AMERICA’S GAME: A HISTORY OF BASEBALL IN SIX ACTS

Wade Berstler

DESCRIPTION: The noted Columbia University historian Jacques Barzun once said, “Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball.” The accuracy of how interwoven the game is in the fabric of our culture cannot be denied. The lecture series will address and discuss 173 years of baseball’s myths, triumphs, and shortcomings. Each session will be a comprehensive, engaging lecture built to expand the knowledge base of everyone from the casual fan to the those who fancy themselves experts.” All attendees will leave with a deeper appreciation and understanding of “America's game.”

SIX LECTURES:

1. Spring Training: A look at baseball’s beginnings
2. Innings 1 and 2: Amateurism and the early professionals
3. Innings 3 and 4: Labor and leagues
4. Innings 5 and 6: Black eyes and golden years
5. Innings 7 and 8: Integration and expansion
6. Bottom of the Ninth: Where we are and where are we going?

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Wade Berstler has been a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) for the past ten years and is also a member of The National Baseball Hall of Fame. He is considered one of less than 300 19th-Century baseball scholars in the country. He has earned several degrees from Florida Atlantic University. Wade will receive his Ed.S. in December while working toward a doctorate in Educational Leadership in the Adult and Community Education program of Florida Atlantic University. Wade is a noted lecturer on baseball history, and is a featured lecturer at the Road Scholar Elderhostel Baseball Symposium at Stetson University.