Amber Roessner talks about the relationship between baseball stars and journalists in the early 20th century, and how historians today evaluate the complex personality and image of Ty Cobb.
[powerpress]
1:30 growing up in Georgia as a fan of Ty Cobb
3:48 how Cobb got Grantland Rice’s attention as a minor leaguer in 1904
6:49 the “gee whiz” school of sports journalism in the 20th century
10:04 how the press painted Cobb and Mathewson as gentlemen and heroes
15:23 how Cobb’s image changed over time
17:19 why Cobb and Mathewson had ghostwritten articles appear in their name
21:14 Cobb and Mathewson’s dangerous chemical weapons accident while serving together during World War I
22:39 why the press was reluctant to embrace Babe Ruth as baseball’s savior in the 1920s
24:26 how the press’ role in sports coverage today compares with a century ago
28:04 historians’ role in examining competing claims and narratives about Ty Cobb
34:22 the marginalization of female sports writers and sports historians