Baseball entered a new era in the 1920s. The home run was
popularized the emergence of irascible slugger Babe Ruth and for better or for
worse the game was cleaned up in the wake of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox World
Series scandal by the appointment of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis as the
game’s first commissioner. This resulted in a revolution in governance and
broadening economics in the game, both in the major leagues and the Negro
Leagues. This compelling growth of the business of baseball has been thoroughly
researched and written about in David George Surdam and Michael J. Haupert’s The
Age of Ruth and Landis: The Economics of Baseball During the Roaring Twenties (University
of Nebraska Press, 2018).
You
don’t have to be knowledgeable or even that interested in economics to
appreciate the new layer of depth Surdam and Haupert have provided baseball
history with their groundbreaking work. Although the play on the field remains
of utmost importance, these details provide rich context that allows the game
and many of its key figures to be seen in new light.
The
first step in the evolution was bringing Landis on board. Although he was heavy
handed and often immovable, he drastically changed the landscape by bringing a
new level of discipline and even dread that cut back on gambling, inappropriate
fraternization and other activities deemed to be a threat to the game. This had
a lateral effect of also giving even more power to major league owners, as
attempts to circumvent their stranglehold on controlling the game were met with
a reinforced wall of resistance.
Initially,
money was made in professional baseball by sheer spectatorship. However, by the
1920s, owners were implementing new initiatives to expand profits. Concessions,
different levels of seating and renting out their parks for other events and
even teams like those from the Negro Leagues brought in new dollars. However,
teams did not consistently reach solvency. Inability to draw consistent crowds,
national crises like war and the Depression all served to stifle growth.
A
critical selling point of The Age of Ruth and Landis is that they don’t just
stop at Major League Baseball. They have also included data about the Negro
Leagues, which if anything is even more interesting. In addition to similar
challenges faced by their white counterparts, they faced additional roadblocks
like consistently being able to secure venues and keeping their players from going
AWOL occasionally to buffer their paychecks by temporarily contracting to
appear in exhibitions and other paying baseball gigs.
The
economics of baseball have always been shrouded in mystery. In the past owners
would often plead poverty as reasons why they couldn’t pay players more,
upgrade venues or acquire better talent. At times this was mostly true and complete
fabrication. Some teams did have difficulty drawing fans, which could really
impact their bottom line, but others made tidy profits. There were also efforts
made to keep less-solvent franchises afloat, as the financial health of the two
leagues was of the highest importance before all else.
Surdam
and Haupert have compiled a thoroughly researched and snappily written book that
keeps you engaged throughout, even if you don’t have a proclivity for bean
counting. It’s another important thread in the rich and complex tapestry of
baseball history and is a worthy addition to the shelf of any self-respecting
baseball bibliophile.
Disclaimer:
I was provided with a free advanced copy of this book but received no payment
or other consideration for this review.
********************************
You can check me out on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @historianandrew
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