Center Field Shot: A History of Baseball on Television

by James Robert Walker, Robert V. Bellamy Jr.

In Baseball Weekly’s list of things that most affected baseball in the twentieth century, television ranked second—behind only the signing of Jackie Robinson. The new medium of television exposed baseball to a genuinely national audience; altered the financial picture for teams, owners, and players; and changed the way Americans followed the game. Center Field Shot explores these changes—all even more prominent in the first few years of the twenty-first century—and makes sense of their meaning for America’s pastime.
 
Center Field Shot traces a sometimes contentious but mutually beneficial relationship from the first televised game in 1939 to the new era of Internet broadcasts, satellite radio, and high-definition TV, considered from the perspective of businessmen collecting merchandising fees and advertising rights, franchise owners with ever more money to spend on talent, and broadcasters trying to present a game long considered “unfriendly” to television. Ultimately the association of baseball with television emerges as a reflection of—perhaps even a central feature of—American culture at large.

Genres: Sports, Baseball

402 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2008

About the author

I am an emeritus Professor in the Department of Communication at Saint Xavier University in Chicago.

I began my career as the producer/host of a daily television program at Penn State University's PBS station. My Ph.D. is in Communication Studies from the University of Iowa. I started my teaching career at the University of Northern Iowa, moving to the University of Memphis in 1983, and to Saint Xavier University in 1993.

I have authored six books and over thirty articles on baseball and the electronic media, and the television industry and its audiences. I also enjoy playing fantasy baseball (with considerable success, I might add).

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting topic but a dry read. The layout of the chapters are confusing -- it felt like the first draft of an outline that never was edited for the flow of a book.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Walker and I wrote this. It is pretty good...lol.