Under The March Sun : The Story Of Spring Training


Cover of the book Under The March Sun : The Story Of Spring Training by Charles Fountain, Oxford University Press, USA
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Charles Fountain ISBN: 9780195372038
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Charles Fountain
ISBN: 9780195372038
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication: December 15, 2009
Imprint:
Language: English
There is nothing in all of American sport quite like baseball's spring training. This annual six-week ritual, whose origins date back nearly a century and a half, fires the hearts and imaginations of fans who flock by the hundreds of thousands to places like Dodgertown to glimpse superstars and living legends in a relaxed moment and watch the drama of journeyman veterans and starry-eyed kids in search of that last spot on the bench. In Under the March Sun, Charles Fountain recounts for the first time the full and fascinating history of spring training and its growth from a shoestring-budget roadtrip to burn off winter calories into a billion-dollar-a-year business. In the early days southern hotels only reluctantly admitted ballplayers--and only if they agreed not to mingle with other guests. Today cities fight for teams by spending millions in public money to build ever-more-elaborate spring-training stadiums. In the early years of the 20th century, the mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida, Al Lang, first realized that coverage in northern newspapers every spring was publicity his growing city could never afford to buy. As the book demonstrates, cities have been following Lang's lead ever since, building identities and economies through the media exposure and visitors that spring training brings. An entertaining cultural history that taps into the romance of baseball even as it reveals its more hard-nosed commercial machinations, Under the March Sun shows why spring training draws so many fans southward every March. While the prices may be growing and the intimacy and accessibility shrinking, they come because the sunshine and sense of hope are timeless.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
There is nothing in all of American sport quite like baseball's spring training. This annual six-week ritual, whose origins date back nearly a century and a half, fires the hearts and imaginations of fans who flock by the hundreds of thousands to places like Dodgertown to glimpse superstars and living legends in a relaxed moment and watch the drama of journeyman veterans and starry-eyed kids in search of that last spot on the bench. In Under the March Sun, Charles Fountain recounts for the first time the full and fascinating history of spring training and its growth from a shoestring-budget roadtrip to burn off winter calories into a billion-dollar-a-year business. In the early days southern hotels only reluctantly admitted ballplayers--and only if they agreed not to mingle with other guests. Today cities fight for teams by spending millions in public money to build ever-more-elaborate spring-training stadiums. In the early years of the 20th century, the mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida, Al Lang, first realized that coverage in northern newspapers every spring was publicity his growing city could never afford to buy. As the book demonstrates, cities have been following Lang's lead ever since, building identities and economies through the media exposure and visitors that spring training brings. An entertaining cultural history that taps into the romance of baseball even as it reveals its more hard-nosed commercial machinations, Under the March Sun shows why spring training draws so many fans southward every March. While the prices may be growing and the intimacy and accessibility shrinking, they come because the sunshine and sense of hope are timeless.

More books from Oxford University Press, USA

Cover of the book Quantum Enigma : Physics Encounters Consciousness by Charles Fountain
Cover of the book Who Controls the Internet? : Illusions of a Borderless World by Charles Fountain
Cover of the book American Psychosis: How the Federal Government Destroyed the Mental Illness Treatment System by Charles Fountain
Cover of the book Asia's Next Giant : South Korea And Late Industrialization by Charles Fountain
Cover of the book Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right by Charles Fountain
Cover of the book The Infested Mind: Why Humans Fear, Loathe, and Love Insects by Charles Fountain
Cover of the book The Naked Voice:A Wholistic Approach to Singing by Charles Fountain
Cover of the book The Power of Place: Geography, Destiny, and Globalization's Rough Landscape by Charles Fountain
Cover of the book A Well-Regulated Militia : The Founding Fathers And The Origins Of Gun Control In America by Charles Fountain
Cover of the book The Complete Euripides:Volume V: Medea and Other Plays by Charles Fountain
Cover of the book The Conquistadors: A Very Short Introduction by Charles Fountain
Cover of the book Late Life Jazz: The Life and Career of Rosemary Clooney by Charles Fountain
Cover of the book Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines : Or Seven Books of Wisdom of the Great Path According to the Late Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup's English Rendering by Charles Fountain
Cover of the book Flawed Advice and the Management Trap:How Managers Can Know When They're Getting Good Advice and When They're Not by Charles Fountain
Cover of the book First Ladies: From Martha Washington to Michelle Obama by Charles Fountain
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy