1865–1879: Commodifying a National Pastime
1865–1879: Commodifying a National Pastime
The “Professional” Game
While Major League Baseball is a multi-billion dollar business today, the early professional game struggled to attract fans and make money. The 1870s saw the transformation of America’s leisure activities and men’s and women’s professional baseball teams emerged to compete for spectators with circuses, pedestrian races, boxing matches, and theatrical productions. Colorful pageantry was part of the early professional matches and many of the female players were former theatrical performers. Women’s professional teams emerged in Springfield, Illinois (1875) and in Philadelphia, New Orleans, and New York (1879). Burlesque troupes began featuring “female nines” at indoor performances; middle-class critics began accusing female professional teams of making a “burlesque” of the national pastime.
Keywords: Major League Baseball, professional, leisure, Springfield, Philadelphia, New Orleans, New York, burlesque
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