Baseball, National, Blue, Civil, During, Pastime, Gray

Baseball in Blue and Gray: The National Pastime during the Civil War

During the Civil War, Americans from homefront to battlefront played baseball as never before. While soldiers slaughtered each other over the country's fate, players and fans struggled over the form of the national pastime. George Kirsch gives us a color commentary of the growth and transformation of baseball during the Civil War. He shows that the game was a vital part of the lives of many a soldier and civilian--and that baseball's popularity had everything to do with surging American nationalism.

By 1860, baseball was poised to emerge as the American sport. Clubs in northeastern and a few southern cities played various forms of the game. Newspapers published statistics, and governing bodies set rules. But the Civil War years proved crucial in securing the game's place in the American heart. Soldiers with bats in their rucksacks spread baseball to training camps, war prisons, and even front lines. As nationalist fervor heightened, baseball became patriotic. Fans honored it with the title of national pastime. War metaphors were commonplace in sports reporting, and charity games were scheduled. Decades later, Union general Abner Doubleday would be credited (wrongly) with baseball's invention. The Civil War period also saw key developments in the sport itself, including the spread of the New York-style of play, the advent of revised pitching rules, and the growth of commercialism.

Kirsch recounts vivid stories of great players and describes soldiers playing ball to relieve boredom. He introduces entrepreneurs who preached the gospel of baseball, boosted female attendance, and found new ways to make money. We witness bitterly contested championships that enthralled whole cities. We watch African Americans embracing baseball despite official exclusion. And we see legends spring from the pens of early sportswriters.

Rich with anecdotes and surprising facts, this narrative of baseball's coming-of-age reveals the remarkable extent to which America's national pastime is bound up with the country's defining event.

List Price: $ 17.95



Price: $ 10.69

Other posts like this, by keyword:

Baseball:

Ted Williams: A Baseball Life ...
Rich Burk’s Baseball Scorebook Model FN12-60 ...
What is a good way to watch MLB baseball games live through the network in good quality ? ...
[Eddie Cicotte, Chicago AL, at Polo Grounds, NY (baseball)] (LOC) ...
Can someone give me a good baseball workout during the winter? ...
Growing Up With “Shoeless Joe”: The Greatest Natural Player in Baseball History ...
Backstop: A Baseball Love Story in Nine Innings ...
Baseball: 100 Classic Moments in the History of the Game ...
Q&A: What type of baseball glove should I buy my 9 year son and my 5 year old daugther? ...
Never Hit a Ghost With a Baseball Bat ...
National:

Press release: County announces National Counties Month ...
National Zoo’s Cheetah Cubs Go Outside for the First Time ...
National Geographic Road Atlas – Adventure Edition ...
Operation Homecoming: Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Home Front, in the Words of U.S. Troops and Their Families, Updated Edition (Research Divis ...
Celebrate National Garden Month: Purchase a Knox Garden Box and 10% of the Proceeds for the Month of April Go to the … ...
Yosemite: The Complete Guide: Yosemite National Park ...
Mohammed bin Rashid approves organizational structure of National Statistics Center ...
Bargain price spectrum: nationwide emergency responder network remains in limbo.(SECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS): An article from: N ...
Interviewing (National Business Employment Weekly Career Guides) ...
Keshet’s 4th National Training Institute ...
Blue:

Good Sky maps and atlases for beginners with Black/ Dark Blue background? ...
Male Nude Photography- Naked Producers In Blue Frost, Kansas ...
Harlequin comics: Blue Moon Bride Reviews ...
Blue Jean Baby: One Girl’s Trip Through The 1960s L.A. Music Scene ...
Retribution: Tears of the Blue Stone (Rob Saunders’ Thriller/Suspense Series) ...
Blue Dahlia (In the Garden Series) ...
High School Nicknames Throughout History: the Best Humor from Blue Donut ...
Blizzard On Blue Mountain (Cabin Creek Mysteries) ...
Fashion Kitty (Bccb Blue Ribbon Fiction Books (Awards)) ...
Blue Sheep Reverie Volume 2 (Yaoi) ...
Civil:

Noted Civil War author will visit Manassas ...
Party, State, and Society in the Russian Civil War: Explorations in Social History ...
The 2009-2014 Outlook for Parts and Accessories Sold Separately for Household Outdoor Cooking Equipment Excluding Gas and Electric Types in ...
Geotechnical Engineering: Principles and Practices of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering (Civil and Environmental Engineering) ...
The Fifth Skull: A Historical Novel of the Civil War and the American West ...
Army at Home: Women and the Civil War on the Northern Home Front (Civil War America) Reviews ...
The Partisan Imperative: The Dynamics of American Politics Before the Civil War Reviews ...
The Federal Civil Service System and the Problem of Bureaucracy: The Economics and Politics of Institutional Change (National Bureau of Econ ...
Concordancias, Motivos Y Comentarios Del Código Civil Español, Volume 3 (Spanish Edition) ...
Appomattox (The Civil War Battle Series, Book 10) ...
During:

Can someone give me a good baseball workout during the winter? ...
Servicewomen Input Data During a Training with the Joint Force Medical Group ...
Ponder sharp during pro day workout for NFL scouts ...
Private Diary Of Travels, Personal Services, And Public Events During Mission And Employment With The European Armies In The Campaigns Of 18 ...
Q&A: What are the best places in Europe to visit during the summer? ...
Proper Nutrition During Pregnancy ...
Markers to detect drinking during pregnancy.: An article from: Alcohol Research & Health ...
What are some famous novels written during the 1940’s? ...
we are planning to visit shimla in January 21st week. What is the probability of snow fall during that time? ...
Q&A: What are some good halloween movies that take play during halloween? ...
Pastime:

A Sport and a Pastime: A Novel ...
Obsessed with…Baseball: Test Your Knowledge of America’s Pastime Reviews ...
Gray:

Get Your Gray On: Lighthearted Humor to Help You Handle Aging ...
Field & Stream The Complete Fisherman ...