What do you think?
Rate this book
Play Ball!: The Rise of Baseball as America's Pastime
Listening Length 12 hours and 15 minutes
Every time you watch baseball, you're watching more than just a game - you're participating in the latest chapter of a compelling story. What began as the earliest bat-and-ball games became the favorite American pastime of the first 19th-century baseball games. Knowing how baseball came to be what it is today will add levels of enjoyment, respect, and appreciation to any game you watch.
In collaboration with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, The Great Courses brings you 24 lectures that paint a portrait of baseball's remarkable past. Taking you from the decades before the civil War to the pivotal year of 1920, 'Play Ball! The Rise of Baseball as America's Pastime' offers a well-rounded, historically rich look at this most distinctive slice of Americana.
Written by noted baseball historian Peter Morris and presented by Bruce Markusen of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, these lectures guide you through decades of experimentation, change, controversy , and triumph. You'll encounter early baseball giants, including Albert G. Spalding, Harry Wright, and Harry M. Stevens. You'll learn the origins of everything from catcher's masks to batting averages. You'll consider the true stories of how women, African Americans, and others overcame adversity on and off the diamond. And all of this with the help of remarkable artifacts, images, and footage made available as part of this course thanks to National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the vast holdings it encompasses.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library with the audio.
©2019 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2019 The Great Courses
Every time you watch baseball, you're watching more than just a game - you're participating in the latest chapter of a compelling story. What began as the earliest bat-and-ball games became the favorite American pastime of the first 19th-century baseball games. Knowing how baseball came to be what it is today will add levels of enjoyment, respect, and appreciation to any game you watch.
In collaboration with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, The Great Courses brings you 24 lectures that paint a portrait of baseball's remarkable past. Taking you from the decades before the civil War to the pivotal year of 1920, 'Play Ball! The Rise of Baseball as America's Pastime' offers a well-rounded, historically rich look at this most distinctive slice of Americana.
Written by noted baseball historian Peter Morris and presented by Bruce Markusen of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, these lectures guide you through decades of experimentation, change, controversy , and triumph. You'll encounter early baseball giants, including Albert G. Spalding, Harry Wright, and Harry M. Stevens. You'll learn the origins of everything from catcher's masks to batting averages. You'll consider the true stories of how women, African Americans, and others overcame adversity on and off the diamond. And all of this with the help of remarkable artifacts, images, and footage made available as part of this course thanks to National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the vast holdings it encompasses.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library with the audio.
©2019 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2019 The Great Courses
13 pages, Audible Audio
First published June 21, 2019
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 2, 2021
Is baseball America’s pastime? In the midst of the 2021 World Series, that may not be the most important question. Markuson, of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, is a historian with a mission to enlighten all who may be interested in how baseball became “America’s pastime.”
In 24 lectures he touches on everything from the sport’s origins to how it became professional. He covers in some depth the participation by Black Americans and by women.
I found that there was a lot that interested me, but it was best if taken in one lecture doses with some time in between. By doing that I was not as aware of the repetition that Markuson felt necessary in linking baseball to the relevant aspects of American culture and history in which the sport evolved.
Probably only for those who have an interest in history as well as the sport. But those people may find themselves better able to predict where this sport is going.
3.5*
In 24 lectures he touches on everything from the sport’s origins to how it became professional. He covers in some depth the participation by Black Americans and by women.
I found that there was a lot that interested me, but it was best if taken in one lecture doses with some time in between. By doing that I was not as aware of the repetition that Markuson felt necessary in linking baseball to the relevant aspects of American culture and history in which the sport evolved.
Probably only for those who have an interest in history as well as the sport. But those people may find themselves better able to predict where this sport is going.
3.5*
October 16, 2020
I learned a lot, it was interesting but . . . good grief the repetition. I was constantly having to stop and poke at things to make sure I hadn't actually restarted something I'd already heard. And then finding, no, I was in 'new' stuff . . . that was not only repeating the ideas of earlier parts, the exact same words were being used. bah.
Right, so, this is about the history of baseball from beginning (actually from roughly fifty to a hundred or so years before the beginning as the 'origins' were also searched for) to . . . hmm, I believe hmm . . . roughly 1940s/1950s. Though other than the mention of Jackie Robinson joining, the period between 1920 and 1950 was largely not gone into, and I do not really recall anything from even Robinson's second year on to today (to be fair, it was called 'the rise of', not 'the history of').
Interesting, good enough to listen to, but, also frequently annoying.
Rating: 3.40
October 15 2020
Right, so, this is about the history of baseball from beginning (actually from roughly fifty to a hundred or so years before the beginning as the 'origins' were also searched for) to . . . hmm, I believe hmm . . . roughly 1940s/1950s. Though other than the mention of Jackie Robinson joining, the period between 1920 and 1950 was largely not gone into, and I do not really recall anything from even Robinson's second year on to today (to be fair, it was called 'the rise of', not 'the history of').
Interesting, good enough to listen to, but, also frequently annoying.
Rating: 3.40
October 15 2020
September 6, 2020
Hands down the best audiobook I’ve purchased. This is a great look at the development and history of not just baseball, but America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Absolutely fascinating.
April 14, 2021
This is a great course. Wonderfully delivered by Bruce Markuson of the Baseball Hall of Fame, the course covers the early years of baseball. From the early beginnings to 1920, the course looks at rules changes, equipment changes, field changes, as well as many of the social and culture changes that impacted baseball. As an overview course, it doesn't go into as great detail as one might want for some topics, for example, the history of the Negro Leagues. While this is discussed, the history of these leagues is much richer (as admitted by Markuson) than could be covered here.
Markuson examines the different theories of where baseball comes from: the different pre-baseball ball games that were played widely in America and England in the 18th century and how they may have influenced the development of what become known as baseball. He covers how the professional leagues developed in the second half of the 19th century. He discusses how the baseball itself changed the game as the baseball changed. It even goes into how baseball fields themselves changed and developed as baseball evolved (and the changing fields drove some of the changes in the game as well).
If there is one thing you can take away from this course is that Terrance Mann in Field of Dreams was wrong. I love the movie and the speech Mann makes, but he was wrong. He says: "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time." Sorry, but the history of baseball shows that it has changed again and again just like America. As America rebuilt and reinvented itself through the decades, baseball has changed right along with it, reflecting America's greatness and her worst faults.
Markuson examines the different theories of where baseball comes from: the different pre-baseball ball games that were played widely in America and England in the 18th century and how they may have influenced the development of what become known as baseball. He covers how the professional leagues developed in the second half of the 19th century. He discusses how the baseball itself changed the game as the baseball changed. It even goes into how baseball fields themselves changed and developed as baseball evolved (and the changing fields drove some of the changes in the game as well).
If there is one thing you can take away from this course is that Terrance Mann in Field of Dreams was wrong. I love the movie and the speech Mann makes, but he was wrong. He says: "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time." Sorry, but the history of baseball shows that it has changed again and again just like America. As America rebuilt and reinvented itself through the decades, baseball has changed right along with it, reflecting America's greatness and her worst faults.
June 13, 2023
These lectures seem to cover just about everything, but nothing too deeply. I now see why a player's union was necessary. I'm not sure why it is necessary today, but it was certainly necessary way back when.
I can't say more right now. I'm a little tired, but I enjoyed the presentation. I wish he would have gone into more detail here and there, but it was already a 24 lectures. There was a potential to get nostalgic but the lecturer managed to avoid most of that until the end. Wrapping things up it did get a little sappy. I expected that.
I'm not sure that I will listen to this audio course again. I am not a sports fan, but I do like a good ball game occasionally.
Contents:
Lect 01 Ground Rules-Baseball before Babe Ruth
Lect 02 Early Bat and Ball Games
Lect 03 The Era of Amateur Baseball Clubs
Lect 04 The Dawn of Professional Baseball
Lect 05 Baseball's Many Leagues and Associations
Lect 06 How Baseball Created the World Series
Lect 07 Baseball Grows by Hitting the Road
Lect 08 Sacred Ground-Baseball's Early Ballparks
Lect 09 The Development of Baseball's Rules
Lect 10 The Evolution of Protective Equipment
Lect 11 The Role of Women in Baseball's Early Days
Lect 12 Black Baseball before the Negro Leagues
Lect 13 Prejudice and Diversity in Early Baseball
Lect 14 Baseball Grows through the Press
Lect 15 Baseball Becomes a Game of Numbers
Lect 16 Baseball-A Game for the Fans
Lect 17 Baseball and Our Common Culture
Lect 18 The Business behind the National Pastime
Lect 19 Players, Owners, and the Reserve Clause
Lect 20 American Politics and Early Baseball
Lect 21 Baseball's Rituals and Traditions
Lect 22 The Impact of War on Baseball
Lect 23 Scandals and Deception on the Diamond
Lect 24 How Changing Baseballs Changed the Game
I can't say more right now. I'm a little tired, but I enjoyed the presentation. I wish he would have gone into more detail here and there, but it was already a 24 lectures. There was a potential to get nostalgic but the lecturer managed to avoid most of that until the end. Wrapping things up it did get a little sappy. I expected that.
I'm not sure that I will listen to this audio course again. I am not a sports fan, but I do like a good ball game occasionally.
Contents:
Lect 01 Ground Rules-Baseball before Babe Ruth
Lect 02 Early Bat and Ball Games
Lect 03 The Era of Amateur Baseball Clubs
Lect 04 The Dawn of Professional Baseball
Lect 05 Baseball's Many Leagues and Associations
Lect 06 How Baseball Created the World Series
Lect 07 Baseball Grows by Hitting the Road
Lect 08 Sacred Ground-Baseball's Early Ballparks
Lect 09 The Development of Baseball's Rules
Lect 10 The Evolution of Protective Equipment
Lect 11 The Role of Women in Baseball's Early Days
Lect 12 Black Baseball before the Negro Leagues
Lect 13 Prejudice and Diversity in Early Baseball
Lect 14 Baseball Grows through the Press
Lect 15 Baseball Becomes a Game of Numbers
Lect 16 Baseball-A Game for the Fans
Lect 17 Baseball and Our Common Culture
Lect 18 The Business behind the National Pastime
Lect 19 Players, Owners, and the Reserve Clause
Lect 20 American Politics and Early Baseball
Lect 21 Baseball's Rituals and Traditions
Lect 22 The Impact of War on Baseball
Lect 23 Scandals and Deception on the Diamond
Lect 24 How Changing Baseballs Changed the Game
May 24, 2022
(Audiobook) This course offered an in-depth analysis of the origins of the game. The research to figure out how baseball became baseball really required a ton of deep dives into socio-economic history of the 19th century. The game was different and the values reflected that. Yet, many issues that plagued the game then still matter know (composition of the ball, fair play, labor issues, fan behavior). It was the best overview of the deep history of the game, especially the emphasis on the pre-World Series era. A must for any baseball fan.
March 27, 2023
I can't believe I spent several decades of being a baseball nerd before learning about the muffin to muff lineage. This had lots of good baseball information but was mixed to really bad when discussing the wider historical context. Markuson claims that the militarism and zealous nationalism of the 1910's was the product of a customarily peaceful people over-compensating for only having fought the "short-lived" Spanish-American War since the Civil War while having to mobilize for World War I. But most of it surpassed my expectations.
October 16, 2021
Fabulous audio lecture series.
June 20, 2022
The early years of baseball (ending just before Babe Ruth became prominent). It explains many well established baseball rules and customs. There is one episode on the Blackstocking scandal.
March 24, 2023
Loved this book!
May 28, 2023
Certainly informative. This didn't come closer than about 70 years from the present. Very dense but enjoyable.
June 14, 2023
A series of lectures on America's past time. It is a bit repetitive but the bits of history that you have to learn to understand baseball history is awesome. I love learning history from the sides. The lecturer is very enthusiastic and that makes it better than it would be otherwise
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews