Quote:
Originally Posted by david_l
Totally agree. I'm not a huge (modern) boxing fan per se but after reading about the struggles of the line of fighters from Molineaux, to Peter Jackson, to the big four of the early 1900s I really became enthralled with these individuals and the history and context of such athletes. So I started collecting pugilist cards a few years back. Such amazing individuals and stories. Often they end tragically but they are almost always fascinating. Such individuals had to overcome poverty, racism, mob control of their sport, violence from spectators, health issues, etc. and still achieved tremendous things while simultaneously disproving many contemporary myths of the time. Such examples ended up advancing numerous social causes which I think is really neat to learn about.
As you mentioned, the same is true in baseball. There's just so many fascinating tales. I love getting cards and learning about player's lives and careers. I collect these cards because, as you so elegantly stated they lived in a harsh world but managed to do great things. I find that inspiring.
David Luft
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Yeah that is more or less it (for me at least). The stories behind a lot of those athletes in the pre-war period are so interesting because the degree of adversity they overcame (or in some cases, succumbed to) is just so much greater than what most faced after the war (not just with baseball players, but most of society at that).
I think my feelings can be summed up by a simple comparison:
Adversity faced by random hypothetical baseball player in the 1910s: Player is one of 8 children, only 3 of whom survived to adulthood. Loses wife and first child to Spanish influenza. Player's first year in MLB was also the first year in his life in which he had regular access to indoor plumbing, motorized transport and sufficient food and clothing. Player gets middle class income while playing on top MLB team, but has to fight for that job every year. Has no access to modern medicine, health care, etc, so after age 26 is playing mostly in pain. Works as bartender in off season to pay bills. Career ended after getting exposed to poison gas on Western Front in WW1. Dies age 45.
Adversity faced by random hypothetical baseball player in 1980s: Team owners are colluding to keep player's salary under $1 million per season. Unable to afford upkeep on 90ft yacht as result, forced to downsize to 60ft version. Also having to cut down on discretionary cocaine binges in order to economize.
The former of these provides a much more compelling narrative than the latter.