Major League Rebels

This book tells the fascinating stories of the baseball rebels who were influenced by, and in turn influenced, America’s political and social protest movements throughout history—including battles over labor, anti-trust, corporate power, immigration, and America’s wars and military interventions worldwide.

A captivating history of the baseball reformers and revolutionaries who challenged their sport and society—and in turn helped change America.

Athletes have often used their platform to respond to and protest injustices, from Muhammad Ali and Colin Kaepernick to Billie Jean King and Megan Rapinoe. Compared to their counterparts, baseball players have often been more cautious about speaking out on controversial issues; but throughout the sport’s history, there have been many players who were willing to stand up and fight for what was right.

In Major League Rebels: Baseball Battles over Workers' Rights and American Empire, Robert Elias and Peter Dreier reveal a little-known yet important history of rebellion among professional ballplayers. These reformers took inspiration from the country’s dissenters and progressive movements, speaking and acting against abuses within their profession and their country. Elias and Dreier profile the courageous players who demanded better working conditions, battled against corporate power, and challenged America’s unjust wars, imperialism, and foreign policies, resisting the brash patriotism that many link with the “national pastime.”

American history can be seen as an ongoing battle over wealth and income inequality, corporate power versus workers’ rights, what it means to be a “patriotic” American, and the role of the United States outside its borders. For over 100 years, baseball activists have challenged the status quo, contributing to the kind of dissent that creates a more humane society. Major League Rebels tells their inspiring stories.

Foreword, by Bill Lee

Introduction

Resisting Labor Exploitation

1. The Players Revolt Against Gilded Age Baseball

2. Challenging Baseball’s Corporate Monopoly

3. Ending Indentured Servitude

Contesting the American Empire

4. Resisting War, Fighting for Peace

5. The Latino Battle Against Baseball Colonialism and Racism

6. Protesting America’s War on Terrorism

Conclusion

7. Rebels for All Seasons

8. Baseball Justice: An Unfinished Agenda

Index

About the Authors