"Riess asks and answers fundamentally important questions about urban America as well as baseball in the early twentieth century. . . . <i>Touching Base,</i> the most ambitious and exhaustive case study of urban professional baseball yet written, clearly demonstrates not only the vast potential for understanding American history through baseball, but also the value of utilizing sociological theory and municipal archives in researching baseball history."--Larry Gerlach, <i>Journal of Sports History</i><br /> "Well-received in many quarters in its original version, <i>Touching Base</i> provides a massive fund of information extremely valuable to any baseball scholar. The bibliography and the opening essay on the state of baseball history alone justify this revised version."--Richard C. Crepeau, author of <i>Baseball: America's Diamond Mine, 1919-1941</i><br /> "<i>Touching Base</i> not only tells the story of baseball in its formative period; it explains how the game fit into a much larger pattern of social and cultural development. The original edition of <i>Touching Base</i> was an important work of sport history, and the new revised edition adds even more to our knowledge of how and why baseball became our national pastime. This is fine history."—Elliott J. Gorn, author of <i>The Manly Art: Bare-Knuckle Prize Fighting in America</i><br />

The revised and expanded edition of Touching Base examines the myths, realities, symbols, and rituals of America's national pastime. Steven Riess details the relationships among urban politics, communities, and baseball while exploring how Progressive Era sensibilities shaped debates over issues like Sunday games, ballpark construction, and promotion of the games. Focusing on Atlanta, New York, and Chicago, Riess looks at all the participants--from spectators to owners to players--in analyzing how baseball both influenced and mirrored broader society.
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Examines the myths and the realities, symbols, and rituals of "America's favorite pastime." This book details the relationships among urban politics, communities, and baseball, exploring how debates over issues such as Sunday games, ballpark construction, and the promotion of the game were shaped by Progressive Era sensibilities.
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CoverTitleCopyrightContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Baseball and the Cultural Approach to History1. "Take Me Out to the Ball Game": The Crowd and the Ideology of Baseball2. Professional Baseball and Urban PoliticsIllustrations3. Politics, Ballparks, and the Neighborhoods4. Professional Sunday Baseball and Social Reform5. Professional Baseball as a Source of Social MobilityConclusion: The Social Functions of Professional BaseballApendix: A Note on MethodologyNotesIndexBack cover
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780252067754
Publisert
1999-07-26
Utgiver
University of Illinois Press
Vekt
513 gr
Høyde
229 mm
Bredde
152 mm
Dybde
25 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
328

Forfatter

Biografisk notat

Steven A. Riess is the former Bernard Brommel Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of History at Northeastern Illinois University. His books include City Games: The Evolution of American Urban Society and the Rise of Sports and The Sport of Kings and the Kings of Crime: Horse Racing, Politics, and Organized Crime in New York 1865-1913.