The Sacramento Solons: A Study of Popular Representation within the Pacific Coast League (PCL) 1930-1960
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Date
2024
Authors
Garcia, Gene
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Dr. John Thorn, the official historian for Major League Baseball (MLB), places the origin of the sport in west-central Massachusetts, with mentions of the sport in newspapers dating back to as early as 1735, then more frequently in the 1750s. One factor in the longevity of baseball is the communal ties of baseball teams to their cities. Although, this comes along with different governmental struggles around land usage by the team. Take for example, the “Friendly Confines” of Wrigley Field and the various community jewel box stadiums each built into and for the community they reside in. The provision of land for stadiums is one area where it is clear that complex negotiations are necessary between a team and a city, but this is only the most visible aspect of the relationship. Existing scholarship on the history of baseball focuses overwhelmingly on sporting history. These communal, governmental, and social relationships between baseball teams and cities have received some attention with major league teams but have been almost completely ignored in the minor leagues. Throughout the history of the Sacramento Solons, the involvement of the community of Sacramento provides a case-study of communal financial, physical, and governmental relation with the capital city baseball team of California. Using news articles, popular media, state and city legislation, and interviews with ownership, this study explores city and communal involvement between 1930-1950. This study demonstrates that the city’s continued support of the Solons was tied to its desire to be perceived as a notable Californian city.
Description
47 pages
Keywords
History, California inter-city competition, Baseball, California city development, 20th century urban history