Babe Ruth and the Baseball Revolution

George Herman “Babe” Ruth began his professional career as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, where he played from the year $1914$ until $1919$ .
During his time in Boston, he secured World Series championships in $1915$ , $1916$ , and $1918$ .
Ruth joined the New York Yankees, spending $15$ years with the franchise.
During his tenure with the Yankees, he led the team to $7$ American League pennants and $4$ World Series titles.
He officially retired from professional baseball in $1935$ .
His career spanned a total of $22$ years in the major leagues, ending with a lifetime total of $714$ home runs.
His career statistical record includes: - Hits: $2,873$ - Doubles: $506$ - Runs scored: $2,174$ - Runs Batted In (RBI): $2,214$ - Lifetime Batting Average: $.342$ - On-Base Percentage: $.474$ - Slugging Percentage: $.690$

Scholars examine Ruth's impact through two central questions: - How did Babe Ruth fundamentally change the methodology of baseball and the public's understanding of the sport? - In what specific ways did Ruth serve as a symbol for the "Roaring Twenties"?

The era was characterized by the growth of Urbanization, Industrialization, and the implementation of Mass Production.
Modernism was the defining philosophical movement, emphasizing the mantra "Make it new."
Features of Modernism included a definitive break from tradition and the transformation of the American lifestyle through new technologies, ideas, transportation, communication, and scientific discoveries.
To embrace modernity was to take risks and live in the immediate moment.
The Jazz Age was described as a period of rebelliousness and spontaneity, characterized by the philosophy of "Carpe Diem!"
Additional cultural themes included Disillusionment, Escapism, and a focus on Entertainment.
Society shifted toward a "Culture of Consumption" defined by Self-Indulgence and Instant Gratification.

A nationalized culture developed as Americans across the country saw the same national advertisements and purchased identical products at standardized stores.
The population consumed the same magazines, radio programs, and movies, and drove the same types of automobiles.
The Communications Revolution was driven by radio, films, newsreels, tabloid newspapers, magazines, and advertisements.
These media formats revolutionized the ability of citizens to participate vicariously in the world around them.
These advancements directly fueled the "invention of celebrity."
Radio technology played a crucial role in nationalizing popular culture, bridging the social gap between rural and urban America.
Radio allowed for "instant communication," transmitting baseball games to audiences far beyond the physical boundaries of the ballpark.

New York Times sportswriter Richards Vidmer provided an account in $1927$ illustrating Ruth's status as a folk hero: - During a stop in a small Illinois "whistle stop" town at $10:00\,\text{o’clock}$ at night in heavy rain, nearly $4,000$ people out of a population of $5,000$ gathered just to see Ruth. - Vidmer remarked, "He was bigger than the President."
Sportswriter Westbrook Pegler described Ruth as an "unequaled exhibition" whose strength and accuracy were in sync with the nation's "madness for crazy pleasure, unheard of speed, and aimless bigness."
Ruth revolutionized the sport by hitting more home runs than any player before him, doing so with "unparalleled majesty."
He dominated the game of baseball as no other person had, utilizing an "infectious enthusiasm" that made him the "idol of millions."

Ruth's presence led to a dramatic increase in American League (A.L.) home run totals throughout the era: - $1918$ : $96$ Total A.L. HR - $1919$ : $240$ Total A.L. HR - $1920$ : $369$ Total A.L. HR - $1921$ : $477$ Total A.L. HR - $1922$ : $525$ Total A.L. HR
Specific milestones in Ruth's home run career include: - ในปี $1918$ : Hit $11$ HR while with the Red Sox. - ในปี $1919$ : Hit $29$ HR while with the Red Sox. - ในปี $1920$ : Hit $54$ HR with the New York Yankees, a total that exceeded the home run count of every other entire team in the league. - During the $1920$ season, no other individual player hit even $20$ home runs. - ในปี $1921$ : Hit $59$ HR and recorded $170$ RBIs. - ในปี $1927$ : Hit $60$ HR, representing $14\%$ of all home runs hit in the American League that year. - This single-season record of $60$ home runs stood for a period of $34$ years.

Manager Christy Walsh was pivotal in the merchandising of Babe Ruth, turning the athlete into a "Human Billboard."
Ruth was associated with a variety of commercial products and advertisements: - "Pinch-Hit" Chew Tobacco. - Red Rock Cola: Sold at $5\text{c}$ for $12\,\text{OUNCES}$ . Ruth famously stated, "It's the finest cola drink I ever tasted." - Wheaties: Branded as the "Breakfast of Champions," including statements from Betty Crocker such as, "Champions get many a small boy to eat a good breakfast!"
Ruth was marketed as the "King of Swat" and appeared in Universal Pictures productions and "Christy Walsh All America Sport Reels."
The film/reel titles included: - "Slide, Babe, Slide" - "Just Pals" - "Perfect Control" - "Fancy Curves" - "Over the Fence"
These productions were the only baseball reels officially sanctioned by the All America Board of Baseball.
Key production figures included Carl Laemmle (President of Universal), Lou Breslow (stories), Ben Stoloff (director), and Stanley Nanahan (supervisor).

Ruth's lifestyle was synonymous with the "Revolution in Manners and Morals."
A $1926$ New Yorker article entitled "Babe Ruth’s Bad Behavior" ( $July\,31,\,1926$ ) detailed his "impulsive appetite for excess": - He consumed "huge quantities of bicarbonate of soda." - He frequently ate "unheard-of quantities of murderous food." - For dessert, he chewed tobacco and took a "pinch of snuff" as a "cordial."
Author Robert Creamer, in Babe: The Legend Comes to Life, argued that everything about Ruth reflected sexuality.
This sexualized energy was observed in: - His restlessness and "roving energy." - His aggressive skills on the field, including fastball pitching and powerful home run swings. - The speed at which he drove automobiles. - His rich, loud voice. - His "insatiable appetite" and constant need to fill his mouth with food, drink, and cigars.