Abstract

This study examines the history of the radio broadcasting of major league baseball games. The evolution of the genre is placed within the context of the rise of monopoly capitalism and the establishment of a commercial broadcasting model in the United States. The debate over the relationship between baseball and radio that took place in the 1930s is described, as is the evolution of baseball announcing practices. Finally, the study considers the fan experience of radio baseball as it has been described in poetry, literature, and the movies. Throughout, the study describes discourses around the production and reception of radio baseball and addresses gaps and failings in the historiography of radio baseball.