepreneur Syd Pollock, and analyzes the contributions of the team's comedic stars, Richard King “Tut” and Reece “Goose” Tatum.
Debra A. Shattuck
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252040375
- eISBN:
- 9780252098796
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252040375.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
This book is the first to document the transformation of America’s national pastime from a gender-neutral sport into a highly-gendered “man’s game.” For decades, most modern scholars of sport have ...
More
This book is the first to document the transformation of America’s national pastime from a gender-neutral sport into a highly-gendered “man’s game.” For decades, most modern scholars of sport have assumed that baseball was, and always has been, a man’s game. Yet baseball began as a gender-neutral “blank slate” upon which adult men and women wrote their gendered narratives and then taught those narratives to their children. Baseball’s gendered future was never inevitable nor was it quickly solidified or uncontested. Every decade of the nineteenth century saw more girls and women playing and watching baseball than in previous decades. Yet the narrative of baseball as a man’s game gained momentum in each successive decade well into the twentieth century. The book describes the process through which the history of women baseball players became distorted by myth and misperception even as girls and women played on the same types of teams that boys and men did, including scholastic/collegiate, civic/pick-up, amateur/professional and factory teams. The book places the evolution of baseball’s gendered characterization into the broader context of American sport and culture, and describes how professional interests wrested control of the game’s institutional structures, culture, and social interactions from amateur interests.Less
This book is the first to document the transformation of America’s national pastime from a gender-neutral sport into a highly-gendered “man’s game.” For decades, most modern scholars of sport have assumed that baseball was, and always has been, a man’s game. Yet baseball began as a gender-neutral “blank slate” upon which adult men and women wrote their gendered narratives and then taught those narratives to their children. Baseball’s gendered future was never inevitable nor was it quickly solidified or uncontested. Every decade of the nineteenth century saw more girls and women playing and watching baseball than in previous decades. Yet the narrative of baseball as a man’s game gained momentum in each successive decade well into the twentieth century. The book describes the process through which the history of women baseball players became distorted by myth and misperception even as girls and women played on the same types of teams that boys and men did, including scholastic/collegiate, civic/pick-up, amateur/professional and factory teams. The book places the evolution of baseball’s gendered characterization into the broader context of American sport and culture, and describes how professional interests wrested control of the game’s institutional structures, culture, and social interactions from amateur interests.
Debra A. Shattuck
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252040375
- eISBN:
- 9780252098796
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252040375.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sport and Leisure
Baseball did not become gendered as a man’s sport overnight nor did any single group dominate the cultural metanarrative of baseball as it matured from infancy to adolescence during the nineteenth ...
More
Baseball did not become gendered as a man’s sport overnight nor did any single group dominate the cultural metanarrative of baseball as it matured from infancy to adolescence during the nineteenth century. Baseball has been used to symbolize “Americanism,” middle-class, Judeo-Christian values, and “manliness.” Though many vied to control the narrative of America’s national pastime, not every group had equal influence on the ultimate character and culture of baseball. By the end of the nineteenth century, men held almost exclusive control of the narrative of “official” baseball, while women controlled a parallel narrative for the baseball-surrogate called “women’s baseball.” This game became the precursor of softball which emerged in its official form during the 1930s.Less
Baseball did not become gendered as a man’s sport overnight nor did any single group dominate the cultural metanarrative of baseball as it matured from infancy to adolescence during the nineteenth century. Baseball has been used to symbolize “Americanism,” middle-class, Judeo-Christian values, and “manliness.” Though many vied to control the narrative of America’s national pastime, not every group had equal influence on the ultimate character and culture of baseball. By the end of the nineteenth century, men held almost exclusive control of the narrative of “official” baseball, while women controlled a parallel narrative for the baseball-surrogate called “women’s baseball.” This game became the precursor of softball which emerged in its official form during the 1930s.
Carl E. Prince
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195115789
- eISBN:
- 9780199854066
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195115789.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This book captures the intensity of the Brooklyn Dodgers' relationship to its community in the 1950s. Ethnic and racial tensions were part and parcel of a working-class borough; the Dodgers' presence ...
More
This book captures the intensity of the Brooklyn Dodgers' relationship to its community in the 1950s. Ethnic and racial tensions were part and parcel of a working-class borough; the Dodgers' presence smoothed the rough edges of ghetto conflict always present in Brooklyn. The Dodger-inspired baseball program provided a path for boys that occasionally led to the prestigious Dodger Rookie Team, and sometimes, via minor-league contracts, to Ebbets Field itself. Women were tied to the Dodgers no less than their husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons, but they were less visible. A few, such as Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Marianne Moore and working-class super-fan Hilda Chester, were regulars at Ebbets Field and far from invisible. The author explores the underside of the Dodgers—the “baseball Annies,” and the paternity suits that went with the territory. The Dodgers' male culture was played out in the team's politics, in the owners' manipulation of Dodger male egos, opponents' race-baiting, and the macho bravado of the team (how Jackie Robinson, for instance, would prod Giants' catcher Sal Yvars to impotent rage by signaling him when he was going to steal second base, then taunting him from second after the steal). The day in 1957 when Walter OʼMalley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, announced that the team would be leaving for Los Angeles was one of the worst moments in baseball history, and a sad day in Brooklyn's history as well.Less
This book captures the intensity of the Brooklyn Dodgers' relationship to its community in the 1950s. Ethnic and racial tensions were part and parcel of a working-class borough; the Dodgers' presence smoothed the rough edges of ghetto conflict always present in Brooklyn. The Dodger-inspired baseball program provided a path for boys that occasionally led to the prestigious Dodger Rookie Team, and sometimes, via minor-league contracts, to Ebbets Field itself. Women were tied to the Dodgers no less than their husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons, but they were less visible. A few, such as Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Marianne Moore and working-class super-fan Hilda Chester, were regulars at Ebbets Field and far from invisible. The author explores the underside of the Dodgers—the “baseball Annies,” and the paternity suits that went with the territory. The Dodgers' male culture was played out in the team's politics, in the owners' manipulation of Dodger male egos, opponents' race-baiting, and the macho bravado of the team (how Jackie Robinson, for instance, would prod Giants' catcher Sal Yvars to impotent rage by signaling him when he was going to steal second base, then taunting him from second after the steal). The day in 1957 when Walter OʼMalley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, announced that the team would be leaving for Los Angeles was one of the worst moments in baseball history, and a sad day in Brooklyn's history as well.
