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.”
Author(s): Bruce Markusen
Series: The Great Courses
Publisher: The Teaching Company
Year: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 199
Tags: Sports, Baseball
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
