After three decades of being a minor league affiliate for various Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, the Campton Hills Crushers were informed, in December 2020, that they would no longer be part of any big-league team’s farm system. They were not alone. In an attempt to reduce costs and exert
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Where to “Play Ball!”? A Case of a Minor League Baseball Team’s Future
Craig Hyatt, Chris Chard, and Shannon Kerwin
Batting Average and Beyond: The Framing of Statistics Within Regional Major League Baseball Broadcasts
Zachary W. Arth and Andrew C. Billings
On April 21, 2015, the televised game of professional baseball saw the introduction of a new technology, which, for the present, has changed the way the game is broadcast. It was on this day that the St. Louis Cardinals took on the Washington Nationals in the first Major League Baseball (MLB) game
Something about Baseball: Gentrification, “Race Sponsorship,” and Neighborhood Boys’ Baseball
Sherri Grasmuck
This article examines the factors behind a story of racial accommodation in an unlikely space, one formerly renowned for racial violence and exclusion. The space of boys’ baseball provides an opportunity to understand how class and racial changes in a formerly White, working-class neighborhood of Philadelphia, unfolded over a 30-year period. With gentrification, came new class and racial encounters on the local baseball field. The author’s research included participation as a “bench Mom” over a decade, 2 years of ethnographic fieldwork involving observations of more than 100 games in two boys’ age divisions, and 40 in-depth interviews with coaches and parents of players. Factors identified as central to the smooth racial integration of the space are the centrality of baseball to neighborhood “character,” a demographic shortage of White neighborhood children, the “racial sponsorship” of the first Black middle-class children, a growing external accountability toward new Black politicians, and the unique character of baseball itself.
Relationship Between Posterior Shoulder Tightness and Lower-Limb Flexibility in College Baseball Players
Tomonobu Ishigaki, Motoki Hirokawa, Yuya Ezawa, and Masanori Yamanaka
Posterior shoulder tightness (PST), based on restricted glenohumeral internal rotation and horizontal adduction, is a widely recognized risk factor for arm injuries in baseball players. 1 Previous studies revealed that decreases in glenohumeral internal rotation in baseball players were found as
Development of Athletes, Conceptions of Sport Officials' Authority
David W. Rainey, Nicholas R. Santilli, and Kevin Fallon
This study examined baseball players' conceptions of umpires' authority. Eighty male players, ages 6-22 years, completed an abbreviated Inventory of Piaget's Developmental Tasks (Furth, 1970), which was used to measure cognitive development. They then heard recorded scenarios describing conflicts with an umpire and a parent. Players indicated if they would argue with the authorities, why they obey the authorities (obedience), and why the authorities get to make decisions (legitimacy). Obedience and legitimacy responses were categorized into Damon's (1977) three levels. Measures of arguing, obedience, and legitimacy were analyzed for four age levels and three levels of cognitive development. Older and more cognitively developed players were more likely to argue with authorities. Conceptions of obedience and legitimacy were positively associated with age, though they were not related to scores of cognitive development. The positive relationship between age and authority conceptions and the absence of a relationship between cognitive development and authority conceptions are both consistent with Damon's position.
Return to Play Following Nonoperative Treatment of Partial Ulnar Collateral Ligament Injuries in Professional Baseball Players: A Critically Appraised Topic
Nicole Cascia, Tim L. Uhl, and Carolyn M. Hettrich
Clinical Scenario Numerous studies have reported on postoperative return to play (RTP) rates, between 66% and 98%, in professional baseball players after ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction. 1 – 5 Currently, there is limited evidence following nonoperative management. There has been an
Youth Sport Participation of Professional Baseball Players
Grant M. Hill
The youth athletic backgrounds of professional baseball players were assessed to determine whether there was early specialization in baseball, and to determine the influence of both their high school baseball coaches and parents on their baseball careers. Players were also asked to comment on the ideal activities for aspiring young baseball players. Questionnaires were administered to 152 players from six teams in the Northwest Rookie League. Players were generally multisport athletes during high school. Specialization by playing position appeared to be delayed until the professional level, with most players playing several defensive positions during their elementary, junior high, and high school years. Players generally concurred with the advice they had received from their high school baseball coaches, that young, talented baseball players should practice and train for baseball on a year-round basis and should also participate in other school sports.
The Effects of Concussions on Batting Performance in Major League Baseball Players: A Critically Appraised Topic
Lindsey R. Turbyfill, Logan J. Hatley, and Alan R. Needle
Clinical Scenario Compared with collision sports and those with a large number of subconcussive blows (eg, soccer), baseball generally receives less media and research attention regarding the long-term impacts of sport-related concussion. Concussions account for 1% to 2.1% of all time-loss injuries
Minority Managers in Professional Baseball
David Fabianic
A salient feature of professional baseball is the absence of minority members serving in managerial positions. Traditionally, it has been argued that minority players did not occupy the playing positions from which managers were generally recruited, thus accounting for their lack of career mobility in baseball. However, examination of the distribution of minority players in major league baseball reveals that they generally appear in high interactor positions in proportion to their general percentage representation among all players. Although managers continue to be selected from high interactor positions, minority players are disregarded by ownership for managerial selection. This study generates an expected frequency of minority representation among managers, based on the positions from which managers are selected and the proportion of minority players occupying those positions.
(Inter)National Pastime: Depicting Nationality in Local and National Major League Baseball Broadcasts
Zachary W. Arth, Darrin J. Griffin, and Andrew C. Billings
( Attiah, 2018 ), making a global sport such as baseball an interesting and useful test case. Considering the history of baseball as “America’s pastime,” Major League Baseball (MLB) has, from the beginning, featured players from a host of different countries. At the sport’s inception, a small segment of
