National Pastime : U.S. History Through Baseball

Through war, depression, times of tumultuous upheaval and of great prosperity – baseball has reflected America’s history and ideals. In this book, historians Martin Babicz and Thomas Zeiler find in baseball a window into America’s past and into the values that allow both the sport and nation to endure: hope, tradition, escape, and revolution.

From its modest beginnings in rural America to its current status as an entertainment industry in postindustrial America enjoyed worldwide by millions each season, the linkages between baseball’s evolution and our nation’s history are undeniable. Through war, depression, times of tumultuous upheaval and of great prosperity – baseball has been held up as our national pastime: the single greatest expression of America’s values and ideals. Combining a comprehensive history of the game with broader analyses of America’s historical and cultural developments, National Pastime encapsulates the values that have allowed it to endure: hope, tradition, escape, revolution. While nostalgia, scandal, malaise and triumph are contained within the study of any American historical moment, we see in this book that the tensions and developments within the game of baseball afford the best window into a deeper understanding of America’s past, its purpose, and its principles.