Baseball and Social Class

This collection of fresh essays seeks to examine the intersection of baseball and social class, pointing to the conclusion that America's game, infused from its origins with a democratic mythos and founded on high-minded principles of meritocracy, is nonetheless fraught with problematic class contradictions. Each essayist has explored how class standing has influenced some aspect of the game as experienced by those who play it, those who watch it, those who write about it, and those who market it. The topic of class is an amorphous one and in tying it to baseball the contributors have considered matters of race, education, locality, integration, assimilation, and cultural standing. These elements are crucial to understanding how baseball creates, preserves, reinforces and occasionally assails class divisions among those who watch, play, and own the game.

Ronald E. Kates is an associate professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University. He co-chairs (along with Crosby Hunt) the Conference on Baseball in Literature and American Culture. Warren Tormey is an assistant professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University. He co-chairs (along with Crosby Hunt) the Conference on Baseball in Literature and American Culture.