Full Description
Examine the big-league benefits of minor league baseball!The Minor League Baseball: Community Building Through Hometown Sports examines the role played by minor league baseball in hundreds of cities and towns across the United States. Written from the unique perspective of a sociologist who also happens to be an avid baseball fan, the book looks at the contributions minor league teams make to the quality of life in their communities, creating focal points for spirit and cohesiveness while providing opportunities for interaction and entertainment. The book links theory and experience to present a "sociology of baseball" that explains the symbiotic relationship which brings people together for a common purposeto root, root, root for the home team.From the author:
Minor league baseball is played across the country in more than 100 very different communities. These communities seem to share a special bond with their teams. As with all sports teams, there is a symbiotic relationship between the team and the city or town that it represents. In the case of major league professional sports, the relationship is often fueled by economic outcomes. On the minor league level, the relationship appears to go beyond mere money and prestige. Minor league teams occupy a special place in our hearts. We are more forgiving when they lose, and extremely proud of them when they win.Minor League Baseball: Community Building Through Hometown Sports is a detailed look at the connection between town and team, including:
economic benefits (development strategies, community growth)
intangible benefits (ballpark camaraderie, hometown pride)
fan attachment and attendance (demographic variables, stadium accessibility, "home court advantage")
case studies of two Maryland minor-league franchises--the Class AA Bowie Baysox and the Class A Hagerstown Suns
Minor League Baseball: Community Building Through Hometown Sports also includes an introduction to the organizational structure of the minor leagues, a history of each current league, and charts and tables on attendance figures and franchise relocations. This book is essential reading for sociologists, sport sociologists/historians, academics and/or practitioners in the fields of community sociology and psychology, and of course, baseball fans.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Introduction
Safe at Home
Minor League Baseball Through Time
Minor League Basics
Minor League Reviews
Play Ball!
Chapter 2. Baseball Coast to Coast
National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (NAPBL)
Independent Leagues
Conclusion
Chapter 3. The Lure of Minor League Baseball
The National Awakens
Academics Take Notice
Sociology of Minor League Communities
Chapter 4. The Evolution of Minor League Baseball
Historical Overview
Minor League Baseball As a Different Kind of Business
Franchise Relocation and Name Changes
Corporate Sponsorship
Conclusion
Chapter 5. A Tale of Two Minor League Cities
Baseball As a Maryland Tradition
Hagerstown, Maryland
Bowie, Maryland
Chapter 6. The Impact of Minor League Baseball
Theory Revisited
Minor League History
Hagerstown and Bowie: Theory in Action
Conclusions
Epilogue: A Shelter in the Storm
Appendix A: Minor League Attendance and Number of Teams, by Year and Era, 1947 to 1990
Appendix B: Development of the Data Set
Hypotheses
Construction of the Data Set
Data Used
Statistical Methods and Models
Notes
Index
Reference Notes Included
