National Pastime

Historians Babicz and Zeiler (both, Univ. of Colorado) set out to connect baseball to US history by developing a chronological framework that allows them to intertwine the game of baseball with the larger currents of US history. Beginning in the 19th century, the game and institution of baseball developed right along with the larger cultural themes of the country. As industrialization became dominant in the US, it affected the game of baseball. Babicz and Zeiler apply this paradigm to the labor movement, WW I, the 1920s, WW II, and civil rights. The final chapter is dedicated to the globalization of baseball and serves to tie the different periods of history together. This book, part of the American Ways series, meets its goal of connecting specific topics to the major events of US history. Along with George Vecsey's Baseball: A History of America's Favorite Game (2006), historians now have two sources that place baseball in a historical US context. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All public and academic levels/libraries. * CHOICE *
In their first book, Babicz and Zeiler, professors of history at the University of Colorado, Boulder, offer a sharp analysis of the history of baseball. The authors first introduce New York City businessman Alexander Cartwright, considered to be the father of modern baseball, who founded the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club in the 1840s with members of the Knickerbocker Fire Engine Company. After the Civil War, baseball’s popularity spread to the Midwest, and the number of paid athletes increased (most significantly with the Chicago White Stockings) along with the number of new ballparks. The Black Sox scandal of 1919 dampened the sport’s popularity, but, as the writers note, dynamic personalities such as Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth helped to revive it. In a chapter called 'Jackie Robinson and Civil Rights,' the authors focus on the color ban, which relegated African-American players to the Negro Leagues until 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke into the majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Using graphs and photos, the authors provide a precise, multidimensional story of how the sport evolved through the advent of radio, television, franchise shifts, free agency, the influx of Latin athletes, and corporate sponsorship. Babicz and Zeiler’s baseball history informs and entertains. * Publishers Weekly *
National Pastime belongs on the shelf of every baseball historian right alongside Jules Tygiel's landmark Past Time: Baseball as History and Benjamin Rader's comprehensive Baseball: A History of America's Game. * NINE: A Journal of Baseball History & Culture *
National Pastime is a comprehensive and authentic history of baseball. Accomplished historians Martin C. Babicz and‎ Thomas W. Zeiler tell the story of America’s national sport and pastime from the beginning and how it emerged from a game known as rounders. In a chronological order, they talk about each and every phase of the sport since the early 19thcentury. Packed with the knowledge of baseball history, National Pastime is more interesting and exciting than a national baseball match. If not the best book on the history of baseball, it surely is one of the best books. If you like watching a baseball match, you will surely enjoy reading National Pastime. * The Washington BookReview *
“National Pastime is thoughtful and impressive. It deftly weaves baseball’s complex past into American history, providing both an innovative study of the United States, and an entertaining analysis of baseball and its place in society.” -- Joel Wolfe, University of Massachusetts
“By skillfully placing baseball’s story within its appropriate historical context, the authors take fans, students and scholars alike on a memorable baseball road trip through American history.” -- Steven K. Wisensale, Ph.D., University of Connecticut
“Babicz and Zeiler easily weave the chronological history of baseball among broad political, social, and cultural touchstones in this accessible text. National Pastime can serve as both reference material and an introduction to the complex history of an American institution.” -- Meg Frisbee, Metropolitan State University of Denver