Gospel Of Baseball

Erin Hussey

Assignment 4

1.) According to Ruck, what is the "Gospel of Baseball" and was it open to all in America and beyond?

The Gospel of Baseball according to Ruck was what baseball brought to every body’s lives. Baseball spread like wildfire. The gospel was the “intoxication” that baseball had on the people of the Americas, Cuba, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. By the 20th century baseball was a huge part of the United States as well as Cuba. Walt Whitman compared Baseball to the U.S constitution, he thought it was very important in American history and said it was the “American game.” The Civil War attributed to the spread of Baseball in the U.S. The soldiers took back the game to their home places and formed teams and clubs. In

Cuba was right on the heels of the U.S with the development of Baseball. Cubans who lived in the states at the time embraced it with full and open arms. Eventually these men went back to Cuba introducing them to a whole new world. They brought baseball with them back to their homeland. After defeating Spain in the Spanish-American War, the U.S. took over Cuba until the early 1900’s. But the Cuban constitution contained a law that gave the U.S. their right to step in with any chance of political turbulence. After a fiercely opposed presidential election in Cuba in 1906 led to civil war within the country, U.S. troops put into place a military government. During the three-year occupation, the manifestation of baseball increased.

Baseball in Cuba was strictly segregated by race and class. Cuba spread baseball to other countries such as Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

Trujillo, the Cuban leader, was not interested in baseball, but was interested "in keeping people in such a condition that they didn't bother with politics." He did this to induce players from other countries with luxurious contracts to play for his teams. This led to a risk of being banned from playing in the United

The U.S. armed forces has a vast amount of credit for spreading the game of baseball in Latin America. Also, baseball does not involve having athletic or at least specific physical shape and condition, like football or soccer, which is another reason why baseball was so popular in Latin America. After relations with Cuba were cut off for the U.S. the Americans had to choice but to move their winter leagues to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Venezuela to continue to play in the hot weather with some powerful competition.

Every country except for Mexico, changed their schedule to dodge conflict with the U.S. baseball season in the spring and summer. This lead to the formation of the Winter Leagues. This was a way for each country to showcase their talent as well as reel in money for the economies. Baseball quickly grew and made an everlasting impact in Latin America. Some of the best players have come from these