Rowman & Littlefield Publishers America's Game: A History of Major League Baseball through World War II

This comprehensive survey of major league baseball looks at the national pastime's legendary figures, major innovations, and pivotal moments, from the beginning of the twentieth century through World War II. In America's Game: A History of Major League Baseball through World War II, Bryan Soderholm-Difatte provides a comprehensive narrative of the major developments and key figures in Major League Baseball, during a time when the sport was still truly the national pastime. Soderholm-Difatte details pivotal moments-including the founding of the American League, the 1919 Black Sox scandal, and navigating the Great Depression and two World Wars-and concludes with a chapter examining the exclusion of black ballplayers from the major leagues. Central personalities covered in this book include baseball executives Judge Landis and Branch Rickey, managers John McGraw and Joe McCarthy, and iconic players such as Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb. America's Game isn't simply about celebrating the exploits of great players and teams; it is just as much about the history of Major League Baseball as an institution and the evolution of the game itself. With significant changes taking place in baseball in recent times, this book will remind baseball fans young and old of the rich history of the game. Review This is a thorough and well-documented account of a specific period of American baseball history.-- "Choice"America's Game is an ambitious and impressive work of history, full of sharp analysis and sure-handed storytelling. Ruth, Cobb, Shoeless Joe, and the rest of the boys are here, but Bryan Soderholm-Difatte is at his best in explaining how the game they played evolved as an institution and became part of our nation's DNA.--Jonathan Eig, New York Times best-selling author of Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou GehrigBryan Soderholm-Difatte brings a nuanced, stimulating, and enlightening perspective to baseball over the first half of the twentieth century. Casual baseball fans and hardcore historians alike will enjoy this highly engaging, well-written story.--Daniel R. Levitt, author of The Battle that Forged Modern Baseball: The Federal League Challenge and Its Legacy About the Author Bryan Soderholm-Difatte is a former senior analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Counterterrorism Center. He is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and a regular contributor to The Baseball Research Journal. He is the author of The Golden Era of Major League Baseball: A Time of Transition and Integration (R&L, 2015).