And in 1927, powered by Ruth’s sixty home runs, attendance increased another 13 percent, all of which Haupert attributes to Ruth’s drawing power. By the end of the year, the initial $100,000 investment in Ruth had already returned $779,075.51. He would continue to generate showy profits for another seven years, a reality Ruppert acknowledged with the two-year, $80,000 contract for 1930–1931, which also included a clause awarding him 25 percent of the net receipts of exhibition games played during the regular season (as long as he played in at least five innings). That would remain true for as
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