For 52 years, Boston was a two-team Major League city, home to both the Red Sox and the Braves. This book focuses on the two teams’ period of coexistence and competition for fans. The author analyzes the Boston fan base through trends in transportation, communication, geography, population and employment. Tracing the pendulum of fan preference between the two teams over five distinct time periods, a deeper understanding emerges of why the Red Sox remained in Boston and the Braves moved to Milwaukee.

Charlie Bevis, a member of the Society for American Baseball Research, is an adjunct professor of English at Rivier University. He has written for Nine, The Cooperstown Symposium, The National Pastime and Base Ball, and is the author of several baseball books. He lives in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.

Charlie Bevis
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 250
Bibliographic Info: 32 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2017
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9664-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2964-3
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Preface 1

Introduction 3

Part One: Nationals Have Monopoly, 1871–1900

 1. Merchants as Spectators 7

 2. Emerging Middle Class at the Ballpark 19

 3. Two-Team City for Two Years 34

 4. Rise of ­Irish-American Fans 42

Part Two: Red Sox Dominate, 1901–1920

 5. American League Enters Boston 55

 6. Changing Nature of the Fans 62

 7. New Ballparks for Big Crowds 81

 8. Home Runs Convert Fans 95

Part Three: Braves Have Edge, 1921–1933

 9. Radio Broadcasts and the Vote on Sunday Baseball 103

10. Sunday Games Permitted Only at Braves Field 116

11. New Law Allows Sunday Games at Fenway Park 126

12. Braves Continue to Outdraw Red Sox 134

Part Four: Red Sox Triumph, 1934–1945

13. Renovated Red Sox 141

14. Braves Change Name to Bees 149

15. Power Hitting at Fenway Park 155

16. Doubleheaders in the War Years 167

Part Five: Braves Fight Back, 1946–1952

17. Braves Initiate Night Baseball 177

18. Trying to Mint Braves Fans 188

19. Television and Suburban Fans 196

20. Road-Game Radio Broadcasts 208

Epilogue: Jimmy Fund Games 219

Chapter Notes 225

Bibliography 237

Index 241

“Excellent…highly recommended”—SABR Deadball Era Committee Newsletter; “McFarland & Company is the premier publisher of baseball history books and this latest addition to their illustrious catalog is still another exceptionally informative and unreservedly recommended addition”—Midwest Book Review.