Golden age of baseball

The golden age of baseball, or sometimes the golden era, describes the period in Major League Baseball (MLB) from the end of the dead-ball era until the modern era—roughly, from 1920 to sometime after World War II.^[1][2]

The exact years are debated. MLB, for example, considers the golden age to have ended with World War II. Others consider the golden age to have ended in 1951, when the first baseball game was broadcast in color, or in the mid-1960s, when all baseball games were broadcast in color.

The golden age was dominated by stars such as Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Hank Greenberg, Rogers Hornsby and especially Babe Ruth, whose called shot was one of the defining moments of the era. Another defining moment of the golden era was Gabby Hartnett's Homer in the Gloamin'. By 1919, when Ruth hit a then-league record 29 home runs, a spectacular feat at that time, the dead-ball era had officially come to an end, ushering in the Live-ball era.

While the most popular icons of the golden era are hitters, and Ruth is generally thought of as one of the premier sports icons in history,^[3] there were also several pitchers who dominated hitters on the mound during that same time, and two of the best of them were Lefty Grove and Dizzy Dean, both of whom won over 30 games in the early 1930s. Further, some of the most popular players in the Negro National League included names such as Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, and Mule Suttles. Later in the era, players such as Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Ernie Banks, and pitchers Bob Gibson and Warren Spahn, among others, established themselves as Hall of Famers and ultimately played into the late 1960s and 1970s, providing a bridge between the golden age and the current era.

Desde la perspectiva de un equipo, la época dorada del béisbol (tomando como referencia los años 1918-1964) estuvo dominada por los Yankees de Nueva York , ^{[ 4 ]} quienes ganaron 29 banderines de la Liga Americana y 20 de los 27 títulos de la Serie Mundial de la franquicia entre 1918 y 1964. ^{[ 5 ]} Su competencia más cercana provino de los Atléticos de Filadelfia , que ganaron nueve banderines, y los Tigres de Detroit , que ganaron ocho.

En la Liga Nacional , el dominio fue compartido por los Cardenales de San Luis , los Dodgers de Brooklyn y los Gigantes de Nueva York , cada uno de los cuales ganó nueve banderines.

Durante ese período, los equipos viajaban principalmente en tren, haciendo paradas ocasionales en bares y tabernas clandestinas entre partidos, donde se mezclaban con los aficionados y contribuían al misticismo de la época, algo que hoy en día difícilmente ocurriría. Muchos jugadores también tenían otros trabajos durante la temporada baja, y otros se retiraban a mitad de sus carreras para servir en el ejército.

En aquel entonces, franquicias enteras valían cientos de miles de dólares, y los Cleveland Indians se convirtieron en el primer equipo en ser vendido por más de 1.000.000 de dólares cuando Bob Hope y Bill Veeck compraron el club por 1,6 millones de dólares. ^{[ 6 ]}

El crac de Wall Street de 1929 dio paso a la Gran Depresión , que afectó al béisbol, junto con muchos otros negocios, organizaciones y familias. La venta de entradas se desplomó un 40%, poniendo en peligro la popularidad y la prosperidad del deporte. ^{[ 7 ]} Muchos jugadores perdieron sus empleos, incluido Babe Ruth . ^{[ 7 ]} Los salarios de los jugadores cayeron un 20% en promedio y no se recuperaron durante años. ^{[ 7 ]}

A principios del siglo XX, casi todos los afroamericanos habían sido excluidos de jugar cualquier tipo de béisbol con los estadounidenses blancos, por lo que formaron una liga separada. ^{[ 8 ]} A principios de la década de 1900, la Liga Nacional Negra creció en popularidad, a pesar de que los agentes de contratación blancos a menudo controlaban cuándo y dónde los equipos podrían jugar o entrenar. ^{[ 8 ]} La NNL llegó a su fin debido a las dificultades financieras de la Gran Depresión, pero resurgió poco después como la Liga Americana Negra .

In 1947, Jackie Robinson, who had played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the NAL, became the first African American to be integrated into the all-white world of baseball. Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey tapped Robinson to break the baseball color line.^[9] Robinson was still a target of many racist comments and slurs during his time in the majors.^[9] Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.^[10]

The first women's baseball game where girls were paid and prospectors paid admission took place in Illinois in 1875. However, many were unimpressed with the women's abilities while playing baseball.^[11] During this time, many Americans didn't see women as being athletes or as major participants in sports. Even in the early 1900s, people opposed women in all sports because they were afraid that sports would ultimately destroy women's femininity.^[11] American perspectives on women at this time were that they were meant to be viewed as perfect and feminine. Many thought that for a woman to participate in physical activities and sports would make them become more masculine.^[11]

Women's baseball began to be taken more seriously at the start of World War II. Philip K. Wrigley, the owner of the Chicago Cubs, decided to invest in an all-women's baseball league that went by the AAGPBL (All-American Girls Professional Baseball League) in 1943.^[12] Wrigley was worried about losing a good number of male ball players due to the war, he believed that creating a women's league would keep the flow of money coming in from the ball parks.^[12]

Despite the changing views of Americans towards what women should and should not be able to do in sports, they were still held to a higher caliber of femininity and perfection at this time. Women that played the sport were required to take classes on how to be feminine after practices and games, and were often looked down upon for demonstrating any masculine traits.^[12] Nonetheless, this league still opened up opportunities for future women in sports.