Even with teams’ embrace of analytics, the number of scouts employed by MLB teams had stayed remarkably consistent. That all changed with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The power of a handwritten letter became clear when baseball player Joey Votto penned an apology to Canadian fans. Votto also reopened the debate about whether kids should learn cursive writing.
The Blue Jays would be well served to heed the lessons learned from losing out on signing Shohei Ohtani to make sure they don’t risk losing out on any more top players.
The opportunity to place bets has changed the way games look, the way they’re talked about – and, of course, how many people have money riding on the outcome.
Legendary broadcaster Red Barber took a chance on Scully when he asked him to be an announcer for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Three years later, Scully was the voice of the World Series.
Joël Guérette, Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO); Caroline Blais, Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO) et Daniel Fiset, Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO)
High temperatures make baseball players and coaches more irritable, and are associated with an increase in violence.
The insistence on preserving the team name – along with fan traditions like the ‘tomahawk chop’ – is even more glaring given the city’s links to the civil rights movement.
Like millions of other Blacks during the first half of the 20th Century, legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson was a republican. That changed when the GOP opposed voting rights for Blacks.
Years before Colin Kaepernick was born, Robinson wrote, ‘I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag; I know that I am a Black man in a white world.’
A sports economist explains how the deal leaves players with a fundamentally different – and in many ways, worse – arrangement than their counterparts in the other major US sports leagues.
By removing Kenesaw Mountain Landis’ name from the plaques awarded to each league’s MVP, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America acknowledged Landis’ role in upholding segregation.
Mark Otten, California State University, Northridge
It will be possible to compare the outcomes of games with and without fans, giving new insights into the relationship between fans, home-field advantage and clutch performances.
Rachel was by Jackie’s side during his most trying moments. Throughout a journey that required self-control, grace and perseverance, she was the unsung hero.