This course will explore baseball’s historical connections to money and globalization, two of the most powerful forces in the modern era. Baseball may be a child’s game, but it has been inextricably intertwined with money and profit since its very inception in the late nineteenth century. The Reserve Clause, world tours, collective bargaining, expansion, bringing players from abroad, and realignment have always been driven as much or more by money than anything else.
Overview
Syllabus
- America Expands Abroad
- Welcome to the course! In this module we will cover topics surrounding 19th century professionalization and international baseball.
- Silver and Golden Ages
- In this module we will cover topics surrounding the Progressive Era, the Silver Age, the Black Sox, and the Great Depression.
- Baseball and America Move West
- In this module we will cover topics surrounding changing demographics, post-WWII affluence, crimes of the century, and franchise shifts.
- The Worker
- In this final module we will cover topics surrounding the Reserve Clause, Marvin Miller, the rise of the MLBPA, and outsourcing.
Taught by
Tom Zeiler
