Play Ball! The Rise of Baseball as America’s Pastime

Description

Take a time machine back to the days of pre-industrial America and you’ll see youths, both in the city and in the countryside, playing informal bat-and-ball games. In many ways, these simple activities looked a bit like our modern game of baseball, but they also differed from the now familiar sport in various and significant ways. When you return to the present and head to a local ballpark, you’ll see a very formalized game, one with rigorous rules (both written and unwritten) and also played by adults. And yet the sport captivates our nation’s consciousness and reflects our rich and varied culture, long since having earned the title of “America’s Pastime.” Instructor Biography......Page 3 About Our Partner......Page 5 Lecture 01 - Ground Rules: Baseball before Babe Ruth......Page 9 Lecture 02 — Early Bat and Ball Games......Page 16 Lecture 03 — The Era of Amateur Baseball Clubs......Page 24 Lecture 04 — The Dawn of Professional Baseball......Page 31 Lecture 05 — Baseball's Many Leagues and Associations......Page 40 Lecture 06 — How Baseball Created the World Series......Page 49 Lecture 07 — Baseball Grows by Hitting the Road......Page 58 Lecture 08 — Sacred Ground: Baseball’s Early Ballparks......Page 65 Lecture 09 — The Development of Baseball’s Rules......Page 72 Lecture 10 — The Evolution of Protective Equipment......Page 80 Lecture 11 — The Role of Women in Baseball’s Early Days......Page 88 Lecture 12 — Black Baseball before the Negro Leagues......Page 95 Lecture 13 — Prejudice and Diversity in Early Baseball......Page 102 Lecture 14 — Baseball Grows through the Press......Page 112 Lecture 15 — Baseball Becomes a Game of Numbers......Page 119 Lecture 16 — Baseball: A Game for the Fans......Page 126 Lecture 17 — Baseball and Our Common Culture......Page 133 Lecture 18 — The Business behind the National Pastime......Page 142 Lecture 19 — Players, Owners, and the Reserve Clause......Page 149 Lecture 20 — American Politics and Early Baseball......Page 157 Lecture 21 — Baseball’s Rituals and Traditions......Page 165 Lecture 22 — The Impact of War on Baseball......Page 174 Lecture 23 — Scandals and Deception on the Diamond......Page 179 Lecture 24 — How Changing Baseballs Changed the Game......Page 188 Bibliography......Page 196 Image Credits......Page 199