The Empire Strikes Out
How Baseball Sold U.S. Foreign Policy and Promoted the American Way Abroad
The Empire Strikes Out gives us the sweeping story of how baseball and America are intertwined in the export of "the American way." Is the face of American baseball throughout the world that of goodwill ambassador or ugly American? Has baseball crafted its own image or been at the mercy of broader forces shaping our society and the globe? Mixing sharp political analysis and compelling baseball lore, here is an eye-opening look at baseball's relationship to American empire, from the Revolutionary era to the present day. Elias describes baseball's role in the expanding American empire, first at home and then beyond our shores. From Albert Spalding and baseball's first World Tour to Bud Selig and the World Baseball Classic, we witness the globalization of America's national pastime and baseball's role in spreading the American dream.
