Outside the Lines of Gilded Age Baseball: Gambling, Umpires, and Racism in 1880s Baseball:

by Rob Bauer

Overview

Although on the decline, the threat of gambling on games continued menacing baseball in the 1880s. One issue that certainly was not in decline, however, was the abuse of umpires. Arguments and rows between players, fans, and umpires ranks among the most important issues in the game in this decade. Several major fights broke out every season. Many times, umpires narrowly escaped with their life. At least twice, they killed fans in their own self-defense. How did the situation grow so serious?

Equally regrettably, the 1880s was the decade in which baseball drew its color line, banning African Americans from the game. Even after that decision, however, racism showed its face in more subtle ways. Learn how prejudice continued to mar the game throughout the decade, especially when it came to baseball's treatment of mascots.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781948478083
Publisher:	Rob Bauer Books
Publication date:	03/14/2018
Series:	Outside the Lines of Gilded Age Baseball , #2
Pages:	198
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.45(d)

About the Author

I’m Rob Bauer, author of historical fiction and nonfiction books and owner of Rob Bauer Books. I hold a PhD in American History and was a Distinguished Doctoral Fellow at the University of Arkansas.

My fiction has two purposes—entertaining readers and explaining historical injustice. Although I enjoy adventure and humorous books as much as the next reader, I’d like my books to stand for something a little bigger. All my studies in history put me in a position to do that. Whether I’m writing about how racism damages the individual psyche, the deportation of the Métis people of Montana, the South’s prison labor system, or the utter terror of the Belgian Congo, with my books you’ll find yourself in powerful historical stories.

I also write nonfiction about baseball history because I’ve always loved the game, its history, and its lore. I sometimes joke that baseball may be the one thing in life I truly understand. Although I love the statistical side of the game, if you don’t, never fear because my histories go light on the statistics and heavy on what baseball was like in the past. They’re stories about baseball, but stories with a point.

The history blog on my website offers posts on a variety of interesting historical figures and events. My author Facebook page also has periodic “This Day in History” posts for people interested in discussing the past.

When I’m not working on my next story or writing project, I enjoy spending time at the beach and spending time with my wonderful dog Ally, preferably both at the same time. And, oh yeah, I still read a history book or two. When I’m not watching baseball.