UI Press | Charles P. Korr | The End of Baseball As We Knew It: The Players Union, 1960-81

The End of Baseball As We Knew It

The Players Union, 1960-81

Awards and Recognition:

Winner of the Dave Moore Award given by Elysian FIelds Quarterly Review, 2003.

A fascinating, accurate account of the history of the powerful baseball union

The first book to utilize the files, letters, and correspondence of the Major League Baseball Player's Association, The End of Baseball As We Knew It replays the much-storied transformation of power from management to players that set the standard for labor relations not just in baseball but in all professional sports. Charles P. Korr also draws on interviews with ballplayers, journalists, and labor executives to construct this insider's view of the most successful sports union's formative years.

"A fascinating, accurate account of the history of this powerful union."--Tim McCarver, major league catcher, 1959-80, and Fox Sports broadcaster

"This illuminating account of how the Major League Baseball Players Association changed the face of the American sports scene should be read by anyone interested in baseball but especially by thirty particular individuals--the ones who run major league clubs. No detail of this fifteen-year drama has been omitted, with all its alternatives fully explored and explained. As one who had to cover these events in real time, I'm delighted to learn from both sides--at last--what really went on."--Leonard Koppett, Hall of Fame sports writer and author of Koppett's Concise History of Baseball

"A near perfect historical account: a fascinating subject that has been thoroughly researched, a rich story told with precision and passion. Korr reminds us that the formation of the baseball players union not only changed baseball but all of American sports and in profound ways affected American society as a whole. More than a sports book (clearly a must-read for all baseball fans and scholars), The End of Baseball As We Knew It is important American social and labor history."--Gerald Early, professor of English and African-American Studies at Washington University and consultant on Ken Burns's television documentary Baseball

Charles P. Korr is a professor of history at the University of Missouri at St. Louis and the author of West Ham United: The Making of a Football Club.Bob Costas is an award-winning sports broadcaster and the author of Fair Ball: A Fan's Case for Baseball.