
Baseball
A HIstory of America's Game
Benjamin G. Rader(Author)
University of Illinois Press
5th Edition
Published on 8. April 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
328 pages
978-0-252-08880-3 (ISBN)
Description
Analytics, technology, and the most ambitious rewrite of the rulebook in fifty years have reshaped baseball. Benjamin G. Rader's account of the American pastime moves from diamonds scratched out of commons and corn fields to the multimedia theme parks doubling as today's baseball stadiums. The fifth edition follows the long arc of the game's history into the third decade of the twenty-first century, an era rich in innovation but even richer from revenue streams undreamt-of by the plutocrats of old. Rader brings readers up to date with looks at the Astros cheating scandal, on-the-field changes from power pitchers to ghost runners, data-driven player development and career rebirth, and the one-of-a-kind Shohei Ohtani.
Engrossing and complete, Baseball, Fifth Edition, offers a comprehensive tour of the game and its place within American society and culture.
Engrossing and complete, Baseball, Fifth Edition, offers a comprehensive tour of the game and its place within American society and culture.
Reviews / Votes
"The best single-volume history of the sport. Tackles the business and organizational evolution of the professional game, while not losing sight of how it was played on the field."--Washington Post Book World "Baseball reflects Rader's firm grasp of the best and latest scholarship and his insightful understanding of American sport history."--Sporting NewsMore details
Series
Edition
Fifth Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore
United States
Edition type
New edition
Illustrations
34 black & white photographs, 15 tables
Dimensions
Height: 226 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
564 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-252-08880-3 (9780252088803)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Benjamin G. Rader is the James L. Sellers Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the coauthor of American Sports: From the Age of Folk Games to the Age of Televised Sports, Seventh Edition.
Content
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
The Fraternity and Its Game 5
A Commercial Spectacle 19
The First Professional Teams 30
The First Professional Leagues 42
The Players' Revolt 60
The Great Baseball War 78
Baseball's Coming of Age 91
The Big Fix 109
The Age of Ruth 123
The Age of Dynasties 136
Baseball's Great Experiment 155
The Last Days of the Old Game 171
Baseball in Trouble 188
The Empowerment of the Players 204
The Demise of Dynasties 221
The Steroid Era 238
Baseball's New Order 261
Baseball by the Numbers 277
Bibliographical Essay 295
Index 305
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
The Fraternity and Its Game 5
A Commercial Spectacle 19
The First Professional Teams 30
The First Professional Leagues 42
The Players' Revolt 60
The Great Baseball War 78
Baseball's Coming of Age 91
The Big Fix 109
The Age of Ruth 123
The Age of Dynasties 136
Baseball's Great Experiment 155
The Last Days of the Old Game 171
Baseball in Trouble 188
The Empowerment of the Players 204
The Demise of Dynasties 221
The Steroid Era 238
Baseball's New Order 261
Baseball by the Numbers 277
Bibliographical Essay 295
Index 305