UGS, America Through Baseball: Exam 3

When did baseball start to see its decline?

1950s

Nostalgia

Term for homesickness first used in 1688 by Paul Grainge.

1950

- Referred to as the "good old days"

- Social change, Vietnam War, Watergate

- Known as a metaphor for the nation itself

- Films and TV often revisit this decade

When did MLB first see a decline in attendance?

1940s

Average Attendance in 1950s vs. 2024

13,366 vs. 29,577

Which MLB team was the only team under the average attendance of baseball in the 50s?

Oakland A's

What things brought competition for the MLB?

Suburbanization (more leisure activities), Little League, Television, and the National Football League (NFL)

What were two major effects of a decline in MLB's attendance?

Financial constraints led to the many franchises moving westward and a decline in older stadiums

Fenway Park

1912

Wrigley Field

1914

Where was turf created?

Houston

Elements of New Stadiums

- Multipurpose design (baseball and football)

- Uniform dimension (criticized for "cookie cutter")

- Introduced artificial turf

- More parking

- Electronic scoreboards

- Luxury boxes

- Developed in tandem with relocation and expansion

When did a majority of the relocation of MLB teams occur?

Early-mid 1950s

Relocation in 1953

Boston Braves to Milwaukee

Relocation in 1954

St. Louis Browns to Baltimore Orioles

Relocation in 1955

Philadelphia Athletics to Kansas City

Relocation in 1958

- Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles

- New York Giants to San Francisco

Dodger's success compared to San Francisco is attributed to...

stadium's aesthetics

What was the main concern of new stadiums?

Misplacing citizens

Calvin Griffith, 1957

Rejected stadium deal to be in a predominantly black neighborhood

What drove MLB expansion?

Movement of franchises and competition

1959-1960

Proposed third major league

Expansion in 1961

- Washington Senators (became Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers later) and California Angels in AL

- New York Mets and Houston Colts 45s in NL

Expansion in 1969

- Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots in AL

- Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres in the NL

MLB Team Expansion

- 1966, Braves: Milwaukee for Atlanta

- 1968, Athletics: Kansas City for Oakland

- Senators: Washington to Minnesota (1960) and Texas (1972)

- 1970, Pilots: Milwaukee

- 1977: Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays

1969

- Expansions fueled divisions similar to the NFL

- Postseason League Championship Series

1994

Wild Card Round added

MLB retained _______ for coverage.

local

1978 World Series

44 million viewers

1980 World Series

Most viewed for a single game, under 55 million

2024 World Series

15.1 million viewers

What was the least watched World Series? How many views?

2023 World Series (Rangers vs. Diamondbacks) with 9.11 million viewers

Are local markets stronger or weaker in MLB?

stronger

Is live attendance growing or declining?

growing

MLB ranked first in overall cable market in every city except...

Miami

As of 2024, __% of baseball broadcasts are on Regional Sports Networks

80%

Since when has FOX sports televised the World Series?

2000

Apple+ began streaming MLB games in _____.

2022

MLB Sunday Leadoff began in _______, and shifted to Roku on ________.

2022, 2024

When does ESPN's contract with MLB end?

2025

When It Was a Game (1991)

- HBO documentary featuring home movies filmed by players from 1925-1961

- Implies that by 1991 baseball was no longer just a "game"

Baseball (1994)

- Ken Burn's "nine inning" series aired on PBS

- Praised for depth and attention to race, but criticized for being highly nostalgic

- 10th inning added in 2010

Nostalgia in 1980s

- Election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 based on need to restore American morale

- 1984 re-election campaign "It's Morning Again in America" ad and release of "The Natural"

The Natural (1984)

- Based on Bernard Malamud's 1952 novel

- Focuses on a little farm boy who is believed to represent Ted Williams and takes a bribe at the end

- Borrows from several aspects of mythology

Field of Dreams (1989)

- Adapted from W. P. Kinsella's Shoeless Joe

- Grounded in redemption of a father-son relationship

- Fantasy based on farmer who hears, "If you build it, he will come"

- Based on pastoralism and spiritual aspects of the game

- Site of movie was sold in 2010 and re-zoned to be commercial. There are plans for a 24-field youth baseball complex.

MLB at Field of Dreams

- 2021 & 2022

- Construction of youth baseball complex prevents a game in 2023

- 2024 played at Rickwood Field in Birmingham Alabama

Films in 1990s

- Emphasis experience of children as symbols of innocence and purity

- Little Big League, Rookie of the Year, Angels in the Outfield, and The Sandlot (1993)

The Sandlot (1993)

- Set in 1962 in Southern California

- Some reflection of the 1950s

- Multiculturalism implied by players and there are only two female characters in the field

- Mythic status of Babe Ruth

- Charm comes from the game being enjoyed by children

Economic redevelopment commonly tied to sports arenas occurred in...

1970s and 1980s

Retro Ballparks

Cultural response to suburbanization known as "new urbanism"

Where were most retro ballparks located?

Central business districts, except Texas Rangers

Common features of retro ballparks

- Brick

- Wrought iron

- Exposed steel

- Asymmetrical

- Reference parks built in 1900s and 1910s

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

- 1992

- "First 'retro' parks" - Rosensweig

- Conveniently located for tourists

Impact of Camden Yards

- Continued ballpark construction: Texas (1994), Denver (1995), San Francisco (2000), Detroit (2000), Pittsburgh (2001), St. Louis (2006)

- Trend diminished by opening of Nationals Park and Target Field

Downside of Retro Ballparks

- Aesthetics of single-use stadium offset by inefficiency

- Projects are increasingly expensive

- Built largely with public money

- Share a theme-park resemblance

- Urban voters reject initiatives

Box scores date back as early as _______.

1845

Henry Chadwick

- Credited with modernizing the box score

- Developed scorekeeping in 1860s

Traditional Statistics

- Batters (BA, HR, RBI), Triple Crown, Pitchers (ERA, W, K), Pitching Triple Crown

Record for Single-season home run

73 by Barry Bonds (2001)

Career home run record

762 by Barry Bonds

Who broke milestones for 3000 career hits and 200 hits in a season?

4,256 by Pete Rose & 262 by Ichiro Suzuki

Additional milestones

- BA over .300

- Driving in or scoring over 100 runs

- Winning 20 games in a season or 300 for a career as a pitcher (Cy Young has 511 career wins)

- Striking out 300 batters in a season or throwing a no-hitter (Nolan Ryan has 5,714 Ks and seven no-hitters)

1971

Development of the microprocessor

1971

Creation of Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)

Bill James

- Self-published the Baseball Almanac in 1977

- Coined the term "sabermetrics" (after SABR)

- Partnered with STATS, Inc., in 1980s which was unsuccessful

- Created new statistic measures ("Runs created" to replace "runs" and "runs batted in")

Two key developments in the 1980s

- ESPN launch

- Rotisserie (fantasy) baseball

What does Moneyball refer to?

Analytics in baseball

Sandy Alderson

Hired by Oakland Athletics in 1983-1997

What shifted Alderson to look for new statistics?

Payroll limits in 1995

Billy Beane

- MLB player 1984-1989

- Scout for Oakland in 1990

- Became manager in 1997

Billy Beane and Moneyball

- Oakland Athletics as a "small market" team

- Focused on different methods of scouting due to diminishing payroll

- Went for college players and veterans who were "past their prime"

Paul DePodesta

1999, hired by Billy Beane to focus on on-base percentage and slugging (OPS) statistics

Moneyball (2011)

- Focuses on Oakland's 2002 season with Billy Bean

- Drops stories of specific players as well as a plot twist with daughter

- Showcases scouting philosophy

Trouble with the Curve (2012)

Gus, the aging scout, gets questioned by management as he focuses entirely on statistics. He gets redeemed by finding an unknown prospect.

What was the result of Beane's success?

Surge in young, Ivy League general managers

- Adoption of new scouting methods with new positions for statistical analysis

2012 American League MVP

- Miguel Cabrera (Tiger) vs. Mike Trout (Angels)

- Cabrera won due to better statistics

How early were MLB players paid?

1860s

Who was the first team to be paid?

Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1869

Early evidence of gambling

- As early as 1877 by players on Louisville Colonels

- Rumors about first World Series in 1903

What was the religious significance of cheating in baseball?

Baseball was seen to possess purity and led to anxiety of cheating (deemed a "sin")

Joe Posnanski

Went for sports writing after failing accounting and receiving a reply back to write for a high school women's basketball team

Does Joe Posnanski believe baseball can be deemed as the national pastime?

No

What is Joe Posnanski's favorite baseball movie?

A League of their Own

What draws Posnanski to baseball?

Myths and baseball

Chicago White Sox

- One of the original teams in the American League in 1901

- World Series wins in 1906 and 1917

- Owned by Charles Comiskey

- Comiskey Park opened in 1910

Charles Comiskey was known for...

maximizing the Reserve Clause and underpaying players

What was the myth about the "Black Sox"?

They were given the nickname due to their dirty uniform and cheap tactics.

Black Sox Scandal

- White Sox were heavily favored to win 1919 World Series over the Cincinnati Reds; however, rumors of a fix began since game 1.

What occurred after the Reds won the World Series in 1919?

- Hugh Fullerton wrote stories regarding corruption

- Rumors called a Grand Jury to investigate

Black Sox Scandal: September 1920

- Eddie Cicotte and Buck Weaver confessed to the Philadelphia North American

- 8 players were convened, including "Shoeless" Joe Jackson

- Grand Jury in Chicago found them not guilty

Black Sox Scandal: Kenesaw Mountain Landis

- Was hired for an independent inquiry

- Later appointed as first commissioner

- Landis banned eight players from the MLB which also made them unable to be elected to HOF.

- Comiskey was ostracized as a result

What was the argument after Landis's decision?

Players were denied their Civil Rights through baseball law.

Black Sox in Popular Culture

- Asinof's Book Eight Men Out (1963)

- Shoeless Joe (1982) made into Field of Dreams (1989)

- Comiskey representation in The Natural

- Fullerton's "Say it ain't so, Joe"

Corked Bats

Myth that adding cork gives the bat more of a spring. In reality, it makes it lighter.

Most recent example of corked bats

Sammy Sosa (2003)

Pine Tar

Gives added grip for batters and could improve bat performance

Example of Pine Tar in use

George Brett Home Run on July 24, 1983 that led to the game being replayed

When was the use of foreign substances banned in the MLB?

1920

Example of a player caught with foreign substances

Joe Niekro in 1987

What is the most common recreational drug used in baseball?

Amphetamines ("greenies")