Baseball and Social Change in America

AHA Session 23
Thursday, January 5, 2023: 3:30 PM-5:00 PM
Grand Ballroom Salon E (Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, 5th Floor)
Chair:
David M. McDonald, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Panel:
Allan "Bud" Selig, commissioner emeritus, Major League Baseball
Adrian Burgos Jr., University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
Frank Guridy, Columbia University
Margaret Salazar-Porzio, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Sayuri Guthrie Shimizu, Rice University

Session Abstract

The year 2022 marked both the 150th anniversary of the introduction of baseball to Japan and the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Since 1947, the demography of baseball has changed dramatically. How has baseball been a catalyst for social change in the United States? What explains the rise and fall of African Americans in Major League Baseball? Has Latino success in baseball changed attitudes in the larger population? How do we assess baseball academies like those in the Dominican Republic? Are Japanese stars like Shohei Otani viewed similarly or differently than Latino players? How has baseball impacted international relations between the US and countries like Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Japan?
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