COURSE DESCRIPTION - 2011
This course is designed to study sport's development within the context of American History exploring baseball as the main contributor. Since sport in America involves widespread political, social, economic, legal, and cultural issues, its study can illuminate numerous national and local historical themes. The course is divided into nine sections. The first seven are arranged chronologically, reflecting baseball's major eras. Each provides the historical setting, major trends that impacted baseball, important baseball developments, special topics, and local aspects. The last two sections cover baseball internationally and in terms of popular culture. Within each section development of basketball, football and hockey will be introduced when appliciable.
COURSE OUTLINE
Early Baseball and the Amateur Era
America before the Civil War
Sport in Antebellum America and New England
Origins of Baseball
The Abner Doubleday Myth
Alexander Cartwright and the Knickerbocker Club
The Amateur Era: The Club System, The Civil War and Baseball, The National Association of Base Ball Players
The First Professionals, 1869-1900
Industrialization, Urbanization, and Baseball
Harry Wright and the Cincinnati Red Stockings
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs
Rivals: The American Association, Minor Leagues and The National Agreement
19th Century Aspects: Albert G. Spalding, Missionary Impulses, Sportswriting and Boxscores, Spring Training, Segregation, Player Demography
19th Century Baseball in New England
The Dead Ball Era, 1900-1919
America in 1900
Ban Johnson and the Western League
The American League
The National Commission
Ty Cobb and Dead Ball Play
Challenges: The Baseball Player's Fraternity, The Federal League, World War I
Classic Ballparks
Minor Leagues and The National Association
The Fenway Era in New England: The Boston Red Sox--World Champions, The Miracle Braves
Baseball's Golden Age, 1920-1929
The Roaring Twenties
The Golden Age of Sport: Dempsey, Ederle, Grange, Jones, and Tilden
Babe Ruth
Radio , Sportswriting
Legal Matters: Scandals, The Chicago Black Sox and the 1919 World Series, Kenesaw Mountain Landis and the Commissioner System, Antitrust
Rube Foster and the Negro National League
Beyond Organized Ball: Barnstorming, Semipro and Industrial Leagues,
College and Amateur Ball, Outlaws
Boston Sport in the Golden Age
The Difficult Years, 1930-1945
The Roosevelt Era
Baseball in the Great Depression
The Hall of Fame
The All-Star Game
Night Baseball
The Summer of 1941: DiMaggio and Williams
A League of Their Own
Branch Rickey and the Farm System
The Negro Leagues
Boston: The Yawkey Era
Postwar Baseball, 1946-1959
Suburban America
Transportation Developments and Baseball
Television
The Mexican Challenge
Robinson, Rickey, and Integration
The Continental Game and Relocation
Baseball and New York City: Stengel, Thomson, Mays, and 'Bums'
Problems: 1950s Baseball, Suburbia and Baseball, The Minors Collapse, 1958: A Foothold for Football
Postwar Baseball in New England: The Red Sox in the Late 1940s,
The Braves: 1948 and 1953, Minor Leagues
The Modern Game, 1960 to the Present
1960s America
Baseball and Society: The Sports Explosion, Civil Rights and Social Problems
Expansion: The Continental League, The Divisional System, Does Expansion Dilute Talent?
Labor Issues: Curt Flood, Marvin Miller, Messersmith and McNally,
Free Agency's Impact, Strikes and Lockouts
The Game on the Field: Modern Play, The DH, Domes, Artificial Turf
1989: The Horrible Year
Tradition Fades in the Selig Era: The Wild Card, Interleague Play, Realignment
Revival: Ripken, McGwire and Sosa
Finances, Marketing and Moneyball Sabermetrics
The Minors Revive: Major-Minor Relations, Fall Leagues, Independent Leagues
College Baseball
Boston: The Best and Worst of Times
The Global Game
International Sport
International Baseball
Latin America: Mexico, Cuba, Winter Leagues
The Pacific Rim: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia
Europe
Finnish Baseball
A True World Series?
Softball
Baseball and Popular Culture
Folklore, Legend, and Myth
Language
Publications
Baseball Fiction
The Movies and Television, Popular Music
Sport History Organizations
Memorabilia
Recreational Baseball
Baseball's Future
Course Materials and Policies:
Reference/Textbooks:
Baseball: A History of America's Favorite Game - George Vecsey - You need to buy this book everything else we will use on line.
Baseball: An Illustrated History - Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns
MOVIES AND DOCUMENTARIES
Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns
The Boys of Summer
Bull Durham
Eight Men Out
Royal Rooters
Forever Fenway: 75 Years of Red Sox Baseball
A League of Their Own
61*
Bang the Drum Slowly
The Natural
Only the Ball Was White
WEBSITES
Ballparks
Baseball-links
Baseball-Reference.com
Boston Braves Historical Association
Japanese Baseball
Minor League Baseball History
North American Professional Sports Teams
Society for American Baseball Research
Grading will be based equally on class participation, quizzes and presentations. Students should be on time to class and be willing to explore other technologies. Attendence is required at all classes and tardiness is unacceptable. Please refer to The Newman School Handbook for cheating policy.
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2nd Semester
This semester we will explore Sport and the history of sport through the media by using news and magazine publications, websites and documentary film hoping to grasp the pure essence of sport and defining what sport really is.
Here are some films we will use.
"When We Were Kings"
"The Road to the Big Leagues"
"Bullrider"
"More Than A Game"
"Baseball"
"Once In A Lifetime"
"4192"
"Fire In Babylon"
"Pelada"
"On The Shoulders of Giants"
"Brutal "Beauty"
"Paper Lion"
Publications/Websites:
Sports Illustrated
New York Times
Boston Globe
ESPN
MLB