Landis, Cobb, and the Baseball Hero Ethos, 1917 – 1947
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Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2020 Reconstructing baseball's image: Landis, Cobb, and the baseball hero ethos, 1917 – 1947 Lindsay John Bell Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Recommended Citation Bell, Lindsay John, "Reconstructing baseball's image: Landis, Cobb, and the baseball hero ethos, 1917 – 1947" (2020). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 18066. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/18066 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Reconstructing baseball’s image: Landis, Cobb, and the baseball hero ethos, 1917 – 1947 by Lindsay John Bell A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Rural Agricultural Technology and Environmental History Program of Study Committee: Lawrence T. McDonnell, Major Professor James T. Andrews Bonar Hernández Kathleen Hilliard Amy Rutenberg The student author, whose presentation of the scholarship herein was approved by the program of study committee, is solely responsible for the content of this dissertation. The Graduate College will ensure this dissertation is globally accessible and will not permit alterations after a degree is conferred. Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2020 Copyright © Lindsay John Bell, 2020. All rights reserved. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2. MORE THAN A PASTIME ...................................................................................12 CHAPTER 3. A SHAMEFUL SPECTACLE ...............................................................................37 CHAPTER 4. BASEBALL’S BREAKING POINT ......................................................................70 CHAPTER 5. REAL SPORTS AND REAL MEN .......................................................................97 CHAPTER 6. USING FIGURES, TABLES, AND LANDSCAPE PAGES ..............................125 CHAPTER 7. CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................155 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................................160 iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I always struggle to find the words of appreciation that are so deserving to the countless individuals who helped me reach this point in my graduate career. I know that the sentiments that appear on this page will not fully capture the gratitude I have for the people who contributed in some way to the completion of my dissertation. I also realize that not every person who I met, exchanged emails with, or who entertained me with thoughts on my work, will make it into the acknowledgments, but that does not diminish the role they played in this long and arduous process. I am indebted to the thankless work of the numerous archivists and aides who served as the “faces” to the sources that make up my research. In a society that is moving more to digital archives and defunding public archives, their work remains invaluable. I am especially grateful to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Reference Librarian, Cassidy Lent. She took time each day to make my time in the Bart Giamatti Research Center worth every second. She helped me locate additional sources that aided in my research. I am also grateful for the support I received from Sandra Norvell who taught the Grant Writing course. It was during her class that I began forming the heart of my research, and she offered insightful feedback that helped me refine my work and plan out my research trip. I want to also express my admiration for my wonderful colleagues who I am fortunate enough to also call my friends. The words of encouragement and feedback from Michael Belding, Brandon Duxbury, Caroline Schoonover, Matthew Margis, John “Jack” Seitz, Katherine Warming, and Margaret Weber helped to comfort me during the times that I experienced setbacks, writing blocks, and questions about my work. iv Of course, any grad student who was fortunate enough to get to know Jennifer Rivera knows the vital role she plays in anyone’s success navigating through their graduate careers. Whether an M.A. or Ph.D. student, Jennifer was always there to answer those important questions about scheduling, funding, and pretty much anything else in relation to the inter- departmental workings. Her kind and caring support of every grad student reminded us that no matter how bad things may have seemed, we had an ally to help us manage through. I am grateful for the wonderful support and patience of my committee members. Jim Andrews always expressed a genuine interest in my work and a desire to help me succeed. Bonar Hernández served as my Latin American History fields advisor and always found time to talk through my questions to provide a deeper understanding of the readings. I also enjoyed our frequent discussions about baseball and sharing in the triumphs and struggles of our favorite teams. Kathleen Hilliard has always been a wonderful ally for the graduate students. She advocated on our behalf and was the firm foundation that grad students needed during the years of turnover in the department. Amy Rutenberg was a great addition to Iowa State University, and I am grateful that I had the privilege of being one of her TA’s. She helped me to think more about my approach to teaching, and upon agreeing to serve on my committee, helped move parts of my work in a more scholarly direction. I am grateful for her open and honest feedback she offered whenever I came knocking on her office door. No dissertation is completed without the guidance of an advisor. I was lucky to have Larry McDonnell as the person overseeing my work. I will always cherish our discussions in 615 Ross Hall. Whether they were a few minutes as one of us was packing up, or one of our prearranged longer encounters, every meeting helped me discover more about the potential of my research, and more about myself. I am beyond grateful that I had such a patient, brilliant, v perceptive, and kind person working closely with me. He was more than just an advisor. He was my most enthusiastic supporter, my harshest critic, and my confidant throughout my pursuit of a Ph.D. He knew when to push me, and he knew when to give me space. I am grateful for our relationship, and I look forward to a promising future knowing that I always have someone there when I need him. I cannot end my acknowledgments without thanking my amazing parents, Curt and Jennifer. Their unwavering support and endless love gave me the fulfillment and confidence I needed to return to graduate school. They encouraged all their children to chase after their dreams and sacrificed so much in the process. I know I will never be able to repay them for all they have done for me, but I hope that by obtaining my doctorate I can demonstrate that the time and energy they devoted to me was worth it. Lastly, I want to thank my fiancée, Anjeline Ramirez. She has stood by my side throughout this entire process and has always shown the utmost confidence in my abilities. She has also sacrificed a lot to allow me to pursue a Ph.D., and I know that I will always remain indebted to her love and support for me as a scholar, an educator, and as her future spouse. vi ABSTRACT Between 1917 and 1947, professional baseball in the United States became politicized under the rule of commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis. He reconstructed the game’s sport- hero ethos to promote civic-minded manhood, forging a powerful bond between the construction of American masculinity and the demands of civic obligations. Landis understood that baseball’s popularity had created idols out of the men who played the game, imbuing the sport’s hero ethos with the power to influence the discourse that defined manhood. He believed that baseball could serve the needs of the nation by inculcating a belief that patriotic actions were at the core of American masculinity. Landis oversaw the expansion of “sportsmanship” as a moral standard in athletics that taught values that were important to building virtuous citizenship. The changes he implemented proved transformative, both on and off the playing field. His work reconstructed sports as an American experience that was vital to sustaining a functioning democracy. While the current scholarship acknowledges baseball’s importance to defining the American experience and as a solution to the “crisis of masculinity,” the two historiographies rarely overlap. This study seeks to explore how Landis used baseball to influence a relationship of reciprocity between sports and the state that helped to grow American nationalism. 1 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION On January 12, 1921, the sixteen owners of professional baseball teams, along with the presidents of the American and National Leagues,