How the Black Press Helped Integrate Baseball
In the 1930s and ’40s, Black newspapers like the Pittsburgh Courier used their platform to help break the sport’s color line.
Reggie Jackson Superstar
Clutch hitter Reggie Jackson dominated baseball in the 1970s as a “Me Decade” athlete who became one of the first sports super-celebrities.
How to Play Baseball in the 1920s
Swing for the bleachers with these awesome lantern slides from the early years of professional baseball.
Richard Nixon’s Fantasy Baseball Team
It might have been a ploy to garner Democratic votes, but the president took his dream team seriously.
Integrating Baseball, before Jackie Robinson
Black players were banned from Major League Baseball during the Jim Crow era. Other players walked the color line—gently.
Baseball History and Rural America
Baseball's creation myth is bunk, and historians have shown how important cities were to the game's development. But it was still a rural passion.
When “Foreigners” Were Blamed for a Baseball Scandal
In the early 20th century, baseball was a magnet for illegal gambling. But when the Chicago White Sox threw the World Series, Jews became the scapegoats.
Little People on TV: Educational or Exploitative?
Little people have been used for entertainment purposes in royal courts from ancient Egypt to medieval Europe. But can this be more than exploitative?
How Baseball Became a Profession
Sports historian Steven A. Riess writes that the process that transformed baseball into a high-paid profession began in the 1860s.
How Little League Prepares Kids for Work
Little League baseball as we know it is result of child development theory and practices in America's heartland in the years directly after World War II.