Baseball for centuries has been characterized as America’s national pastime. Its history provides evidence as to how its cultivation in society served as a catalyst during the Civil War, and how it evolved American culture and society. Baseball’s roots stem from the early 1800s as variations of the game cricket. By the mid-19th century, several versions of the game were being played across the country and were beginning to inspire literature. One of the earliest publications about baseball was made by Mary Prudence Wells Smith in 1877 called The Great Match. Its vivid setting detail leads the book to become one of the greatest baseball books ever written. It also allows readers to experience a 19th century baseball game vicariously.
The setting takes place right after the Civil War in a small, hospitable town named Milltown. While baseball was well-established before the start of the war, in the New York area, it was largely expanded during it. “The civil war had done much for Milltown” (The Great Match, 3). War will inevitably cause low morale, and during long periods of encampments, it reached a peak. This was when New Yorkers introduced the game of baseball to their comrades from other northern states. It became so popular that Generals asked that troops promote baseball activities in their encampments because it promoted good health and kept the mind off the war. After the war ended, the soldiers brought baseball back to their homes. By 1869 the game was adapted by colleges and became a professional sport that paid its players.
In The Great Match, Grandhurst entered Milltown in hopes to find someone with the directions to the neighboring town, Dornfield. The personalities of both towns were drastic. Most of the inhabitants of Milltown were “as good as anybody;” meanwhile, Dornfield exhibited more exclusivity with cliques. A group of boys in “base ball costumes” celebrating an out-of-town victory against Milltown offered Grandhurst a ride to Dornfield in their stage coach, although he begrudgingly refused. The Dornfield players were sons of aristocracy and unconcerned with professionalism with the sport. Their town was located in fine agricultural land and could only be reached by coach. Milltown players, on the other hand, were more working-class folk who sometimes received compensation for playing. Their town was located upon a river and was the center of many manufactories.
This satire contains irony, as it was written by a female, but places a strong emphasis on manliness. The rivalry between the Dornfield Nine and Milltown was motivated by who could assert the most masculinity. The language used in this first couple chapters conveys the social status of baseball players. “…said Ned Black, extending his hand in a manly way to Dick” (5). Ned Black is the captain of the Dornfield Nine. This description of him shows the virility and power status of being the captain of the baseball team, which stereotypes similarly in modern day society.
The novel also illustrates well the logistics and supply chain of small-town baseball. Players traveled to games in a stage-coach, and Smith, through vivid setting details provides a vicarious experience for the reader. She describes the attire and the social hierarchy of male and female fans in the stands. There was seating by age, class distinction, and debates about the use of professional players. Fans debated play versus competition, and whether there should be a distinction between an amateur player versus a professional one. Smith included these sideline debates in the book because, in context, the first baseball publications were written right after the establishment of the major leagues; therefore, many people questioned whether professional play that promotes competition would wreck the fun of the game.
Through the perspective of the protagonist Molly Milton, the reader can easily understand the attitudes of female fans and their support of the Dornfield Nine. Molly’s father describes how baseball is a way for diverse interests to come together for a united cause. “This base-ball business…unites all the diverse interests in the village” (96). While gender inequality is highly prevalent during the 19th century, women knew just as much baseball terminology as other fans. Molly’s father proves that even in 1877 baseball served as the birthplace of some early social movements. In this scenario it is the inclusion of women in the discussions that is a stepping stone to more renowned movements such as Jackie Robinson––the first African-American baseball player in the MLB.
Mary Prudence Wells Smith, in The Great Match, offers great insight on the social context of the 19th century interwoven with the baseball culture. The grandiose descriptions of the inhabitants, such as Ned Black, in Dornfield and Milltown provides readers with a clear understanding of the masculine role of baseball players, and how the sport became America’s national pastime. New Yorkers introduced the sport during the civil war, and its popularity permeated across the country. It is a constantly evolving sport, and Smith is one example of how baseball not only impacted social movements, but also literary moments.