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Sport in History: An ERIC/ChESS Sample

Vickie J. Schlene

Reprinted from the OAH Magazine of History
7 (Summer 1992). ISSN 0882-228X
Copyright (c) 1992, Organization of American Historians
 

The American experience is closely tied to the history of sports, recreation, and leisure time activities. Throughout history, there have been many sports legends, scandals, and interesting turns of events. Many of these people and events can be integrated into the school curricula as a testimony of America's past and possibly, future.

This ERIC/ChESS sample highlights but a few of the entries dealing with the history of sport.

EJ 338 231. Briley, Ron. "Baseball and the Cold War: An Examination of Values." OAH Magazine of History 2 (Summer 1986): 15-18.
This article maintains that baseball presents a view of American society in microcosm, and it reviews the Cold War history of American baseball, showing how the statements and concerns of the players and managers reflected popular values of that era.

EJ 338 234. Briley, Ron. "Lesson Plan for 'Baseball and the Cold War: An Examination of Values.'" OAH Magazine of History 2 (Summer 1986): 24.
This article provides discussion questions, activity suggestions, and sample quotes to provoke further examination of the Cold War era values evidenced in the baseball subculture.

EJ 386 464. Campanella, Alfred J, ed. "Classroom Teacher's Idea Notebook." Social Education 53 (February 1989): 126-129.
The article "Using Geography to Teach Comparative Values: Japan and the United States" by H. Flater, uses baseball to introduce junior high students to basic differences in the way various cultures view similar events.

EJ 414 134. Cooper, B. Lee, and Donald E. Walker. "Baseball, Popular Music, and Twentieth-Century American History." Social Studies 81 (May-June 1990): 120-124.
This article argues that using popular recordings that feature baseball imagery is an innovative way to introduce students to the pluralistic nature of American life. It outlines a variety of themes that use baseball history to develop concepts about social change, cultural values, and individual achievement.

EJ 402 208. Cutlip, Scott M. "A Public Relations Footnote to the Pete Rose Affair." Public Relations Review 15 (Winter 1989): 46-48.
This article, prompted by Pete Rose's unsuccessful challenge to the authority of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, describes the creation of the baseball's commissioner's office in 1921 by Albert Lasker, an advertising and public relations genius, to deal with the public relations problem facing baseball in the wake of the 1919-1920 Black Sox scandal.

EJ 365 367. Vernon, John, ed. "Teaching with Documents. It's in the Cards: Archives and Baseball." Social Education 52 (February 1988): 124-126.
This article discusses the history of baseball cards and their use in the classroom as historical documents. It includes five exercises which deal with trading cards and the game itself. It also provides a blown-up version of a 1950s Minnie Min-oso baseball card to be used with one of the exercises.

EJ 430 534. Walker, Donald E., and B. Lee Cooper. "Black Players and Baseball Cards: Exploring Racial Integration with Popular Culture Resources." Social Education 55 (March 1991): 169-173, 204.
This article illustrates the use of baseball cards as cultural artifacts and how to make sociological inferences and historical generalizations from them. It focuses on black players and the issue of racial integration in major league baseball. It also includes chronologies of racial integration on teams and inductions of black players into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

EJ 348 156. Zingg, Paul J. "Diamond in the Rough: Baseball and the Study of American Sports History." History Teacher 19 (May 1986): 385-403.
This article, using baseball as its focus, demonstrates the importance of sport in helping students understand certain central themes of United States history. It provides a brief history of baseball and reviews scholarly works on its influence in United States culture.

The items preceded by an "ED" are in the ERIC system and are available in many libraries around the country or copies may be ordered from the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). For additional information concerning ordering copies, contact EDRS, 7420 Fullerton Road, Suite 110, Springfield, Virginia 22153 or call (800) 443-3742. Entries preceded by "EJ" are annotated monthly in the Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE). They can be located in the journal sections of most libraries or ordered through Interlibrary Loan.

The ERIC/Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education (ERIC/ChESS) acquires, processes, and reports on the significant literature in social studies and the social sciences. Through the ERIC database, ERIC/ChESS provides ready access to that literature. Address any comments, inquiries, or search requests (there is a minimal fee for a search) to Vickie J. Schlene, User Services Coordinator, ERIC/ChESS, 2805 East Tenth Street, Suite 120, Bloomington, IN 47405 or call (812) 855-3838.

Vickie J. Schlene is User Services Coordinator for the ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education, Bloomington Indiana.