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Full Description
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.
Contents
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
