Whose Baseball?: The National Pastime and Cultural Diversity in California, 1850-1941

by Joel S. Franks

Overview

Whose Baseball? expands the boundaries of baseball history by including the experiences of culturally diverse Californians. In doing so, it relates the history of baseball in California to social changes taking place in the Golden State from the Gold Rush to the eve of World War II. This volume demonstrates how baseball has helped to bridge substantial differences between social and cultural groups and at the same time reminds readers of the oppressive power relations buried in the way baseball has been played, organized, and observed in America. Readers interested in baseball history or the history of the state of California will find this an excellent resource.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810839274
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	05/09/2001
Series:	American Sports History Series , #19
Edition description:	ANN
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.97(d)

About the Author

Joel S. FranksB is a Lecturer in the Department of Social Science at San Jose State University in CA.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Baseball, California, and "The Incorporation of America" Chapter 2 Establishing California Baseball, 1859-1876 Chapter 3 Early Professional Baseball and Cultural Diversity in California Chapter 4 Players and Communities in Late Nineteenth-Century, Multicultural California Chapter 5 California Professionals and the Nationalization of Baseball, 1880-1900 Chapter 6 California Professional Baseball Players, 1880-1900 Chapter 7 The Accomplices, 1880-1900 Chapter 8 Consuming Passions in Early Twentieth-Century America: Baseball and California History, 1900-1941 Chapter 9 Earthquakes, Wars, Depressions, and Diamonds: Professional Baseball in California, 1900-1941 Chapter 10 Players and Communities Chapter 11 From San Francisco to New York, from San Diego to Boston Chapter 12 Professionals in the Sun Chapter 13 Beyond the Foul Lines Chapter 14 California Baseball: A "Field of Dreams"?

Editorial Reviews

Franks (history, San Jose State University) analyzes the relationship between baseball and the history of cultural diversity in California. He addresses the importance of sports and sport history, the significance of regional history, and the uses of connecting these pursuits to an understanding of American history from the period of the Civil War to the beginning of World War II. He also argues, in the tradition of CLR James, that to understand the game one must look beyond its rules and play to consider its relationship to society-wide systems of inequality, exploitation, and exclusion. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews