Above: President John F. Kennedy throws out the first pitch of the 1962 All-Star Game.
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Politics have long been intertwined with athletics. In the animal kingdom, species like rams and gorillas compete with one another to form a social hierarchy. Going back 3,000 years to Ancient Greece, the original Olympics served not only to cement legendary athletes' names in history, but to also provide an occasion for leaders of state to come together and discuss vital issues like peace and trade. In fact, so important were the games that early on the precedent for an Olympic Truce was set, ensuring safe travel and stay to not only the athletes, but to their supporters as well. Fast forward a couple thousand years, to the boxing battles between American Joe Louis and German Max Schmeling in the 1930’s. In 1938, on the eve of the Second World War, the heavy weight champion of the world Louis, whose only prior loss was to the formidable German, fought Schmeling in a historic rematch. The importance of the match was certainly not lost on President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who consulted the fighter a few weeks before and whom the New York Times recorded as imparting, “Joe, we need muscles like yours to beat Germany.” In front of a sold out crowd at Yankee Stadium, Louis knocked out Schmeling in only 124 seconds, and simultaneously jabbed at Nazi Germany’s ideology of a superior Aryan race. Poet Langston Hughes summed up the significance of the match for the black community when he observed, “No one else in the United States has ever had such an effect on Negro emotions – or on mine. I marched and cheered and yelled and cried, too.” Yet, as important as connections between other sports and public service have been, the bind between baseball and politics has surpassed them all. Since the early 20th century, baseball has been the sport of choice among American - and various international - politicians. The sport of baseball did not become America's favorite pastime without the endorsement of many prominent politicians. Conversely, however, a great number of politicians did not gain the success (and embarrassment in some cases) without the sport that has such an important place in America's heart.
Baseball: the Sport of Presidents and the Common Man Alike.
![]() No other sport in the country can boast a connection to the executive branch quite like baseball can. In fact, every single president of the United States of America since William Taft in 1910 has thrown out a first pitch at a baseball game at some point during his presidency. Surely not all 18 of these head of states cherished the game as did the masses whom they governed; however, a precedent was set when Taft lobbed out the first pitch on opening day of the Washington Senators 1910 season. The chief executive would forever on be linked to the Summertime game.
A ballplayer himself in his youth, Taft had not considered the possible political advantages to tying himself to the increasingly popular sport. However, accounts of the heavy-set president eating peanuts and keeping his own scorecard set an example from which future presidents could only deviate at their own risk. Woodrow Wilson, another baseball enthusiast was elected to the White House in 1912 and gladly continued the burgeoning tradition of going to games and throwing out the first pitch. However, despite being a true fan of the sport, Wilson’s time and energy was soon diverted away from the field of sport and towards that of battle, as the pressures of World War One took up any time the president could make for attending games. Warren Harding was the first to use baseball as a platform to campaign. During the election of 1920, Harding staged an exhibition baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the minor league Kerrigan Tailors in his hometown of Marion, Ohio; the only reason the Cubs agreed to play was because Harding’s advertising manager, Alfred Lasker, partly owned the Windy City team - click here to learn more about economics and baseball. After the Cubs won the game, Harding gave a speech about the necessity of teamwork, contrasting it with Wilson and the Democratic party’s one-man approach to the League of Nations. Harding won the election. ![]() This tradition continued throughout the 20th century with each president fulfilling his duty - some better than others - to uphold the game of baseball. Fitting into the wartime ideal of national unity, Franklin D. Roosevelt praised the game for its disregard of personal origins, claiming that the only question that mattered was whether one could play or not - he conveniently overlooked the sport’s long history of racial discrimination. Truman, a true fan of the game, road out declining ratings in public opinion polls by becoming an ordinary citizen and attending at least a couple games during each year of his presidency. He is also noted as the only president to change throwing arms on opening day - click here to find out about the physics of baseball. Not only did John F. Kennedy make time for ex-wives of players - Marilyn Monroe had been married to Joe DiMaggio for a brief stint - but he did so for the game as well. In fact, the young Massachusetts native actually cancelled a meeting with the Laotian ambassador in 1962 to attend a Senators game. Nixon later lauded the game for, “its integrity and for its credibility that is beyond reproach,” - perhaps the controversial president never actually played ball. And so, the link binding the executive branch of government to America's pastime has continued throughout the beginnings of the 21st century, arguable growing stronger than ever through providing a sense of unity during America’s struggle with the War on Terror.
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Baseball to Unite and Fight: World Series 2001 and Imperial Taiwan
The 2001 World Series
The terrorist attacks in September of 2001 traumatized the nation. In a matter of hours, America’s security and morale were undermined, leaving the country in a state of anguish and shock. In the midst of this upheaval came the Fall Classic, the World Series - a chance for a return to normalcy, a respite from the pain and suffering the nation had gone through in the prior months. Moreover, the city which had been hit the hardest had a stake in the Series: the New York Yankees were looking to become the first team to win four straight championships since their legendary 1950’s predecessors. On October 31st, in front of a crowd of over 56,000 fans and millions at home, President George W. Bush threw arguably the most important first pitch of the game’s long history. The Commander in Chief’s presence set the tone for the rest of the Series, that no one should be scared of attending games and that normal life must trump terror. |
The award winning HBO Sports documentary Nine Innings From Ground Zero highlight's President Bush's first pitch in Game 3 of the 2001 World Series. Click here to watch the full documentary.
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Colonialist Baseball
Sports have long been used as a tool for both imperial hegemony and native resistance and expression. The spread of Cricket through India helped Great Britain integrate Western culture into its foreign colony; however, the Indian inhabitants saw the game as an opportunity for morale victory as social subordination was left outside of the playing field. A similar situation arose in the early 20th century when Japan colonized Taiwan. As an assimilation tactic after the First World War, Japan implemented increase public schooling complete with physical education programs that included baseball. By 1920, Japanese officials recognized the popularity of the sport and supported the creation of the Taiwan Sports Association, thereby creating more opportunities for native Taiwanese to play - Japanese government officials saw baseball as a means to civilize an indigenous population that was still widely opposed to the imperialistic presence. By the late 1920’s, integrated Taiwanese leagues had formed, with most teams having both Japanese and Taiwanese players. However, in 1929, an all-Taiwanese team, Bi-Yeng, won the B-level championships, causing the spread of the news that, “we [The Taiwanese] beat the Japanese!” Through the coming decades leading up until the Second World War, Taiwanese baseball would continue to improve in both popularity and quality, helping the Taiwanese to develop a proud national identity.
Sports have long been used as a tool for both imperial hegemony and native resistance and expression. The spread of Cricket through India helped Great Britain integrate Western culture into its foreign colony; however, the Indian inhabitants saw the game as an opportunity for morale victory as social subordination was left outside of the playing field. A similar situation arose in the early 20th century when Japan colonized Taiwan. As an assimilation tactic after the First World War, Japan implemented increase public schooling complete with physical education programs that included baseball. By 1920, Japanese officials recognized the popularity of the sport and supported the creation of the Taiwan Sports Association, thereby creating more opportunities for native Taiwanese to play - Japanese government officials saw baseball as a means to civilize an indigenous population that was still widely opposed to the imperialistic presence. By the late 1920’s, integrated Taiwanese leagues had formed, with most teams having both Japanese and Taiwanese players. However, in 1929, an all-Taiwanese team, Bi-Yeng, won the B-level championships, causing the spread of the news that, “we [The Taiwanese] beat the Japanese!” Through the coming decades leading up until the Second World War, Taiwanese baseball would continue to improve in both popularity and quality, helping the Taiwanese to develop a proud national identity.
Baseball's Power in Politics
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As baseball’s popularity skyrocketed in the early 20th century, the celebrity and influence of its organizers and players reached unprecedented levels. In 1920, Franklin D. Roosevelt showed up to a packed hotel in Rochester, NY to campaign during his vice-presidential election. Pleased with the large turn out, Roosevelt, however, soon learned that the masses had not shown up for him, but instead for Babe Ruth, who was staying at the same hotel. This was not the Yankee icon’s only interaction with political figures, as legend has it that he once convinced a child to tell President Hoover that he would rather be Babe Ruth than be president. If this did not get the president’s attention, then Ruth’s quip in response to a reporter asking him how he felt making more money than the executive surely did: a nonchalant Ruth casually replied, “I had a better year than he did.” The sport did indeed have a great impact on the economy, especially through the build-up of large-scale stadium in big cities. The turn of the century boom in urbanization sent an influx of low-wage laborers into the city looking for work in the factories. Stadium owners capitalized on this opportunity by providing cheap tickets as well as by scheduling games around factory work hours; soon, baseball became the sport of the masses.
![]() Jackie Robinson communicated with multiple presidents concerning the Civil Rights Movement. In this letter to President Kennedy, the baseball legend thanks the new executive for the work he has already done, but persists that much more progress still needs to be made to satisfy the requisites of true quality.
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Perhaps baseball’s most notable impact on America’s culture and politics was its relationship with race. From its earliest days, the game had been segregated between white and black leagues. Beginning in 1885, the Negro Leagues harbored the country’s first African American professional baseball teams. Legends such as Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson epitomized the extremely high level of play among Negro Leaguers, a level that paralleled that of the all-white Major Leagues. However, despite the evident talent and worthiness of Negro League players, the Major Leagues remained segregated throughout the Second World War. This would all change in 1947, as Branch Ricky and the Brooklyn Dodgers welcomed Jackie Robinson to “the show”. Upon his entrance into the league, Robinson, a soft-spoken and extraordinarily talented athlete, was met with an enormous amount of racial prejudice and condemnation. Despite being called names, spit on, and thrown at, Number 42 persevered with grace, winning the 1947 Rookie of the Year and eventually the 1955 World Series Championship. Robinson’s success and composure won over the respect of countless fans, as well as teammates, marking him as a primary symbol for racial equality. In fact, Robinson used his influence to promote the Civil Rights Movement as he wrote personal letters to various politicians, including Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon.
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