Constructing Baseball: Boston and the First World Series

Abstract:     
This article explores the establishment of the American national pastime, baseball. Originally an outgrowth of bat-and-ball games going back centuries, the American game of “base ball” was created by urban white-collar workers in east coast cities during the 1840s. After a period of amateur play, by the late 1860s baseball had become a professional entertainment played first by traveling clubs and then, in 1876, by the new National League. As this article explains, baseball reflects much of American culture and society.

Accepted Paper Series