Description
Book SynopsisCelebrates the globalization of baseball while highlighting the different histories and cultures of the nations in which the sport is played. This collection of essays tells the story of America's national pastime as it spread across the world and underwent instructive, entertaining, and sometimes quirky changes in the process.
Trade Review"[
Baseball Beyond Our Borders] is comprehensive and engaging while it expands the horizons of our views about the international popularity and character of America's historic pastime."—Joseph L. Price,
AETHLON"The editors have done a considerable service to the field of sport history by providing a collection that both can entertain and inform the general baseball fan and also spark ideas for further investigation by scholars."Craig A. Kaplowitz,
Journal of Sport History“It is curious and warming to see baseball as a national pastime of so many lands with such markedly different cultures. What a marvelously adaptive game, and what a splendid collection of essays!”—John Thorn, official historian of Major League Baseball
“A feast for both the baseball scholar and the avid fan. [It is] a genuine window into history and culture.”—Lee Lowenfish, author of
Branch Rickey: Baseball's Ferocious Gentleman “This fascinating book is a must-read for everyone interested in the international game.”—Robert K. Fitts, author of
Banzai Babe Ruth “A treasure trove of information.”—Trey Strecker, editor of
NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and CultureTable of ContentsContents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Around the Horn
George Gmelch and Daniel A. Nathan
Part 1. The Americas
1. Cuba: The Curtain Begins to Fall
Tim Wendel
2. Dominican Republic: From Paternalism to Parity
Alan Klein
3. Puerto Rico: A Major League Stepping-Stone
Franklin Otto and Thomas E. Van Hyning
4. Canada: Internationalizing America’s National Pastime
Colin Howell
5. Mexico: Baseball’s Humble Beginnings to Budding Competitor
Jorge Iber
6. Nicaragua: In Search of Diamonds
Dan Gordon
7. Venezuela: The Passion and Politics of Baseball
Arturo J. Marcano and David P. Fidler
8. Brazil: Baseball Is Popular, and the Players Are (Mainly) Japanese!
Carlos Azzoni, Tales Azzoni, and Wayne Patterson
Part 2. Asia
9. Japan: “No Matter What Happens, Stand Up”
Dan Gordon
10. Japan: Professional Baseball Enters the Twenty-First Century
William W. Kelly
11. Korea: Straw Sandals and Strong Arms
Joseph A. Reaves
12. China: A Century and a Half of Bat Ball
Joseph A. Reaves
13. Taiwan: Baseball, Colonialism, Nationalism, and Other Inconceivable Things
Andrew D. Morris
Part 3. The Pacific
14. Australia: Baseball’s Curious Journey
Rick Burton
15. Tasmania: Baseball Struggles to Survive
George Gmelch
16. New Zealand: Baseball between British Traditions
Greg Ryan
Part 4. The Middle East
17. Israel: From the Desert to Jupiter . . . and Beyond
William Ressler
Part 5. Africa
18. South Africa: The Battle for Baseball
Marizanne Grundlingh
Part 6. Europe
19. Italy: No Hot Dogs in the Bleachers
Peter Carino
20. Holland: An American Coaching
Honkbal Harvey Shapiro
21. Great Britain: Baseball’s Battle for Respect in the Land of Cricket, Rugby, and Soccer
Josh Chetwynd
22. Finland:
Pesäpallo, Baseball Finnish Style
Mikko Hyvärinen
Part 7. World Baseball Classic
23. The World Baseball Classic: Conflicts and Contradictions
Robert Elias
Afterword
George Gmelch and Daniel A. Nathan
Source Acknowledgments
Contributors
Index
