About this item
In the mid-nineteenth century, two industries arrived on the American scene. One was strictly a business, yet it helped create, define, and disseminate American culture. The other was ostensibly just a game, yet it soon became emblematic of what it meant to be American, aiding in the creation of a national identity. Today, whenever the AT&T call to the bullpen is heard, fans enter Minute Maid Park, or vote for favorite All-Stars (brought to us by MasterCard) , we are reminded that advertising has become inseparable from the MLB experience.Here's the Pitch examines this connection between baseball and advertising, as both constructors and reflectors of culture. Roberta J. Newman considers the simultaneous development of both industries from the birth of the partnership, paying particular attention to the ways in which advertising spread the gospel of baseball at the same time professional baseball helped develop a body of consumers ready for the messages of advertising.
About the Author
Roberta J. Newman is a cultural historian with a focus on the relationship between sports and advertising. Though never a Dodger's fan, this Brooklyn-born writer holds degrees from New York University, Parsons School of Design and the University of Chicago. Her writing has appeared in publications such as NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture as well as in a selection edited volumes dealing with sports history and culture. In addition to sports and advertising, she is obsessed with the history of her "home town," especially its seedier elements. She teaches at New York University.
