How did the press comment on baseball during the early years? Compare this coverage to modern sports reporting, linking to at least one article on your posting. As always, comment on at least one other students’ post.
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The earliest coverage of baseball started in the mid to late 1800s. At this time, baseball was only a club game because it had not been completely commercialized yet. The early coverage during this time was much more critical than the coverage today.
The Victorian press used to condemn player behavior. In 1872, the New York Times claimed that the average professional baseball player was a “worthless, dissipated gladiator; not much above the professional pugilist in morality and respectability.” The paper obviously did not respect the players nor did the player think the players were talented.
Today, the papers will criticize a player for a bad game or an error, but none of the players are degraded to this level in the media. If anything, the players are glorified in the media and in the public’s eyes.
As baseball grew in popularity, cities started to believe that they could prosper from a successful baseball team. Cities wanted to compete against each other. This brought about more baseball coverage. The coverage was more for showing which city was the best by the success of their baseball team. The cities were also looking to make more money to buy star players for their teams so they could be more successful, and in turn make their city look better. Coverage was used to bring people into the city and sometimes “trash talk” other cities.
The coverage today usually does not bash another team or city. The baseball teams aren’t really used anymore to bring people the a specific city. Today’s coverage has become more objective, but also more positive.
The early coverage was more critical and served more of a purpose to build the city. Today’s coverage is more of an object account of what happened at the game.
Abby makes some great points but players are still criticized today. Jim Rome is Burning is a show devoted to players faults and “mess-ups”. The coverage has improved but we still find fault in our athletes. How many times did we hear that “Hank Baskett lost the Super Bowl, rather than the “Saints winning”?
Baseball started evolving before the American Civil War; it was a game that could be played by anyone. This sport grew in popularity and was played in local leagues, informal games, and then eventually by professional teams. In 1850, reporters were transmitting sports news through a telegraph to the newspapers. In the second half of the 1800s, news about the games and players began to swarm the wires. In the 20th century baseball was aired on radios, televisions, computers, and then the internet. The media did not only focus on the scores, but on the imagery of the game. The announcers and reporters provided a collection of information about the game for the viewer or listener to study.
A big difference between then and now is how we treat sports journalists. When baseball broke through onto the media wires, journalists were considered boosters or fluff journalists. Their credibility was viewed as flimsy. Throughout the years, sports journalists began reporting the games more throughout. Thus, creating more trust in the reporting of sports journalists.
Another difference between now and in the 1980s is that we have given sports a place of their own. In newspapers, there is a sports section. On televisions, we have a sports only network. Even on radio, there are stations on XM that only broadcast sport news. The internet has also played a key role in providing everyone a chance to watch their beloved team. Baseball, like other sports, began to catch on when the games were accessible. If there is a team across the country that one likes, he/she can get on the internet and watch the game online. This has increased loyalty to the game.
With the media reporting factual play by plays of the game along with the growing media, baseball has made its way into the hearts of many. With time came easier access and more precise information. Each year baseball will continue to grow as well as the player’s contracts.
Here is my link: http://www.ftpress.com/articles/article.aspx?p=24492
In the early coverage of baseball, players weren’t looked at in the best of light. Like Abby mentioned before the media critized the players. But the first major move for baseball and the media was when the sport became a commercial enterprise. Baseball started out as being a fraternal game but when owners of fields blocked the area and charged people to watch the games, baseball became an enterprise. The success of the nation’s first publicly announced team Cincinnati’s Red Stockings created a buzz about baseball. According to the book, American Sports, “Glory, they’ve advertised the city-advertised us, sir and helped our business” (57).
Today, media focused more on the drama of the sport. In an article on Espn.com (MLB probing Guillen, West incident) the Chicago White Sox manager, Ozzie, and pitcher Mark Buehrle were removed from the game. “”Sometimes he thinks [expletive] people pay to watch him [expletive] umpire,” Guillen said after the White Sox beat the Indians 5-4. “He’s the type of guy that wants to control the game. … I deserve respect and the players here deserve respect here, too.” Instead of the article focusing on the actual event the article focuses on the drama that occured throught the game.
In the past, writers focused on what the players were doing wrong as well. “players spent their off season in those quiet retreats connected with bars, and rat pits”. (57) The book states “The sheer drama of baseball was yet another attraction. Baseball had a cast of well-defined heroes and villians, familiar plots,comedy, and the unexpected.” (164) The media still uses this theory and plays upon it when reporting about baseball.
Baseball started in the middle 1800s. During this time, it was not played professionally. Leagues were in the process of forming and owners could buy or draft any player.
It was not until 1890 when the players decided to stand up for their rights as a team. This began the Brotherhood War among players, and sports publications did not like this publicity. They were not the cheerleaders the owners expected them to be; instead, they wanted to cancel advertising all together.
Ashlee mentions how the media focuses on sport in the modern times. This is more true now then it was when baseball first began. First, there are more media outlets. In 1890, TV and radio did not yet exist. There weren’t any broadcast reporters to overview the playoffs of the NBA, NFL or NHL. For the most part, these weren’t formed yet as well.
Another reason media focuses on sport is that the coverage of the early 20th century focused on what sports writers wanted the players to do in the game. Abby mentioned they were more critical of the players. Babe Ruth was often scrutinized for his baseball playing, and today it’s focused on boosting the ratings for the team.
You bring up good points Jennifer…when reading your post, one of the things that occurred to me was the baseball movie “61.” The movie focuses on Roger Maris and Mickey Mantles home run chase of Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1961. The movie showcases on how the fans and media wanted Mickey Mantle to break the record, rather than Maris. They felt as if Maris didn’t have the personality and fitting characteristics they liked in a baseball player, especially one to break Babe Ruth’s record. They focused more of the individual that was breaking the record than the actual record being pursued itself. They showcased it as a battle between the two players. This was also the case in 1998 between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, although the circumstances were different because they were not on the same team.
Baseball started gaining popularity in the mid 1800′s but it wasn’t until the 1890′s when players were starting to stand up for themselves and their rights. Back then the newspapers sided with the baseball executives and in their coverage of baseball demeaned players. The players were basically seen as property of their teams. Like Abby mentioned the media was more critical of players and basically degraded them.
Now and days the media is still critical of players but they are not as harsh. Now and days the media doesn’t just side with the executives, the media is more biased now.
Also now the media doesn’t just focus on the sport alone but other aspects of the sports such as the players lives outside of the game
I do agree that the media is not on the players about their personal lives like they used to be. If they were then the rumors that a majority of players cheat on their wives chronically might not be a rumor any more.
That being said, I do believe that the media is much more critical of players that cheat on baseball. This has more to do with the knowledge of steroids that everyone has these days than anything else.
The first bits and pieces of media coverage were not very thorough or detailed. The media’s coverage of it was short and not very detailed.
However, some early publications did cover baseball much more thoroughly. “The New York Clipper” and the “Spirit of the Times” covered baseball thoroughly, including scores for many of the games and even information about how to set up your own club.
Now, the media covers baseball only as an organized professional or academic game. Unless a feature story, baseball played by non-professional athletes or academic athletes is not covered.
The mediums that are used to cover baseball now, greatly differ from how baseball was covered in the early 1900′s. The media cover baseball to different lengths now due to the difference in times. For instance, baseball now is much more controversial and provides additional news beyond the field. Baseball is currently having issues with players and steroids, where early coverage of this was insignificant. Also, if a player now were to go around the town drunk and wreckless it would be covered in a totally different fashion than it would have been say in the 1960′s. In an article entitled ‘History of Baseball: Buy Me Some Peanuts and Crack Jack,’ “Henry Chadwick (considered the “Father of Baseball,” and the only sportswriter inducted into the hall of fame) created baseball’s scoring and statistics system that gave the game lasting legitimacy nationally and internationally.” (http://www.randomhistory.com/2008/10/13_baseball.html). This certainly changed the way baseball was viewed and covered. Media coverage now focuses so much on the players and teams statistics that it can fuel the excitement of a game. For instance, Albert Pujols for the St. Louis Cardinals came up to bat recently with the bases loaded in a game during a crucial moment in the game. His stats were tremendous with runners in scoring position. It then caught the attention of myself and the fans particularly more because of his past statistics. Early coverage of such stats were harder to come across because of the lack of resources and technology.