Center Field Shot: A History of Baseball on Television - Softcover

Walker, James R.; Bellamy Jr., Robert V.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0803248253 ISBN 13: 9780803248250

Publisher: Bison Books, 2008

Synopsis

In Baseball Weekly’s list of things that most affected baseball in the twentieth century, television ranked second―behind only the signing of Jackie Robinson. The new medium of television exposed baseball to a genuinely national audience; altered the financial picture for teams, owners, and players; and changed the way Americans followed the game. Center Field Shot explores these changes―all even more prominent in the first few years of the twenty-first century―and makes sense of their meaning for America’s pastime.

 

Center Field Shot traces a sometimes contentious but mutually beneficial relationship from the first televised game in 1939 to the new era of Internet broadcasts, satellite radio, and high-definition TV, considered from the perspective of businessmen collecting merchandising fees and advertising rights, franchise owners with ever more money to spend on talent, and broadcasters trying to present a game long considered “unfriendly” to television. Ultimately the association of baseball with television emerges as a reflection of―perhaps even a central feature of―American culture at large.

About this title

About the Author

James R. Walker is professor of communication and chair of the Department of Communications at Saint Xavier University. Robert V. Bellamy Jr. is an associate professor in the Department of Journalism and Multimedia Arts at Duquesne University.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bison Books
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0803248253
• ISBN 13: 9780803248250
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 402