Thomas Barthel

Babe Ruth and the Creation of the Celebrity Athlete

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

From his first year in the majors, George Herman "Babe" Ruth knew he could profit from celebrity. Babe Ruth Cigars in 1915 marked his first attempt to cash in. Traded to the Yankees in 1920, he soon signed with Christy Walsh, baseball's first publicity agent. Walsh realized that stories of great deeds in sports were a commodity, and in 1921 sold Ruth's ghostwritten byline to a newspaper syndicate for $15,000 ($187,000 today). Ruth hit home runs while Walsh's writers made him a hero, crafting his public image as a lovable scalawag. Were the stories true? It didn't matter--they sold. Many survive but have never been scrutinized until now. Drawing on primary sources, this book examines the stories, separating exaggerated facts from clear falsehoods. This book traces Ruth's ascendance as the first great media-created superstar and celebrity product endorser.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: McFarland
• Seitenzahl: 288
• Erscheinungstermin: 30. Juli 2018
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 254mm x 178mm x 16mm
• Gewicht: 547g
• ISBN-13: 9781476665320
• ISBN-10: 147666532X
• Artikelnr.: 48215250

Autorenporträt

Thomas Barthel, a professor emeritus in the State University of New York system, has written nine books on subjects ranging from the Civil War, to baseball history to civil engineering. He lives in Clinton, New York.

Inhaltsangabe

Table of Contents Author's Note and Acknowledgments Preface Introduction
1.
Reformatory Farewell (1914)
2.
A Pitcher Leads (1915)
3.
Stardom Arrives (1916)
4.
Best at His Craft (1917)
5.
Labor Relations
6.
Home Run King (1918)
7.
Magnates
8.
A New Record (1919)
9.
New York City and Fans 10.
New Team, New City (1920) 11.
Train Travel 12.
The Yankees, the Judge and the Agent (1921) 13.
Ruth's Business Partner, Christy Walsh 14.
Free to Be a Cartel (1922) 15.
Celebrity and Hero 16.
Yankees Win (1923) 17.
Advertising's Muscles 18.
The Usual Greatness (1924) 19.
Barnstorming 20.
The Worst (1925) 21.
Newspapers and Magazines Everywhere 22.
A Sign of Glory (1926) 23.
Johnny Sylvester: Seizing an Opportunity 24.
A Prized Year (1927) 25.
Radio and Newsreels and Play-O-Graph 26.
Another Sweep (1928) 27.
Male Clubs and Masculinity 28.
Many Deaths, One Marriage (1929) 29.
Ruth and Children 30.
The $80,000 Year (1930) 31.
Ruth's Confederates, the Sportswriters 32.
The Last Tour (1931) 33.
Last Times (1932
1935) 34.
An Entertainer (1936 and After) 35.
Collecting Baseball Objects Afterword: The Selling of Nostalgia Appendix I: Marketing Ruth Appendix II: Sales of Various Ruth Relics, 1929 to Present Appendix III: Ruth's Complete Barnstorming Stops in the Continental U.S. and Canada Chapter Notes Bibliography Index