Selling Baseball

This interesting, twined biography of George Wright and Albert Spalding explores two baseball pioneers who moved from being leading stars to among the top promoters of the sport. The author explains the roles performed by the two men in selling baseball to the masses through Organized Baseball, the formation of leagues, and more activities designed to promote ‘America’s national pastime.’ * Choice *
A sneaky good baseball history. * Booklist *
In his fine book, Selling Baseball, Jeffrey Orens offers a uniquely sliced view: how Al Spalding and George Wright, superstars on the ball field, came to dominate its merchandising, building empires that extended to tennis, golf, and, yes, roller polo. Highly recommended, even to those who may know a thing or two about sports. -- John Thorn, official historian of Major League Baseball and author of critically acclaimed Baseball in the Garden of Eden
In Selling Baseball, Jeffrey Orens makes a compelling case that two early superstars went far beyond the ballfield to change the face of sports in America. All fans of early baseball and American cultural history owe Orens a debt for his entertaining and deeply sourced account of the remarkable rise of George Wright and Albert Goodwill Spalding. -- Edward Achorn, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Fifty-nine in ’84 and The Summer of Beer and Whiskey
In Selling Baseball, Jeffrey Orens provides his readers with a new perspective of the sport and the sports equipment industry through the long-overlooked relationship between Albert Goodwill Spalding and George Wright. The more than fifty-year friendship of these two on-the-field stars, Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, and sports equipment pioneers, transcended competition and launched baseball and other athletics to the status that we take for granted today. Thought provoking, instructive, and enjoyable—a must read. -- Peter Mancuso, co-chair, Nineteenth Century Research Committee, Society for American Baseball Research
Selling Baseball tells how the then-new game of baseball grew into the “National Pastime”—a big business complete with fanatic fans and professional teams—via the joint stories of two of baseball’s most impactful pioneers, Hall of Famers George Wright and Albert Spalding. Whether on the ball field or in management, the duo helped shape the game as we know it today. Jeffrey Orens’ Selling Baseball gives readers a grand tour of 19th century baseball, as well as of 19th century America. -- Bruce Allardice, baseball historian and author
Orens brings a fresh perspective and lively writing to the early years of professional baseball. -- Richard Hershberger, baseball historian and author of Strike Four: The Evolution of Baseball
Orens' book invites us on a journey through American and baseball history from the 19th into the early 20th centuries. Through the eyes of two early baseball icons, Al Spalding and George Wright, we witness the evolution of the game, from the fun of underhanded pitching to its formation as a national economic enterprise. Along the way, we crisscross America with the famous Cincinnati Red Stockings; follow the game overseas; watch the rules, equipment, and economics of the game transform; and appreciate how American sports became big business. A must read for anyone fascinated by the interplay of sports and American society. -- Bob LeMoine, author of When the Babe Went Back to Boston: Babe Ruth, Judge Fuchs and the Hapless Braves of 1935
This book is a good primer on the early development of the business of professional baseball in the last one-third of the 19th century. * Bevis Baseball Research *