The Business of Baseball

The crack of the bat, the cheering of fans and the agility and athleticism of the players are all characteristics that many people fondly associate with Major League Baseball. However, the players’ strike and owners’ lockout in 1994 and 1995 brought the game under great scrutiny, revealing a side of baseball that is not admirable, honorable, or enjoyable. Nor is this darker side of “America’s Pastime” a recent development. The majority of problems in today’s Major Leagues are a continuation of ills that have plagued organized baseball since its inception.
This book examines the business of baseball, addressing its most significant problems and proposing solutions. It covers some of Major League Baseball’s greatest players and their effect on the game and its business. Among the many topics analyzed are the roles of franchise owners, commissioners, and players’ unions in organized baseball. The book also examines Major League ballparks and baseball fans, and considers how they are relevant to baseball as a game and a business.

Albert Theodore Powers is an international tax and finance lawyer, a member of the Society for American Baseball Research, and the author of a number of books and professional articles.

Albert Theodore Powers
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 419
Bibliographic Info: 76 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2003
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1426-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1674-2
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      vii

1. The Church of Baseball      1

2. Pentateuch      9

3. In the East, a Star Appeared      41

4. Plagues      61

5. Resurrection      77

6. Apocrypha      89

7. Deliverance      103

8. Diaspora      117

9. God Profaned! Apple Pie Blasphemed!      147

10. Emancipation      169

11. Rolling Stones      195

12. You Can’t Smoke Astroturf      215

13. This Bud’s for You      231

14. Money Changers in the Temple      257

15. Redemption and Apocalypse      279

16. Baseball, Inc.      319

Notes      345

Bibliography      379

Index      393

“a thorough and readable history…clearly a labor of love…recommended”—Choice; “makes clear the lost opportunities of baseball history…intriguing…recommended”—Library Journal.